Vegan diet

The vegan diet implies the elimination from the menu of all products of animal origin, that is, meat, seafood, eggs, milk, but also foods that have them in the composition, for example butter or mayonnaise. Many vegans go a step further in their resolutions and also give up everyday items made from animal skins or beeswax.

Who is a vegan diet for?

The vegan way of eating will work for healthy people, regardless of age. However, before deciding to go vegan, it is worth preparing solidly for this change in terms of substance. It is important for vegans to have basic nutritional knowledge about the foods they consume and how to combine them. After eliminating zoonotic products, it is easy to get deficiencies of some key components in the body. In addition, vegans need to remember about the mandatory supplementation of vitamins B12 and D, as well as, in some cases, omega-3 acids.

Diet rules

The vegan diet is in accordance with the principles of nutrition of a healthy person. The daily menu is based on vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereal products and vegetable fats.

The key component is legume seeds (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans) and in particular soy products (tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.), being the main source of protein in this diet. They are also extremely important cereal productsvitamins, which provide the body with the energy it needs to function properly, dietary fiber, vitamins (eg B vitamins, including folic acid) and minerals (eg zinc, iron).

Another important component is nuts and seeds. They are a source of vegetable fats and potentially deficient components (calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids). As in any diet, the basis of nutritional recommendations are vegetables and fruitsfoods that should appear in all meals. They provide the body with vitamins, minerals and substances with antioxidant action.

Beware of deficiency

Due to the fact that the vegan diet, like the vegetarian one, belongs to elimination diets, it can be associated with difficulties in balancing certain ingredients. As a consequence, it can lead to their deficiency. In the group of greatest risk are people who follow a very monothematic diet, who, eliminating a given group of products, forget that they need to be replaced with something. Here is a list of components, the deficiency of which is easiest and the sources of their occurrence:

• Calcium - seeds of legumes, and in particular soybeans and white beans, tofu, flounder, dried figs, sesame and tahini paste, poppy seeds, chia seeds, amaranth, kale, parsley leaves;
• Iron - pumpkin seeds, wheat bran, legume seeds, and in particular: soybeans, beans and red lentils, dried apricots, pistachios, parsley, wholemeal bread, kale, sun-dried tomatoes;
• Zinc - pumpkin seeds, wholemeal bread, buckwheat, wheat germ and bran, oatmeal, amaranth, white beans, soybeans, peanuts, Brazil nuts, lentils;
• Iodine - iodized salt, iodized water and seaweed;
• Vitamin D - plant products enriched with vitamin D, supplements;
• Vitamin B12 - plant products enriched with vitamin B12;
• Omega-3 fatty acids - flaxseed, tofu, rapeseed oil, walnuts, chia seeds;
• Selenium - Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains.

In order to increase the digestibility of the above ingredients, it is worth introducing a few of the following rules into your eating habits:

• Do not wash down meals with tea and/or coffee;
• Choose sourdough bread;
• Add a source of vitamin C to meals: bell peppers, parsley, kiwi
• Soak the seeds of legumes before cooking;
• Remember the correct heat treatment of cabbage vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower.

What meals will you find in a vegan diet?

There are more and more vegan products available on the market. However, it should be borne in mind that not all processed plant products are healthy. Unfortunately, they often contain added sugar or large amounts of trans fats. In the MultiLife vegan diet you will find a varied menu with a wide range of meals: sandwiches, tofu, porridges, porridges, spaghetti or vegan cutlets. Among the ingredients appear vegetable drinks and yogurts. When buying them, it is worth paying attention to the label. Ideally, they do not contain added sugar, but are enriched with calcium, vitamin D and B12.

Bibliography

1. Angela W Saunders, Winston J Craig, Surinder K Baines et al. Iron and vegetarian diets. Med J 2013; 199 (4) :S11-S16
2. Meika Foster, Ursula Nirmala Herulah, Ashlin Prasad et al. Zinc status of vegetarians during pregnancy: a systematic review of observational studies and meta-analysis of zinc intake. Nutrients 2015; 7 (6) :4512-25
3. Vesanto Melina, Winston Craig, Susan Levin. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: vegetarian diets. J Acad Nutr Diet 2016; 116 (12) :1970-1980
4. M. Dinu MSc, R. Abbate MD, G. Gensini MD, Alessandro Casini: Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1138447