Here are great, comprehensive resources for nutrition:

http://www.drfuhrman.com/
http://www.veganhealth.org/
www.chooseveg.com

My summary of these resources, is that you want to get a mix of amino acids, as there are nine that the human body doesn’t produce on it’s own, of the 20 or 21 necessary amino acids (proteins).  The human body produces most of these proteins when getting enough protein and other nutrients, but needs to ingest the essential amino acids externally, as we do not produce them on our own.  Beans and rice, tofu, avocados, hemp hearts, chia seeds, quinoa, nuts, legumes and vegetables are rich in these essential amino acids and has many other nutrients, including calcium, iron, omega 3s and fibre.  Including many plant based protein sources in your recipes, on rotation, will supply you with everything you need.  B12 is trickier… It’s found in nutritional yeast, spirulina, and chlorella, in small amounts.  Too much B12 isn’t good, however, B12 is essential and so a supplement is usually recommended for good hemoglobin.  As I’ve taken a B12 supplement for many years, when I recently got my blood tested, my doctor found my B12 levels were too high, and this can have a negative impact on health, according to my doctor… So, I basically just cut my supplement to every 2-3 days, rather than every day…  I also now take chlorella (which has B12 and is also rich in iron).  Make sure you are getting enough B12, as it is essential for health and the nervous system.

Personally, the supplements I take are an omega 3 from nuique (I order online and it’s 3 for 2 and it’s the best plant-based source of omega 3 that I have found yet, in supplement form and has the DHA and EPA) and chlorella, which isn’t technically a supplement because it is a naturally occurring algae, and I now take my B12 once every few days or so, now that my doctor has said my B12 was too high.  I do use nutritional yeast and chlorella, which are sources of B12.  I know that I don’t need to supplement Omega 3, as Omega 3 is found in hemp hearts, flax seed, chia seed and other plant sources, but I like what it does for my skin and overall what I’ve read about organ health and omegas.  Omega 9s and 6s are abundant in the plant oils such as sesame oil, olive oil, grape seed oil etc, so it’s really the 3s that you want to be a little conscious of… Hemp hearts, flax and chia seeds are a sources of Omega 3 and also provide other nutrition such as protein and fibre, and they are great in shakes and on oatmeal but in order to get the proper DHA and EPA, you may want to consider a supplement.

So, that’s my personal, concise, blurb :-)  To dive into the nutrition component of vegan eating more, check out one of the mentioned above links!!  I am not a nutritionist but I’ve read a lot of nutrition literature and seen many nutritionists over the years.  The links I’ve provided are solid sources.

The single BEST thing I do for my health and overall nutrition, when I’m in a good swing of things, is start every day with a protein shake!  I highly encourage this as you will get most of the nutrients you need for the day in this meal (and then just yummy, healthy, and plant-based, for the rest of the day, and you’re good!!):

Here’s a high energy, filling shake, but you can mix it up in any way:

  • 1 Banana
  • 1 Large handful of frozen berries or any fruit
  • Handful of frozen spinach (I keep a HUGE bag in the freezer for cooking a shakes)
  • One scoop of vega protein, pea protein or pumpkin protein (or a mix of two or three)
  • 2 table spoons of hemp hearts (which are a complete protein, especially with the pea protein from vega, and hemp hearts have the sought out omega 3 and fibre!! Hemp hearts have all the nine amino acids, but as they are lower in lysine, they don’t necessarily count as complete protein, but pea protein is primarily lysine protein, so mixing them makes a complete protein and lots of energy!!)
  • 1 Cup of almond milk or water or both…
    This recipe has about 35 grams of protein and loads of minerals, enzymes, calcium and iron… Vega protein powder boosts the iron content as it is a good source of iron and has spirulina.  I always have a few protein powders on the go (no whey of course).

This recipe can of course be tweaked to how hungry you are or what you are up to that day… Sometimes, for something lighter, I’ll just have juice and spinach and fruit in the blender… but fruits and veggies are still an awesome source of protein, believe it or not! Broccoli has more protein than steak, per calorie (look into it!!!).  :-)   Enjoy lots of variety and try bulk foods in jars on the counter where they are visible :-)

Eat To Live