My Vegan Diet!

It's important to stay healthy even when becoming vegan. I think vegans--the smart ones--can actually end up being the healthiest people on the planet when research is done as to what should be eaten and what important nutrients must be taken into account. Sooo I have come up with the main foods that must be consumed as a vegan based on important minerals and vitamins needed for bodily functions:

Examples of where to get Vitamins:

A- Mango, green veggies (spinach), carrots, and sweet potatoes

C- fruits and veggies: strawberries, grapes, oranges, broccoli

D - exposure to sunlight, some types of mushrooms have this, fortified foods/drinks (fortified soydream soymilk)

E - nuts (sunflower seeds), veggie oils

K - dark green veggies, soybean/canola oil

B1(Thiamin) - rice, beans, nuts, whole-GRAIN* breads

B2(Riboflavin) - almonds, avocados, dark green veggies

B3 (Niacin) - peanuts, and peanut butter

B6 - nuts, beans, veggies, bananas

Folate - beans, peas, peanuts, oranges, OJ, spinach, sunflower seeds

B12- fortified foods/drinks, Redstar nutritional yeast

Pantothenic Acid- peas, whole-GRAIN* cereals, starchy beans-pinto, black and navy beans

Biotin - fortified foods/drinks, legumes

Minerals:

Calcium- fortified foods/drinks...I believe you can also get calcium from some dark green vegetables... I may research about calcium a bit more later.

Iron - legumes, soybeans, spinach

Potassium - fruits and veggies, OJ, bananas, beans, potatoes

Zinc - whole-GRAIN* bread, yeast, soybeans

Fiber - beans, oats, whole-GRAINS*

Water!! This is one of the most important nutrients!!! Make sure to get lots :)



In a nutshell...as a vegan you should eat mostly:

veggies, fruits, whole-grain products, beans, nuts (peanuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, etc...), and buy fortified products such as soymilk.


* Whole-wheat =/= whole grain. Make sure the product says whole GRAIN and not just whole wheat. Whole wheat products do not necessary include the entire part of the grain!