What is vegan? 

A vegan can be defined in two different ways: a dietary vegan and an ethical vegan.

A dietary vegan omits animal or any animal derived products from their diet. They do not eat any meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products or any other animal products or by-products where an animal is involved such as honey and gelatin.

An ethical vegan is a dietary vegan that also eliminates the use of all lifestyle products that are derived from, tested on, or involve animals such as: clothing, shoes or furniture using leather or wool; and skincare and beauty products.

What foods are vegan? 

Maintaining a healthy and balanced vegan diet is not as difficult as it might seem at first.

A lot of the healthy foods that we are encouraged to eat by health organizations and medical professionals are already inherently vegan.

Foods that are naturally vegan

• fruits
• vegetables
• leafy greens
• herbs
• spices
• nuts
• seeds
• grains
• vegetable oils

By excluding animal products and animal by-products, you are not denying yourself nutrients, merely omitting certain sources of those nutrients.

For example, calcium, which we are brought up to believe is best sourced from cow's milk and other dairy products, is found in plentiful amounts in green vegetables, nuts, and other vegan foods.

High quality protein, which we traditionally think of as coming from meat, fish, poultry, and eggs can also be found in tofu, tempeh, beans, grains, and vegetables.

Furthermore, a responsible vegan diet including whole foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, health-promoting plant-based fats, and fiber.

Top Vegan Protein Sources 

The biggest concern for most people is protein. Where do you get protein on a vegan diet?

It’s important to understand what the role of proteins are in the body.

We have different proteins in our bodies, and they do a variety of jobs: There are builder proteins that construct cells, muscles, connective tissue, bones, tendons, and skin. Transporter proteins carry nutrients around the body; and messenger proteins send signals between all of the key players. Then, there are immuno proteins and hormonal proteins ; and enzyme proteins that support metabolism.

All of the proteins in our bodies are made up of amino acids, and they help keep our cells, muscles, tissues, tendons, and skin working at peak performance.

There are 20 proteins in our bodies, and 9 of them are "essential" to our diets, since our bodies can’t manufacture them.

“Complete proteins” contain, in varying amounts, all of the 9 essential amino acids.

Here are the top sources of plant-based protein:

• almonds
• amaranth
• cashews
• chia seeds
• chickpeas
• edamame
• hemp
• flax seeds
• lentils
• mung beans
• nutritional yeast
• oats
• pistachios
• pumpkin seeds
• quinoa
• sesame seeds
• sorghum
• split peas (yellow)
• spirulina
• sprouts
• sunflower seeds
• tempeh
• tofu
• walnuts

Note: Our protein needs vary depending on our sex and general make up. We can get too much protein. Excess protein will not build more muscle or strength. Excess protein can overwhelm the body and irritate the body.

Vegan Sources Of Calcium 

This is also one of the most common questions about a vegan diet.

How do vegan get calcium?

It's important question.

Calcium is an alkaline buffer mineral critical for health.

Calcium is key for bone health, optimal muscle function, healthy gums and teeth, and for combating excessive acidity and inflammation in the body.

The “we need calcium to build strong bones" is only part of the story. Yes, calcium is important for strong bones. However, calcium doesn't work in isolation for bone health. It requires other minerals, vitamins, and nutrients to accomplish that goal.

Calcium also helps engage the body’s critical “fight or flight” response at the cellular level.

What's important to note about the calcium story is the relationship between calcium and magnesium. These two minerals work in opposition to each other, and we need them both for optimal muscle and bone health.

Calcium is a “contraction enabler" - it helps muscles contract. Magnesium is a “relaxation enabler" to help our muscles relax. 

A practical example of how they work together to develop strong bones is the push-pull that happens when we lift things. The other way they work together is to regulate our response to stress (good or bad).

When the body experiences stress, calcium pushes into our cells and instigates a "fight-or-flight" response.

When we have enough magnesium in our cells, the magnesium recognizes what is going on and pushes the calcium back out of our cells to turn down the stress response and restore calm.

So, if you consume calcium with not enough magnesium to balance this intake then your cells aren’t empowered enough to combat appropriate stress responses for health.

Be careful of fortified nut milks or orange juices. These foods are often nutrient-poor, and the form of calcium contained in these processed foods may be less efficiently absorbed.

Another popular misconception is eating cheese for calcium. Cheese is an inflammatory food that creates acid, it isn't detoxifying, and doesn’t contain antioxidants or essential fatty acids which the foods below deliver.

A more prudent approach to health is to consume the whole foods below that will deliver calcium as well as other nutrients for better health.

RDA for adults 19-50 = 1000 mg per day

RDA for men 50-70 = 1000mg per day

RDA for women over 50 = 1200 mg per day

RDA for men over 70 = 1200 mg per day

Good Vegan Calcium Sources

Blackstrap Molasses 2 TBSP = 400mg

Collard Greens 1 cup (cooked) = 357 mg

Tofu made with calcium sulfate 4 oz = 200 to 420mg

Tofu made with nigari 4 oz = 130 to 400mg

Whole Almonds 1/2 cup = 188mg

Kale 1 cup (cooked) = 179mg

Bok Choy 1 cup (cooked) = 158mg

Tempeh 1 cup = 140mg

Tahini 2 TBSP = 130mg

Almond Butter 2 TBSP = 111mg

Edamame 1 cup (cooked) = 98mg

Figs 1/2 cup (dried) = 80mg

Vegan Iron Sources 

Where do you get iron on a vegan diet?

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that every week I would be a millionaire.

Iron is an essential mineral for optimal health because it is vital for production of the hemoglobin and myoglobin in our red blood cells, and helps our red blood cells transport oxygen and nutrients to every cell in our bodies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) counts iron deficiency as the number one nutrient deficiency in the world with as many as 80% of people being deficient. Our bodies keep stores of iron (one of the alkaline mineral buffers) as part of our built-in immune regulators.

However, long term depletions of iron stores can lead to iron-deficient anemia. Symptoms of a deficiency can include: fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, inability to maintain body temperature, pale skin, irritability, headaches, and weight loss.  

There are two types of iron:

Heme (found in animal foods) and Non-Heme (found in plant-based foods).

The iron contained in plant-based sources is not as readily absorbed as animal sources. As a result, vegetarians and vegans may have lower iron stores than omnivores.

A prudent strategy for getting your daily intake of iron is to eat a balanced diet containing grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. And, consuming them strategically to increase absorption. With iron, it is not how much you consume, but how much you absorb that counts.

Eating smaller amounts throughout the day increases absorption. Consuming vast amounts of iron in one sitting decreases the amount actually absorbed.

Do not drink coffee or tea with meals as the tannins inhibit iron absorption.

Avoid eating calcium-rich foods within 30 minutes of consuming iron-rich foods.

Combining plant-based sources of iron with vitamin C-rich foods increases absorption. Foods like broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, leafy greens, and tomatoes.

Cook your iron-rich foods in a cast-iron skillet as these pans contain iron and can increase iron absorption by up to 10 times.

Don't rely on leafy greens (particularly spinach) as some contain oxalates which can inhibit the absorption of iron.

Recommended Iron Intakes:

Infants and children

• Younger than 6 months: 0.27 milligrams per day (mg/day)
• 7 months to 1 year: 11 mg/day
• 1 to 3 years: 7 mg/day
• 4 to 8 years: 10 mg/day

Males

• 9 to 13 years: 8 mg/day
• 14 to 18 years: 11 mg/day
• Age 19 and older: 8 mg/day

Females

• 9 to 13 years: 8 mg/day
• 14 to 18 years: 15 mg/day
• 19 to 50 years: 18 mg/day
• 51 and older: 8 mg/day

Top Vegan Iron Sources

Tofu (1/2 cup): 6.6 mg

Spirulina (1 tsp): 5 mg

Cooked soybeans (1/2 cup): 4.4 mg

Pumpkin seeds (1 ounce): 4.2 mg

Quinoa (4 ounces): 4 mg

Blackstrap molasses (1 tbsp): 4 mg

Tomato paste (4 ounces): 3.9 mg

White beans (1/2 cup) 3.9 mg

Dried apricots (1 cup): 3.5 mg

Dried peaches (6 halves): 3.1 mg

Prune juice (8 ounces): 3 mg

Lentils (4 ounces): 3 mg

Peas (1 cup): 2.1 mg

Other Vegan Iron Sources

• tempeh
• brown rice
• oats
• pistachios
• sunflower seeds
• cashews
• almonds
• sesame seeds
• swiss chard
• collard greens
• beet greens
• macadamias
• cacao powder