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Healthy Eating - Vegan and Vegetarian Nutrition

By Charlotte Watts Dip.ION BANT – Nutritional Therapist – www.totalbeing.com and www.healthyconvenience.com

Health surveys among vegetarians and vegans show that vegan children are shorter and lighter than meat-eating and vegetarian children and vegan adults are leaner than other people.

Vegans have lower blood cholesterol levels than either meat-eaters or vegetarians and seem to suffer less from heart disease. There is also some evidence that they are less prone to certain cancers. Some scientists also believe that vegetarians and vegans live longer than other people.

Although vegan diets have several advantages such as being high in fibre and low in saturated fat, they are usually low in nutrients such as calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

Although some of these nutrients are present in vegetable sources, they are less readily absorbed by the body. It is advisable that vegans who have persistent digestive problems or ill health even after 3 months of being on the programme, arrange a telephone consultation at www.totalbeing.com

Sources of nutrients

Vitamin B12 – deficiency causes pernicious anaemia, leading to symptoms such as low energy, irritability, anxiety and constipation. Vitamin B12 is needed to release energy from foods. For vegetarians dairy products or eggs contain some vitamin B12, but meat is the main source; fermentation destroys most of the B12 in yoghurt. Vegan sources – Often vegan sources of B12 are listed as spirulina, seaweeds (including dulse, kelp, kombu and nori) and fermented soy products. However the current scientific evidence has shown that humans are not able to use the B12 from plant sources as once believed. Vegans are recommended to supplement B12 in a B Complex or multivitamin supplement, as it needs to work with other B vitamins. Many vegan products are fortified with B12, but these are often highly processed so look for natural ingredients rather than more industrialised soy protein isolates and margarines that contain harmful components.

Vitamin D – needed for absorption of dietary calcium, helps to maintain healthy joints, teeth and bones, mood, healthy blood pressure and muscle control. Vegan sources – mainly obtained from action of sunlight on the skin as our preferred source, but support liver function as this is where the conversion happens. Otherwise usually only from animal sources (butter, eggs, oily fish), but it is present in some fortified margarines. Vegans with an indoor lifestyle should take supplements.

Calcium – needed for nerve transmission and muscular contraction, healthy teeth and bones and involved in blood clotting. Dairy is a poor source as although high in calcium, it has little magnesium, needed for its utilisation. It is also an acid-forming food which causes the body to take calcium from bone as an alkalising mineral. Vegan sources – nuts, seeds, pulses (beans, lentils, peas, soya, etc.) and dark green leafy vegetables. White flour has calcium added by law.

Magnesium – which is needed for Ca absorption is also found in Vegan sources – nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. Roughly 70% of magnesium is lost through the processing of wholemeal flour to white.

Iron – needed for the formation of haemoglobin in the blood, deficiency results in anaemia, which can show as energy problems and listlessness and is seen as a pale inner lower eyelid. The form of iron in plant sources (non-haem) is much more difficult for us to absorb than from animal sources. Vegan sources – watercress, parsley, pulses, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, dried fruits, potato skin, asparagus, beetroots and oatmeal. – note that the vitamin C in your supplement programme will help to absorb the iron from vegetarian sources.

Zinc – involved in more than 100 enzymes in the body including digestion, immunity, wound healing, fertility, insulin production and foetal development. Vegan sources – seeds (especially pumpkin) nuts, pulses, mushrooms, whole grains like buckwheat, rye, and oatmeal.

Beta-carotene – precursor of vitamin A or retinal, which is only found directly in animal sources. Vegetarians must therefore make the conversion from beta-carotene, which can be difficult for those with low thyroid function. Vitamin A is needed for night vision, healthy skin, mucus membranes and immunity. Vegan sources – found in dark green leafy vegetables (the deeper the colour the higher the carotene) and red/orange/yellow vegetables and fruits. Good sources are carrots, beetroots, apricots, tomatoes, peaches, and watercress.

Diabetics may not absorb beta-carotene and should therefore use supplements of retinol.

B complex vitamins – needed for energy, nerve function, hormonal and other biochemical processes. Vegan sources – wholegrains, nuts, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame), mushrooms, avocado, bananas, kiwi fruit, bean sprouts and dark green vegetables.

Essential Fats

The essential fats are deemed ‘essential’ as we need them for body functions and cannot make them in the body. These are the omega 3 and 6 oils. Omega 6 oils are found in plant sources such as nuts, seeds and some vegetables and their oils. However the types of omega 3 oils we use in the body, DHA and EPA are only directly found in oily fish. There are some in plant sources (see table below), but we need to convert them first and this can be hindered by an overloading of omega 6 oils in the diet.

Omega 3 Oil Deficiencies:

If you have any of the omega 3 deficiency symptoms, you may want to take a vegan omega 3 oil, if not this is a good consideration to add to your supplement programme.

The ideal omega 6 to omega 3 ratio is believed to be 4:1. It is important to note that vegetarians are likely to have a much higher ratio of the generally plant based omega 6 oils than the omega 3 oils that are mainly found in oily fish. The only plant sources of omega 3 oils are shown below and should feature regularly in your diet.

All of these are polyunsaturated fats and therefore unsuitable for cooking. Use olive oil, coconut oil or butter if heating and the others for dressings and drizzling.

*Note that linseed needs to be soaked or ground to be digestible

Protein

Proteins are composed of amino acids, of which there are about 22 in total and 8 of these are classed as essential. This means that they cannot be produced in the body and therefore must be obtained from food:

Protein foods that supply the full quota of essential amino acids are called complete proteins, such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, quinoa and peanuts. Other plant protein sources such as nuts, seeds, grains and pulses are not complete, but can be combined to obtain the full mix. This is very important for vegetarians and vegans to consider as protein is needed for healing, immunity, mental function, liver detoxification and hormone control. Examples of protein combining to achieve complete proteins are:

· Pulses and grains (e.g. beans on toast)

· Rice and lentils

· Grains and vegetables

. Nuts, seeds and vegetables

The Comparative Protein Content of Plant Foods

Being vegetarian, vegan or even eating little animal produce for health reasons can still provide us with proteins. The added bonus of receiving your proteins from these sources is that they are more alkalising, contain fibre to help you to digest and absorb the amino acids within and contain abundant nutrients, especially minerals and antioxidants.

The percentage rate for each plant food below is the approximate calorific amount of energy received from protein. Vary your sources for a good spread of amino acids and to achieve complete proteins eaten in a day. Favour the fermented forms as eaten traditionally in the East – tofu, miso, tempeh and avoid processed forms such as ISP (Isolated Soy Protein) and ‘fake’ products.

Cross-referencing these sources to find the most alkalising protein sources is always a good recipe for health – note what fantastic health superfoods spinach and watercress are.

See www.totalbeing.com for a Nutritional Assessment to choose the right diet and supplements to help you get in control of your health!

See www.healthyconvenience.com for help remembering how to get healthy – for posters, shopping guides and recipes.