Health & wellbeing What is a healthy, balanced vegan diet?
Confused by the misinformation surrounding vegan diets? Dr Justine Butler from Viva! helps makes it simple to understand
A balanced diet should include meat and dairy according to the meat and dairy industries. Like much of what they say about health and the environment, it isn’t true, and cutting meat and dairy out of your diet will not only benefit your health, but help combat both the climate crisis and loss of wildlife.
A healthy, balanced vegan diet, focused on fruit, vegetables, pulses, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, offers a multitude of health benefits, including a reduction in the risk of all the big killer diseases. With simple swaps, you can enjoy a wide range of classic favourite dishes plus new and exciting ones, too. If you follow some basic guidelines, you will soon reap the health benefits, including having the occasional treat.
Nutrition essentials
Variety is key, go for richly-coloured fruit and veg to get the greatest benefit – purple sweet potatoes, red cabbage, carrots, kale, spinach and berries – eat the rainbow!
Research suggests we should aim for at least five portions of fruit and veg a day and the ZOE Health Study recommends 30 different plant foods a week. It’s not as hard as it sounds, as it includes grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices! Choose wholegrain varieties of food: wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, oats and quinoa – they release energy more slowly, which helps you feel fuller for longer and helps control blood sugar levels.
Protein dilemmas
“But where do vegans get their protein?” is the tired old question that’s frequently asked. All plant foods, except extracts such as oil and sugar, contain protein, and if you eat a varied diet, that provides enough calories, you will get enough protein.
Adults need about 45 to 55 grams a day, but many people in the UK get a lot more than that, and too much protein, especially animal protein, can be harmful. The best sources of vegetable protein are pulses, tofu, wholegrains, nuts and seeds.
Everyone needs a reliable source of vitamin B12 to help keep blood cells and nerve cells healthy. It’s produced by bacteria that live in the soil and, traditionally, humans and animals got it by eating unwashed foods. Food production is now so sanitised that we need a supplement – and not just us but farmed animals too, and for the same reason. So, contrar
