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The Lazy Vegan:
The Nutrition Buzz
by Robert Allen and Martina Watts
It is tempting to view a strict dietary regime that
excludes all foods of animal origin and allows only
vegetables, fruits, grains, pulses, nuts and seeds as a
very healthy one. This seems logical considering the high
intakes of antioxidant-rich produce and the increased
dietary fiber needed to maintain a healthy digestive tract.
In addition, vegans avoid some of the pitfalls associated
with eating eggs, meat, fish, poultry and dairy - less
saturated fats, growth-promoting hormones, antibiotics,
pesticide and heavy metal residues. Many health surveys do
indeed confirm that vegans have lower blood cholesterol
levels than meat-eaters or vegetarians and a lower
incidence of heart disease, cancer and other chronic
degenerative diseases. Vegans, especially vegan children,
tend to be lighter in weight and there is speculation that
non-meat eaters may live longer than their carnivorous
counterparts. Why is it then, that a number of my vegan and
vegetarian clients have quite a number of health
complaints? There are possibly two main factors that may
interfere with a healthy vegan diet, a lack of sufficient
knowledge in nutrition basics and an abundance of refined
convenience food low in nutritional value.
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Foods to be kept in constant stock:
Beans:
Beans (tinned, dried and fresh):
haricot (aka baked) beans
blackeyed peas
chick peas
fava (broad) beans
soya beans
kidney beans
runner beans
peas
Bean sprouts
Soya curd (tofu)
Biochemical:
Calcium fluoride
Sodium chloride
Sodium sulphate
Silica
Condiments:
Black Strap Molasses
Fermented and pickled foods, especially
miso (soy and barley)
salted black beans
chinese cabbage
Organic vegetable stock
Peanut butter
Sauerkraut
Soya Sauce
Mushroom (Pearl River brand)
Thick (Pearl River brand)
Thin (Pearl River brand)
Japanese (any)
Yeast extract
Yoghurt
Fruit (dried and fresh):
Apple
Apricot
Banana
Chilli
Fig
Lemon
Orange
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Prunes
Tomato (tinned, dried and fresh)
Grains:
Barley (including flakes as cereal)
Cracked wheat/bulgar
Oats (including flakes as cereal)
Polenta (dried maize/corn)
Rice (brown and white)
Rye
Wheat (including flakes as cereal)
Wheat germ (including as cereal)
Herbs (dried and fresh):
Angelica
Balm
Basil
Camomile
Chive
Comfrey
Cress
Echinacea
Lovage
Marjoram
Mint
Nettle
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
St John's Wort
Tarragon
Thyme
Legumes/Lentils/Peas:
Dal (lentils)
chana
toor
urid
Legumes
Peas
Liquids/Tissanes:
Balm (leaves)
Borage (leaves and flowers)
Camomile (flowers)
Nettle (young leaves)
Rosehip (fruit, including seeds, skin and pulp)
Sage (leaves)
Soya milk
St John's Wort (leaves and flowers)
[freshly made fruit juices]
[vegetable water, retained after boiling potatoes, etc]
Nuts:
Almond
Hazelnut
Walnut
Oils:
Olive
Sesame
Sunflower
Roots:
Arnica
Carrot
Dandelion (including dried, roasted and ground to make
coffee)
Garlic
Ginger
Horseradish
Onion
Potato
Shallot
Seeds:
Asafoetida (also a root)
Cardamon
Cinnamon
Clove
Coriander
Cumin
Fennel
Fenugreek
Mustard
Nutmeg
Peppercorns (black, green, red and white)
Pumpkin (including as cereal, and ground in bread)
Sesame
Tumeric (also a root)
Seed sprouts
Sunflower (including as cereal, and ground in bread)
Vegetables:
Brocolli (including sprouting brocolli)
Cabbage
Caulifower
Chard
Courgettes
Dandelion
Leek
Spinach (tinned and fresh)
Sea:
Carrageen (aka Irish moss)
Dulse/Dillisk
Kombu (aka Kelp)
Nori (aka Laver)
Wakame (aka Kelp)
Wild food:
Blackberries
Blueberries
Redberries
Cherries
Blackcurrants
Redcurrants
Whitecurrants
Damsons
Gooseberries
Hawthorn
Juniperberries
Loganberries
Mushrooms
Raspberries
Rosehip
Rowanberries
Strawberries
Other:
Breads
Noodles
Couscous
Pasta
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PROTEIN:
The quality of protein in individual plant foods is
generally lower and less concentrated than food from animal
origins. As proteins are essential constituents of all
cells, provide structure and regulate the processes of
life, they must be provided for adequately in our diet.
Proteins consist of at least 20 different amino acids that
are used for growth and repair of the body as well as
energy production. Around half of these amino acids are
essential, which means that we cannot manufacture them
ourselves and must obtain them from the food we eat. Most
animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids
required by the human body, but plant sources are often low
in one or two of them.
As a vegan, it is necessary to
combine several non-meat derived sources of protein in
order to achieve the right balance. Luckily, this is not
very difficult if a good variety of legumes, grains, nuts,
seeds are combined with fresh fruit or vegetables. You can
eat mixtures of protein food groups together at one meal or
separately during the same day in order to get all the
amino acids necessary for a healthy body. Nuts, dried peas
and beans are excellent sources of plant protein foods.
Grains such as wheat, maize, millet, quinoa and buckwheat
are also main sources of protein. Potatoes contain useful
amounts as they tend to be eaten in good quantity, the
amount of protein in other roots and tubers, however, is
small. Green leafy vegetables also contain some protein but
are not eaten in large enough amounts or frequency to be of
real significance.
For those concerned with adequate
protein intake, alternatives to meat products have been
developed by the food industry. Soya-based foods such as
tofu (bean curd), miso (fermented bean paste), texturised
vegetable proteins (soy mince or chunks) and mycoprotein
(Quorn) are now increasingly available and some are
fortified with B vitamins, iron and zinc.
VITAMINS:
Plant foods are amply endowed with most vitamins. The only
exceptions are vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
Vegans should eat
foods fortified with these vitamins as well as taking a
good multivitamin/mineral formula to safeguard against
deficiencies. Vitamin B12 is essential for a healthy
nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. A
deficiency may cause fatigue, irritability and more
seriously, Pernicious Anemia. Small amounts can be found in
yeast extracts, fortified miso, some margarines, soymilk
and fortified breakfast cereals. Although present in
blue-green algae, there is speculation whether the body can
utilize it in this form. Vegans should supplement with
vitamin B12 several times a week to prevent anemia - the
amount needed per day is tiny (1-2 microgram), but it is
essential.
Vitamin D is important for the absorption of
dietary calcium for healthy joints, teeth, bones, nerve
transmission and muscular contraction. Luckily, the body
itself produces a form of vitamin D by the action of
sunlight on the skin, therefore for vegans; a brief daily
venture outdoors throughout the year is a good idea. Many
breakfast cereals and all margarines are fortified with
vitamin D.
MINERALS:
Although minerals are abundant in fruit, vegetables, beans,
pulses, nuts and seeds, they are difficult to absorb.
Bioavailability can be reduced by various factors, such as
exposure to heavy metals (e.g. lead,) consumption of
stimulants (alcohol, coffee, tea, cigarettes) or a lack of
gastric acid in the stomach. Phytates, naturally occurring
chemicals found in grains, also interfere with absorption.
As a large percentage of minerals in our foods are removed
during the refining process and produce may be grown in
soil lacking in minerals, deficiency can be a problem - in
particular calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium deficiency.
Groups with special nutritional needs such as pregnant and
lactating women, babies and children are particularly
vulnerable. Iron from non-meat sources such as cereals,
green vegetables, nuts and pulses is harder to convert into
a usable form than iron from meat. Iron is poorly absorbed
and deficiency is very common among the world's population.
The reason for this is that the uptake of iron from food is
not easy and depends very much in which form it is
packaged, as well as the milieu of the gut environment.
Vitamin C will enhance absorption, but tea, coffee,
alcohol, phytates and oxylates (found in rhubarb,
chocolate, spinach) restrict its uptake. An acid pH in the
stomach is extremely important for absorption and can be
affected by zinc or vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as many
other factors. In the West, many people depend on milk as
their main source of calcium and can therefore fall short
if intake is suddenly reduced. Good calcium sources for
Vegans are tofu, fortified soy products, dark green leafy
vegetables, sesame, sunflower seeds, root vegetables,
almonds, brazil nuts, beans, molasses, kelp and lentils.
There is evidence to show that population groups with lower
intakes of certain nutrients do manage to adapt over a
period of time and rarely show signs of deficiencies.
However, it is recommended that new vegans are consistent
in their intake of minerals a supplementation with a
multivitamin/mineral formula is sensible. Zinc, like other
minerals is antagonized by certain dietary factors such as
caffeine, phytates, iron intake and even medication. Good
sources in a vegan diet are sesame and pumpkin seeds,
cereals, cashew nuts, sprouted lentils, popcorn, seaweed,
alfalfa and kelp.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:
Fats are necessary for normal brain development, the eyes
and the nervous system and needed to provide energy and
maintain growth. Problems occur when we consume more
saturated fat than our bodies can use and when we eat too
little of the good fats - as has happened over the past
century. Our intake of saturated fats and hydrogenated
vegetable oils has dramatically increased, whereas our
intake of essential fats has decreased.
Unlike saturated fats, we humans cannot manufacture our own
essential fatty acids (EFA's) and are entirely dependent on
dietary sources. There are two groups of EFAs we need to
eat, one called omega 6 and the other omega 3. For optimal
health, it is important to obtain enough of both oils in
the right proportions. The ratios vary from person to
person but experts recommend two parts of omega 3 to one
part omega 6.
The omega 6s are found in nuts, seeds and most vegetable
oils. Higher sources are contained in evening primrose,
starflower, blackcurrant, sesame oils, walnuts, brazil
nuts, pecans, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
The richest source of omega 3s comes from cold-water fish
and flaxseed (also called linseeds). Small amounts are
present in walnuts, wheat germ and soya oils. Another
source is phytoplankton and algae which are tiny plants
that live in oceans and lakes. Researchers are concerned
that our modern diet is particularly lacking in the omega 3
oils. A deficiency of these oils has been implicated in
heart disease, cancer and immune dysfunction as well as
possibly affecting brain development and IQ in children.
For vegans, those worried about polluted or farmed fish, or
those that are simply allergic to fish, flaxseed is a
welcome alternative source, as is hempseed. The tiny
flaxseeds are golden or brown in colour with a pleasant,
nutty flavour. They can be ground in a coffee grinder (use
one tablespoon per day) and sprinkled over breakfast
cereal, porridge or even mixed into a glass of water.
Flaxseeds aid digestion and are believed to counter
inflammatory reactions associated with arthritis and other
conditions. It is important to be aware that some people
are genetically unable to convert the beneficial oils in
flax for use in the body and require fish or algae in their
diets.
To work effectively, EFAs need nutrients such as the
vitamins B6, A, C, E and the minerals magnesium, zinc,
copper and selenium. If even one of these nutrients is
deficient, it can have a similar effect as an EFA
deficiency. Mother Nature is clever, presenting essential
fatty acid rich foods together with co-factor nutrients.
Fatty acid rich nuts, seeds and beans are good sources of
minerals as well as the vitamins E and B6. Fish contains
plenty of minerals, as does seaweed - which is why a vast
majority of the world's population relies on marine life
for sustenance. Add vegetables and you have an
immune-building diet humanity has thrived on for thousands
of years.
Essential oils should never be heated as they are volatile
and spoil quickly when exposed to heat, light or oxygen.
Oil that tastes bitter or rancid should be discarded. In
order absorb and utilise essential fats, decrease intake of
processed foods containing bad fats. Bad fats are those
that have been refined, deodorised, heated, fried,
hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Eat plenty of nuts
and seeds with some fruit for a quick energising snack.
Veganism can be extremely healthy, but does require some
thought and planning. It has the potential to be boring,
downright unhealthy and nutritionally deficient in today's
climate of over-refined, oversalted, oversugared,
hydrogenated and additive-rich convenience food. Purely by
avoiding animal products you are not making a healthy
lifestyle choice - by choosing the right foods in the right
quantities and context, you are.
- – Robert Allen and Martina Watts
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The above is an extract from the book The Lazy Vegan, publication date TBA
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