Dietary Guidelines

  1. Provide a wide variety of plant foods, including plenty of strongly coloured vegetables and fruits, including green leafy vegetables, peppers, and broccoli. Aim for a total of at least 500 grams of fruit and vegetables per day. It is recommended that vegetables should be steamed, if practicable, rather than boiled and that the liquor from the steaming be kept for making soups and sauces.
  2. Provide at least 3 micrograms of vitamin B12 each day or 2000 micrograms once a week from fortified foods or supplements. Sources: Fortified Yeast Extract, Fortified Soya Milk, Fortified Breakfast Cereals and Fortified Margarine.
  3. Limit the use of refined grains and hydrogenated fat. Over-processed food should only be used sparingly as it has lost much of its nutrient content or been transformed into unnatural and harmful forms. Hydrogenating vegetable oils is one of the worst forms of processing as it produces unnatural trans-fats which have a worse effect than ordinary unsaturated fat in raising cholesterol and increasing heart disease risk. Hydrogenated fat is found in most foods, hard margarines, and biscuits and in some vegan sausages and burgers. It is recommended that products stating no hydrogenated fat should be used where possible. Refined grains should not be a major component of the vegan diet, but whole grains are associated with many health benefits.
  4. Provide 1-2 ounces (30-60g) of mixed nuts/seeds a day (e.g. walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds).
  5. Include a good source of omega-3s each day (either by using rapeseed oil for cooking and dressings or an ounce of walnuts each day).
  6. Provide calcium and magnesium rich foods such as spring greens, kale, broccoli, fortified plant milks or breads.
  7. If sun exposure is limited, Vitamin D2 should be provided. Some of the daily requirements may be obtained from fortified soya milk and fortified margarines (unhydrogenated if possible).
  8. Include legumes (beans, peas, soya) to boost protein intake, particularly if calorie intake is low.
  9. It is important to limit the use of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) to 3 or 4 times per week.
  10. Limit the use of salt or use a low sodium alternative. To counterbalance the high salt content of processed foods include foods containing potassium such as leaf and root vegetables, fresh fruit, cereals, nuts, etc.
  11. Include a brazil nut a day to ensure a good selenium intake.
  12. An iodine source is important - found in small amounts in green leafy vegetables, in larger amounts in seaweeds and kelp. If it is unrealistic to provide sufficient quantities in the diet then a vegan supplement should be provided through Healthcare in the form of two kelp tablets a week, each with a labelled iodine content of 150 to 250 micrograms.
  13. Raw vegetables should be included at least 3-4 times/week (i.e. In salad including such items as broccoli, celery, carrot, beetroot, green or red peppers).