Vegan Nutrition

It’s apparent that your nutritional needs increase when you are pregnant. However, you only need approximately 300 more calories than normal during this time, so it’s imperative that you make wise food choices and eat nutrient-dense food. A good start is to ensure that you’re eating plenty of protein. Your need for protein increases about 30 percent during pregnancy, but most vegetarian women eat more than enough protein in their regular diets. Soy proteins, beans and legumes are wonderful vegetarian sources of protein. You need to also step up your calcium intake. Each day you need to be eating at least four servings of calcium-rich foods like broccoli, calcium-fortified soy milk, tofu, and dark green leafy vegetables. Sunlight stimulates your body to naturally produce vitamin D, and it’s probably the easiest way to ensure you get an adequate amount each day. You only need about 20 minutes directly on your face and hands two to three times per week, when the sun is weakest. If you aren’t able to get out into the sun, be sure to incorporate vitamin-D rich foods into your daily diet by choosing fortified cereals, or using a supplement. Take a look at your iron intake, as it’s a vital mineral during your pregnancy, especially the last half. Choose beans, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, or fortified breads and cereals. You might also want to consider supplementing to ensure you get the required amount. Vitamin B-12 is also an important nutrient during your pregnancy, but it’s difficult to find in most plant-based foods. Select fortified cereals or soy milk, brewer’s yeast, and consider a multivitamin with an adequate level to ensure your body gets the amount it needs. And though zinc is difficult to come by in a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, the need for it increases during pregnancy. Whole grains and legumes are wise choices to obtain this nutrient, but you again may need to supplement to make sure you’re getting what you need. As long as you eat a good variety of nutritious foods that provide the right amount of calories for a healthy weight gain, you should have no problem getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs at this marvelous time. And though many women do choose to take a prenatal vitamin daily, they should not be a substitute for good nutrition. Develop a cooperative relationship with your healthcare provider who supports your vegetarian lifestyle, and consider consulting a nutritionist when necessary.

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Fats are an essential part of any well-balanced diet, including a vegetarian diet. Fats are made of smaller units – called fatty acids. These fatty acids may be saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Saturated and monounsaturated fats are not necessary in a vegetarian diet as they can be made in the human body. However, two polyunsaturated fatty acids – linoleic acid (omega 6) and linolenic acid (omega 3) – cannot be manufactured by the body and must be provided in the diet. Fortunately, they are widely available in vegetarian/vegan plant foods. Evidence is increasing that omega 6 (found in foods like vegetable oils such as corn, safflower and sesame) and especially omega 3 (found in flax, walnuts, avocados, almonds and olive and canola oil) fats are beneficial for a range of conditions, including heart disease, cancer, immune system deficiencies and arthritis.  Healthy fats and oils play active roles in every stage of the body’s healing, building, and maintenance processes. In fact, they are as important to an active individual’s body as amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. Healthy fats and oils help convert light and sound into electrical nerve impulses, remove potentially toxic substances from sensitive tissue, and provide strength to cell membranes. The following vegetarian menu sample shows how easy it is for essential fatty acids to be a part of your every day vegetarian diet. Breakfast: 1 bagel with 2 tsp vegan margarine, 1 medium orange, 1 cup Cheerios cereal, and 1 cup soymilk Lunch: Sandwich of hummus made with 3/4 cup chickpeas and 2 teaspoons tahini (a sandwich spread made from ground sesame seeds) on 2 slices of whole wheat bread with 3 slices of tomato and 1/2 sliced avocado Dinner: 1 cup of cooked pasta with 1/4 cup marinara sauce, 1/3 cup carrot sticks, 1 cup cooked broccoli (frozen or fresh), and 1 whole wheat roll Snack: 1/2 cup almonds, and 1 cup soymilk

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Many people think of vegetarians as one homogeneous group that just doesn’t eat meat. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are different categories of vegetarians as diverse as the reasons for going vegetarian in the first place. A vegetarian is generally defined as someone who doesn’t eat meat. But someone who is vegetarian could conceivably eat dairy products such as milk, eggs and cheese. A lacto ovo vegetarian doesn’t eat meat, fish or poultry, but does consume eggs, milk or cheese. A lacto vegetarian consumes milk and cheese products, but doesn’t consume eggs. A vegan is someone who doesn’t consume any animal product or by-product, including dairy food. They eat only vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes. They also don’t use animal products, such as leather. Vegans also don’t use white sugar because it’s often processed with a substance derived from animal bones that whitens the sugar. There are other categories within the vegetarian community. Fruitarians, for example, eat only fruit. Their rationale is that fruits, including fruits such as tomatoes, are self-perpetuating and don’t need to be planted to create the food source. They consider it a way of eating that’s most in balance and harmony with the earth, the most natural. All of the above will eat cooked vegetables, fruits and legumes. There is also a growing movement towards eating only raw or living foods. This based on the assumption that cooking food processes most of the nutrients out of it, and to get all the nutritional value, vitamins and amino acids from food, it’s best consumed raw, or juiced. If cooked at all, it should only be cooked to slightly over 100 degrees, so the nutrients are still retained. The more restrictive you become with your diet, however, the more educated you need to become to be sure you’re getting all the necessary proteins and vitamins that you need to maintain good health, especially muscle and heart health.

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Though the task of planning out a diabetic vegetarian menu might seem a bit daunting, with a little creativity forethought, it can actually be very simple. Consider the following two-day menu for some ideas and inspiration: Day one Breakfast: 1/2 cup melon slices 2 slices French toast (made with soy milk and cooked in vegetable oil with 1/4 cup chopped peaches or apricots 4 ounces enriched soymilk Morning Snack: 1/2 cup fresh grapes 6 assorted low-fat crackers Sparkling water Lunch: 1 cup mushroom barley soup with 2 ounces smoked seitan (A chewy, protein-rich food made from wheat gluten and used as a meat substitute) 1/2 cup green and wax bean salad with 2 teaspoons sesame seeds and 2 Tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing 8 ounces enriched soymilk Afternoon Snack: 1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate pudding (You may create this at home with a sugar-free mix like Sorbee or Estee and any nondairy milk.) Dinner: 1 cup chili with lentils with 1/4 cup prepared Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) over 1/3 cup white rice 1/2 cup steamed or roasted carrots 1/2 cup fresh pineapple slices Evening Snack: 1/2 cup pretzels 8 ounces enriched soymilk Day two Breakfast: 1/3 cup cranberry juice or sugar free cranberry juice cocktail 3/4 cup cooked oatmeal with 1/2 banana and 1 teaspoon vegan margarine 8 ounces enriched soymilk Morning Snack: 3 cups low fat popped popcorn with 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast 1/2 cup orange juice Lunch: 6″ pita stuffed with 2 ounces meat substitute (equivalent to 2 ADA meat exchanges), lettuce, radishes, and cucumbers 1 cup shredded cabbage with 1-1/2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise 8 ounces enriched soymilk Afternoon Snack: Fruit smoothie made with 8 ounces soymilk, 2 ounces silken tofu, and 1/2 cup frozen or fresh berries, blended together 3 sugar-free ginger snaps Dinner: Baked eggplant (1/2 cup) with 1/4 cup tomato sauce 1/2 cup black beans with 1/3 cup brown rice one medium baked apple Evening Snack: 2 Tablespoons peanut butter on 6 crackers

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Numerous people believe like I did that vegetarians are of one homogeneous group that just does not consume meat. However this is far from the truth, for there are different categories of vegetarians equally diverse as the reasons for becoming a vegetarian in the first place.

A vegetarian is commonly defined as an individual who does not consume meat. However an individual who is vegetarian could conceivably consume dairy products such as milk, eggs and cheese. A lacto ovo vegetarian does not consume meat, fish or poultry, but does eat eggs, milk or cheese. A lacto vegetarian consumes milk and cheese products, but does not eat eggs.

A vegan is an individual who does not eat any animal product or by-product, this includes dairy food. They consume merely vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes. Plus they do not use animal products, such as leather. Vegans also do not use white sugar since they are often processed with a substance derived from animal bones that whitens the sugar.

There are some more categories within the vegetarian community. For instance fruitarians, who like the name suggests only consume fruit. Their principle is that fruits, including fruits such as tomatoes, are self-perpetuating and do not need to be planted to create the food source. They believe it is a way of consuming that is most in balance and harmony with the earth, the mostly natural.

All of the above will consume cooked vegetables, fruits and legumes. There is also a developing movement towards consuming only raw or living foods. This is established on the assumption that the process for cooking food loses most of the essential nutrients out of it. Therefore to acquire all the nutritional value, vitamins and amino acids from food, it is better consumed raw, or juiced. If cooked at all, it should only be cooked to slightly over a hundred degrees; therefore the nutrients are still retained.

The more restrictive you get with your diet, the more educated you need to become. This way you are certain that you are acquiring all the essential proteins and vitamins that you need to maintain healthiness, especially when it concerns your muscles and heart health.

Happy Learning

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