This is a simple question and one that a lot of people ask before they decide to try eating more plant-based foods, or transition completely to a vegan diet. The answer, however, is a bit more complicated. Asking if a plant-based diet can be healthy is like asking how much a car costs. There are a lot of variables, and each one will contribute to the overall health of your diet. No diet, plant-based or otherwise, is inherently good or bad. You can be healthy eating an animal-based diet and unhealthy eating vegan. The difference, which cannot be argued, is that eating a plant-based diet is better for the planet and definitely better for the lives of animals. In this blog we’ll look at the variables that will help your plant-based diet be as healthy as possible. (Note: Depending on which source you look at, the numbers may vary for how much of each nutrient is in a particular food, but the variation is slight.)
Protein
Get used to it. You’re going to be asked where you get your protein on a plant-based diet and you’re going to be asked this a lot! Protein is one of those things that people associate so closely with food derived from animals that they don’t consider, or understand, that there are excellent sources of protein within the plant world. If there wasn’t, huge, muscular animals like elephants, hippos, rhinos and bison would not exist. These animals are herbivores, meaning they eat a plant-based diet. They certainly don’t look protein deficient to me! But back to the question at hand. Where do vegans get their protein? This chart shows some of the best sources of plant-based protein, but most foods contain some protein. The other thing to consider is how much protein you really need. In North America we have a fixation on protein and there’s a “more is better” mentality. Unless you are an elite athlete, you are probably already consuming more protein than you need, and getting your requirements met on a plant-based diet will be quite easy.
Let’s do the math
Generally speaking, if you are an average person with a mostly sedentary lifestyle, then the amount of protein you should try to include in your daily diet, according to Harvard Health and many other reputable sources, is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight). So, if you weigh 150 pounds (68kg), then you should try to eat 54 grams of protein per day. Now that you know this…what does 54 grams of protein look like?
Let’s eat!
Let’s look at a typical day and see where you would net out with your protein intake if you were on a plant-based diet. (Grams of protein are shown in parentheses.)
Breakfast:
1 slice multigrain toast (5g)
2 tbsp of peanut butter (8g)
Soy milk latte – 1/2 cup soy milk + coffee (4g)
Lunch:
2 slices of multigrain bread (10g)
5 slices of Tofurky plant-based ham (13g)
1 slice plant-based cheese (0g)
1/4 cup edamame (5g)
1 banana (1g)
Dinner:
2 tacos made with 4 oz Beyond Meat ground, ¼ cup black beans, 1 avocado, salsa and shredded vegan cheese
(Approximately 32g – 21 from the meat, 4 from the beans, 6 from the taco shells and 1 from the avocado)
½ cup brown rice (3g)
Here you have 81g of protein for the day and you haven’t even had any snacks yet! So, to sum it up...getting enough protein in your diet probably isn’t going to be an issue!
Calcium
This is another area of nutritional information that has been hijacked by clever marketing and catchy headlines. The myth is that we humans need to drink the milk of a cow to meet our calcium requirements. The reality is that there are as good, or better, sources of calcium for humans than the milk from a cow. Dairy marketing boards and dairy farmers have done a great job making you think if you don’t drink a cow’s milk your bones will dissolve into a pile of mush or snap like a dry twig under the slightest pressure. That is simply not true. You can find better sources of calcium in many foods. For example, calcium fortified orange juice, firm tofu, and almond and oat milk all have MORE calcium per serving than a cow’s milk.
Vitamin B12
This one is a bit trickier. B12 is a water soluble vitamin that helps with many bodily functions including DNA synthesis, red blood cell formation, nerve function, and, most importantly, converting food into energy. The issue for vegans is that B12 does not occur naturally in plants. However, plant-based products can be, and are, fortified with B12 like breakfast cereals, plant milks and nutritional yeast. There are also B12 supplements. Back to the big question…exactly how much B12 should you be aiming to get daily? The answer is, for most adults, 2.4 micrograms (mcg). So…what does this look like in terms of food? You could simply sprinkle some nutritional yeast on your pasta, include it in smoothies, salad dressings, sauces, baked goods, cereal…pretty much anywhere and, according to the National Institutes of Health, just a couple of tablespoons will give you your recommended 2.4 mcg of B12.
Iron
Iron is so closely related to red meat it’s almost as if everyone forgot Popeye even existed! OK…I know he didn’t really exist, but he was heavily into spinach, and he may have been on to something when it comes to iron. In fact, leafy green veggies are a great source of iron for vegans. So are legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils. You can also get iron from walnuts and pumpkin seeds, whole grains, brown rice, tofu, chickpeas, fortified cereals, dried fruit…it’s a pretty extensive list. Getting enough iron, which would be about 8mg on average for men and 15mg on average for women, would look like 1 cup of cooked spinach (6.4 mg) with ½ cup of tofu (6.6 mg), in say a breakfast scramble …and you’re pretty much there. There are also iron supplements if you find it difficult to work iron into your daily meals, but it’s really not that hard.
Getting the nutrition you need from a plant-based diet isn't very hard. In fact, you can probably get there without giving it very much thought. Just follow the guidelines above and try to eat a wide variety of foods.
Additional reading
Sources:
I hope this blog has helped you find your way to plant-based eating. Remember…the goal is not to be perfect. Do the best you can and enjoy the journey!
Note: It is strongly recommended that you consult with your primary care physician before making any changes to your diet. This blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended to recommend or endorse any particular product, diet or eating plan.
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