A Balanced Vegan Diet in 3 Easy Steps

Cinzia Cuneo April 4, 2017 Health, Vegan, Vegetarian

Calcium

Often, vegans do not consume enough calcium. A good place to start is to include some of these foods:

• Enriched soy, almond or rice milk
• Tofu solidified with calcium
• Dried beans
• Almonds, almond butter
• Sesame seeds
• Blackstrap molasses
• Dark leafy greens: broccoli, kale, cabbage

Iron

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Vegans need twice as much iron as people who eat meat, because the body doesn’t absorb vegetarian iron as well as iron from animal sources. Vegetarian sources of iron include:

• Legumes: kidney beans, black eye beans, red lentils
• Blackstrap molasses
• Soy products: tofu, enriched soy milk, vegetarian mince
• Enriched pasta and cereals
• Dried fruit: prunes, raisins, apricots
• Dark green vegetables: cabbage, kale, okra, bok choi
• Quinoa

To help your body better absorb iron, eat foods containing vitamin C (like lemon juice or fruits). It is also best not to drink coffee or tea during meals because some of the compounds in these drinks impede iron absorption.

Zinc

Vegetarian sources of zinc include:

• Legumes: lentils, beans, lima beans
• Soy products: tofu, tempeh, enriched soy milk
• Nuts and seeds: peanuts, peanut butter, sesame seeds, tahini, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts
• Cereals: wild rice, wheat germ

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Author

Cinzia Cuneo

Cinzia Cuneo, founder of SOSCuisine.com, never wanted to neglect the quality of her food. She shares her special expertise to make good food quickly and without complications!