Is it possible to be vegan and healthy?
Yes, perfectly.
But is it safe for everyone?
Yes, children, the elderly, adults, athletes, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers… at any stage of life you can have a vegan diet (1, 2, 3).
Any eating pattern – vegan, vegetarian, Piscitrian, omnivorous, paleo… – can be healthy, as long as it is well planned.
In any diet, the important thing is that our food base consists of plant-based foods, fruits, and vegetables, along with quality proteins and carbohydrates, and with limited consumption of ultra-processed foods and alcohol. The less of the latter two, the better, but we also have to be realistic and not sacrifice our mental health along the way.
Vegans can eat everything except meat, fish, shellfish, dairy, eggs, and honey. Their protein source should therefore be legumes, a food we should all include in our regular diets.
Here we find chickpeas, lentils, beans in all their varieties, as well as soy and its derivatives, such as tofu and tempeh. It's important to ensure a daily protein intake, regardless of your diet, although for vegans (and non-vegans), nutritional yeast, textured soy protein, and soy or pea protein are particularly beneficial due to their high protein content.
It is worth mentioning that substitutes for ultra-processed meat and fish are not necessary, but convenient, and should be consumed in moderation.
But what about omega-3? You don't need to resort to oily fish; walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds are fantastic sources. Plus, there are plenty of vegan omega-3 supplements made from algae.
And if you don't drink milk, what about calcium? Calcium is also found in almonds, hazelnuts, cauliflower, kale… so it's not a problem.
But iron is a problem if you don't eat meat, right? Good sources of iron include chickpeas, lentils, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. However, it's important to add a source of vitamin C to help with absorption!
There is only one vitamin that absolutely must be supplemented, which is Vitamin B12 (4).
A call to vegans and vegetarians—yes, vegetarians too! Although eggs and dairy contain B12, it's not in sufficient quantities. To ensure adequate B12 intake without supplementation, we would need to eat one of the following daily: 7 eggs, half a kilo of cheese, or 4.5 glasses of milk.
What do you mean, no, right? That's why vitamin B12 supplementation, which is cheap and safe, is essential for people who don't eat meat, fish, or seafood.
I hope you'll be encouraged to adopt a more plant-based diet.
The planet, the animals, and your health will thank you.
Coral Martín, Dietitian and Psychologist.
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Coral Martín is a dietitian and psychologist. Every Tuesday she offers nutritional counseling at Salud Mediterránea Manuel Becerra: C/Ortega y Gasset 77.
Click here for more information and pricing for this service.
Bibliographic references:
1. Vegetarianism throughout the life cycle. (n.d.). HazteVeg.com. Retrieved June 13, 2022, from https://www.hazteveg.com/articulo/852/Vegetarianismo-a-traves-del-ciclo-de-la-vida
2. Piccoli, GB, Clari, R., Vigotti, FN, Leone, F., Attini, R., Cabiddu, G., Mauro, G., Castelluccia, N., Colombi, N., Capizzi, I., Pani, A., Todros, T., & Avagnina, P. (2015). Vegan-vegetarian diets in pregnancy: Danger or panacea? A systematic narrative review. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 122(5), 623-633.
3. Karcz, K., & Królak-Olejnik, B. (2021). Vegan or vegetarian diet and breast milk composition—A systematic review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 61(7), 1081-1098.
4. Lederer, A.-K., Hannibal, L., Hettich, M., Behringer, S., Spiekerkoetter, U., Steinborn, C., Gründemann, C., Zimmermann-Klemd, AM, Müller, A., Simmet, T., Schmiech, M., Maul-Pavicic, A., Samstag, Y., & Huber, R. (2019). Vitamin B12 Status Upon Short-Term Intervention with a Vegan Diet-A Randomized Controlled Trial in Healthy Participants. Nutrients, 11(11), E2815.