Protein, Nutrients, and Supplements for a Vegan Diet

henridw2095

*disclaimer: I am NOT a nutritionist! Please do your own research and consult with a trusted Dr. or nutritionist.

A vegan diet has some challenges - we're most often asked about protein, but other nutrients can also be challenging in a vegan diet.

Vitamin B12 is impossible to get from plant-based sources. Some plant-based milks and nutritional yeast are already supplemented, but for most people it's a good idea to supplement. There are many vegan vitamin B supplements.

Protein - most plant-based foods have protein, but if you're shooting for a substantial protein intake, here are some ideas for foods to incorporate:

• tofu
• seitan (not a gluten-free food)
• tempeh
• beans
• chickpeas
• lentils
• edamame (great for snacking)
• green peas
• Quinoa
• Ezekiel Bread (made from sprouted grain)
• "Protein Rolled Oats" - made from a variety with naturally higher protein content.
• nuts&seeds (but calorie rich)
• If you must: fake meats. There are many brands, but it's worth keeping an eye on sodium content and saturated fat content.

Calcium - personally, I find getting enough calcium quite challenging on a vegan diet and take a supplement, to ensure sufficient amounts. Here are some ideas how to get enough calcium from food.

• Kale
• Broccoli
• Chia Seeds (vegan chia pudding is easy to make).
• Sesame Seeds
• Dried Figs
• Calcium-set tofu

Maya440

I use protein bars in the summer and add pea protein in a daily soup in the winter.
I don’t think we have to worry too much about it if we eat a good variety of food but it is worth taking a look, and with MFP it is easy 😁
I aim for 1g of protein per kg per day.

Otherwise I take vitamin B12, vitamin D in winter, magnesium and omega 3.

Kfhontherttrack

I am just getting started following a whole food plant based lifestyle. I take B12, D3, and a multivitamin each day. I try to “eat the rainbow”. I find looking at the macros from my food choices I log helps to keep me in check.

chelseynikole9618

Anyone a fan of nutritional yeast? I use it in meals probably 5x a week as it gives you extra protein and lots of vitamins and minerals, while giving a nice “cheesy” flavor.

Maya440

I make "vegan parmesan" with nutritional yeast and eat it on my veggies almost every day !

henridw2095

I also like nutritional yeast and like @Maya440 use it to make vegan parmesan. I also sprinkle it on avocado toast. I may try it in my tofu frittata soon. But I don’t eat large enough amounts of it to really affect my nutrition…

mtaratoot

I use plenty of nutritional yeast. It has fiber (4g per serving or 29% of the RDA). It has a surprising amount of protein (8 grams per serving), and it's actually a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids. All that for 50 calories. I put it on salad. I put it on popcorn. I put it in soup.

chelseynikole9618

I love to use it with my tofu as an egg replacement in a breakfast scramble!! I use 3x the serving amount because I cook for 3 people.

henridw2095

https://tools.myfooddata.com/protein-calculator

This is an informative site I came across today as I looked into the essential amino acid content of different sources of protein I consume. I have been playing around with cronometer, which tracks essential amino acids, and noticed that many foods in the databank don't have that information available (which is why I haven't switched to cronometer, since the information is useless if the entries don't contain it). I didn't find a home run combination to offset how low in lysine vital wheat gluten is (I enjoy seitan), but left the site with the feeling that it's ok to eat some seitan alongside everything else I eat.