Dietitian Answers Commonly Asked Questions About Going Vegan

Dietitian Answers Commonly Asked Questions About Going Vegan



“Is it possible to get enough protein on a vegan diet?” and other common questions that people have about going vegan!

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– You technically can eat
a little bit more food on a vegan diet without
gaining much weight. We're eating more food, more volume, but taking in less calories. Hey, my name is Delilah and
I'm a registered dietician. Today I'm gonna answer some
commonly asked questions about vegan nutrition and
share with you some tips on how you can go vegan the healthy way. We have eight essential amino acids. And these are essential because
our body cannot make them. Therefore we have to get them
from the foods that we eat. If a protein food has all
eight essential amino acids, it's considered complete. So these are typically animal-based foods like chicken and eggs. Plant-based foods do
not necessarily always have all eight essential amino acids and so they're labeled as incomplete. Just because they're incomplete
does not make them at all inferior in any way. All plant-based foods
have all eight amino acids in varying amounts. There's no need to worry about
combining rice with beans to make sure that you're getting the right amino acid combination at each meal, as long as you're eating a wide variety of different protein sources. So that means beans,
lentils, whole grains, nuts, seeds, soy, tofu and tempeh. You will be sure to hit
all eight amino acids throughout the day. Carbs are very healthy and
nutritious for our bodies and they come in many different forms. The quality of carbs is very important. You want to get whole grain carbs. And try your best to either avoid or limit the refined carbs. Refined carbs are not
very helpful to our body because one, they're
missing out on the fiber. And they're missing out on B vitamins. Whereas whole grains, such as brown rice, wheat bread, quinoa, et cetera, those have fiber, which
is good for your gut and your heart and they
have the B vitamins which are really good for our energy. So that's not to say that you can never have white bread or white pasta, it's totally fine to still
have those foods in your diet. But you wanna make sure
that you're prioritizing the fiber-rich carbs in your whole grains. So it is absolutely still
possible to get enough iron even if all of your iron
sources are plant-based. Your vegan sources of
iron are particularly your dark green leafy vegetables, so kale, collards, spinach, those
are very rich in iron. But also beans and lentils as well. And you want to pair those
with sources of vitamin C. So for example, when
you're cooking your beans, cook them in a tomato sauce. A really popular example is chana masala, or the next time you
make your kale smoothie, put some strawberries in there
because strawberries are also a really great source of vitamin C. A lot of us have been taught
to turn to dairy for calcium because we've been told
that the calcium in dairy will help strengthen our bones and make sure we don't get osteoporosis, but actually research has suggested that people who drink more
milk have more bone fractures. So the high protein content in milk, it creates an acidic
environment in our body. And our body has to bring
our insides back to normal. So in order to do that, it needs a buffer. And it gets that buffer from calcium. And where is all the
calcium stored in our body? In our bones. So our body resorts to taking
the calcium from our bones to rebalance our body and over time when that keeps happening,
a person can begin to have weak and brittle bones, which can lead to osteoporosis. It's very possible to get enough
calcium on the vegan diet. Plants give you just enough calcium, particularly the dark
green leafy vegetables, such as kale, collards,
broccoli, spinach, et cetera. Also fortified nondairy milks. They're typically fortified with calcium so those are also a
really fabulous source. I feel that soy is absolutely
a safe and nutritious food and there's no need to be afraid of it. The biggest concern about
soy is the estrogen content. The type of estrogen in soy
is called phytoestrogen, meaning it mimics real estrogen but it's not actually real estrogen. There is real estrogen in other foods, such as milk, dairy and eggs. That's really important to remember. Because that phytoestrogen,
it can attach to those estrogen receptors in our body, and it can actually
displace the real estrogen that's in other foods. And that's important
because it helps regulate how much estrogen we're
actually taking in. So when it comes to soy, you
want to try to prioritize the more wholesome forms,
edamame and tempeh, because the soy is still
in the whole bean form. Edamame are just straight up soybeans, and tempeh is a fermented soybean cake. Tofu's a great option as well. It's a little bit more processed. And with the imitation
meats, try to limit them to be just occasional
additions to your meal, because they tend to be
much higher in sodium and potentially preservatives as well. If you're transitioning
to a plant-based diet, just know that it is totally normal for you to want to eat more food. These new foods you're eating
have less calories in them so you're gonna need to eat more food to feel completely satisfied. 100 calories worth of cheese
is much less in volume than 100 calories worth of
spinach or mushrooms or eggplant. So because of that,
you technically can eat a little bit more food on a vegan diet without gaining much wait. We're eating more food, more volume, but taking in less calories. When you're on a vegan diet, I do recommend supplementing with B12. So B12 is really crucial to our health because we need it for
our red blood cells, we need it for our circulatory health, and even our brain cognition. So B12 is actually a bacteria in the soil, and most Americans today get
it from eating animal foods. Now it's not actually in
the animal flesh itself, but when animals eat their
food, there's dirt on it, so that's actually how
they're getting their B12. If you're doing the daily supplement, make sure you're getting
it in the methylated form. And that's because it is much easier for your body to absorb. Two other options are nutritional yeast, or you can drink nondairy milks
that are fortified with B12. Another major concern for
when people are going vegan is that they're letting go of fish, and fish is a major
source of omega-threes. So good news, there are
plenty of plant-based sources of vegan omega-threes. To break it down, there are actually three types of omega-threes. We have our ALA, EPA and DHA. ALA is a form of omega-threes that's found in your plant-based foods. So your walnuts, chia,
hemp, and flax seeds. And DHA, EPA, those are found
in your animal-based foods, so your salmon, sardines, et cetera. Now our body converts ALA to DHA. As long as you regularly
consume omega-three rich foods, you are going to be okay. Keep in mind that fish,
they're getting that DHA from eating the algae. So it's the algae that
has the omega-three in it, not the fish itself. So DHA is a plant-based food. Now if you just feel like eating
those foods is not enough, you can take an algae-based supplement. So vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin. And that's because our body actually creates it from sunlight. But, depending on where you live, during certain times of the year, you probably won't get
exposed to that much sun. So you might wanna consider
vitamin D supplements. Other ways to get vitamin
D when you are vegan are nondairy milks that are
fortified with vitamin D. And this advice doesn't
apply just to vegans only. If you live in an area where
there is not much sunlight, whether you're vegan or not,
definitely should consider vitamin D supplementation. It is absolutely possible
to have a healthy pregnancy on a vegan diet. You definitely do have
to be very intentional with the foods that you choose to eat. When a person is pregnant,
they have increased needs of lots of different nutrients. With any pregnancy, even vegan or not, you still need to work
closely with both your doctor and your dietician to make
sure that you are getting the nutrients that you need. So although at first it can
seem a little bit challenging and tricky to transition
to a plant-based diet, just keep in mind that
there are so many benefits. You'll be getting more
fiber, more antioxidants, less saturated fat, so
you're decreasing your risk of developing heart
disease, type two diabetes, high blood pressure. There are also even
other benefits as well, such as animal welfare,
the health of the planet. Even human welfare as well. If you are new to the plant-based diet and you're really concerned
about your health, you can absolutely go to your
doctor and request some labs and you can also work with a dietician. That can help put you more at ease to make sure that your diet
is supporting your body. Going vegan does not
have to happen overnight. Try to start with just one thing per day. So if that just means
changing your regular milk to nondairy milk, that's
a step right there. Or maybe just focus on
one meal out of the day. Try your best to make every
lunch a plant-based lunch. But keep in mind that this is your journey and it's gonna happen at your own pace. Do what works best for you
and just be kind to yourself. (light music)

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