Updated October 2024

Year on year, veganism has been on the rise, and the plant-based food market is growing, with people increasing plant foods in their diet for health or environmental reasons.

But vegan diets can be criticised as being unhealthy: lacking in nutrients and protein, and potentially high in ultra processed foods. As a Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach who specialises in plant-based diets, I see it as my job to support my fellow vegans to have a healthy vegan diet. This doesn’t mean you are any less “vegan for the animals”, it is perfectly possible to have ethics at the heart of your lifestyle choice while fuelling your body with a healthy whole food diet at the same time.

So I have put together some of my top tips for how to include plant-based meals in your diet in a healthy way.

 

1. Use lentils & beans as your meat substitute

Veganism is often criticised as being high in ultra processed foods, which we are all aware are highly damaging to health. The assumption is that all vegans are living off highly processed fake meat and cheese substitutes. But it doesn’t have to be this way! As someone who was brought up in a household that had been predominantly vegetarian since the 1970’s, I have grown up with the idea that lentils, beans, chickpeas and tofu can be used in place of meat in common dishes like shepherd’s pie, lasagne or spaghetti Bolognese.  Swerve the processed meat substitutes. If you are trying to reduce your meat intake or have recently gone vegan, try simply switching out the meat in your favourite recipes for lentils or beans.

 

2. Get over your cheese addiction

Cheese is made from concentrated milk, which is designed by nature to calm and nourish an infant. This is why it is literally addictive. Try to simply go without, the addiction will pass! Hummus could be a good option if you are craving a savoury taste and nutritional yeast flakes can provide a nutty, cheesy flavour when added to cooking. Try combining the latter with ground flaxseed (50:50) to sprinkle on meals as a nutritious alternative to Parmesan. If you really want a cheese substitute, you can find some really good and healthy ones based on cashews in health food stores, but they are very expensive! If you are adventurous, you could try making your own.

 

3. Fall in love with cooking

Homemade food is always healthier than something you buy. Going vegan or increasing your plant-based meals is a great opportunity to experiment with new ingredients and can trigger a new love for cooking. There are so many recipe books and blogs out there for inspiration. Many plant-based dishes like stews and curries, work really well for batch cooking too. If you have a freezer, portion up leftovers and build up your own collection of frozen “homemade ready meals” for busier days. If you don’t have a freezer, always cook extra anyway and perhaps you can combine leftovers from different things to create something new. For example, I’ll use my leftover lentil Bolognese sauce to make a lentil shepherd’s pie the next day.

Check out the recipes on my website for easy to cook plant-based dishes to get you started.

 

4. Enjoy flavours from around the world

Typical Western food may not always be very vegan-friendly, but many traditional diets are naturally plant-focused, making them an excellent choice whether eating out or looking for new recipes. Think lentil dal and chickpea curry from India, falafel and hummus from the Middle East, and tofu-based dishes from East Asia.

 

5. Don’t skimp on protein

I hate to mention the P word since my fellow vegans like to have a laugh at the “where do you get your protein” question. But, while it is true that protein is indeed found in all plant foods, we do still need to ensure our levels are optimal. Protein isn’t just needed for building muscle but for many areas of health including hormone and neurotransmitter production and liver detoxification, and insufficient intake can lead to lack of energy and low mood. Make sure you have protein from a variety of sources to ensure you get all your essential amino acids. If you would like to know more about how much protein you need and where to get it, check out my blog: How Much Protein Do We Need?

 

6. Be prepared with healthy snacks

As a vegan I am happy to see more and more places cater for us but all those tempting cakes and cookies are not so good for the health! I recommend all of my clients whether vegan or not to be prepared with healthy snacks, in case they do need something between meals. Snacks, if you need them at all, should be low in sugar and include a source of protein. For example a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts or an oatcake or vegetable sticks with some hummus. A bag of mixed nuts is a great one to keep in your bag in case you need something while you are out.

 

7. Get enough micronutrients

While some nutrients like vitamin C are easier to get on a whole-foods, plant-based diet, others can be more difficult. Some to watch out for are:

  • Vitamin B12 – this is the most important one to be mindful of since it only comes from animal products. Many vegan foods are fortified with B12 such as nutritional yeast flakes and plant milks, but I generally recommend a supplement to all my vegan clients.
  • Calcium – cow’s milk is not the only (or even the best!) source! Ensure you have daily plant-based calcium sources in your diet from green leafy vegetables, calcium set tofu, tahini, chia seeds, and fortified plant-milks.
  • Zinc – Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to your diet daily, soaked overnight to release the nutrients – the easiest way to do this is by making overnight oats for the next morning’s breakfast.
  • Iodine – a common deficiency in the Western world and potentially more so amongst vegans. I like to use seaweed weekly in cooking which is a brilliant source, you can use Seagreen products sprinkled on any meals, or check out my miso soup recipe.
  • Vitamin D – an important one for all of us to consider during winter months especially. I encourage my clients to get their levels tested so that I can recommend a suitable dose for them in the form of a supplement.
  • Omega 3 – this is one that is often forgotten about but is incredibly important for so many areas of health. We can get omega-3 from plant-sources like flax seed, flax oil (delicious as a salad dressing – never cook with it), and walnuts. But this form of omega 3 called ALA needs to be converted into the active forms in the body (EPA and DHA) therefore for many of my clients I recommend an EPA DHA supplement.

 

Further advice and a note about supplements

Supplements can be a great way to top up levels of nutrients but it is very important they are done safely, and remember that too much of certain vitamins and minerals can cause problems as well. Not all supplements are OK for all people to take, especially if you have a health condition or take any medications. Before I recommend supplements to my clients I carry out a careful check of drug-nutrient interactions and check for safety based on my client’s medical conditions. This is why I can never recommend supplements to people unless I am working with them on one of my programmes. It is also really important to tell your GP about any supplements you are taking if you have a health condition or are taking any medications.

I am a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach and have been a vegan myself since 2014. If you would like further advice on how to optimise your diet or to find out what supplements may be best for you, you can book a free 30 minute health review with me to discuss further. Click here to book.