How do vegans get enough vitamins?!
Answers: my 16 yr old wants to start a vegan lifestyle and i told her she has to put beans and nuts into menu to get her protein. shes not a fan of either, so is there anything else she can eat to stay healthy?
Protein is found in vegetables – a serving of broccoli has more protein than a serving of meat. At least with the broccoli you are getting pure healthy food, as opposed to fat and cholesterol from the meat.
http://www.happycow.net/vegetarian_prote...
Here are some examples of vegetarian foods with high sources of plant protein (details taken from above website):
PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas
PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice
VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini
PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry, Tangerine, Watermelon
PROTEIN IN NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)
One excellent ingredient to look for is hemp seed protein. Hemp seed is an nutritious dietary source of easily digestible gluten-free protein. It provides a well-balanced array of all the amino acids, including 34.6 grams of protein for each 100 grams. The fatty acid profile of the hemp seed is extremely beneficial, containing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a virtually ideal ratio. Other beneficial aspects of hemp seed include a strongly favorable unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio; a high content of antioxidants; and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
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she could take a vitamin supplement for vitamins. You should Google it.
You really need a vegan cookbook. A broad vegan diet will provide all vitamins and protein without trying to hard
Don't confuse protein and vitamins - very different
Or try Liz Cook's legendary nutrition chart
Soy, though from a bean, which I know she is not interested in, is a great source of protein, and is available in many food items geared toward vegetarians/vegans. Most of the veggie burgers on the market contain soy, as do many of the fake meats. But soy is in many things, and all she really needs to do is look for them to find them. If she also drinks Soy Milk, that will give her a great source of protein.
There are vegetable sources of protein as well, including broccoli, brown rice, and potatoes, though these are not as good as beans and nuts.
It is not as hard as it seems; simply adding in one source of soy can help. Beware though, that soy has been rumored to cause fertility problems in large doses, so there is a trade off. If she wants to be a vegan and stay healthy, she really needs to diversify her diet as much as possible.
use this link to work out where to get all your proteins from.
http://library.thinkquest.org/20922/text...
plus go to http://vegetariantimes.com
for free and easy recipes that are very healthy.
I get all of my vitamins from the foods I eat. For protein I eat whole grain breads (many breads have 5-6 grams per slice), legumes such as lentils, edamame (soybeans) etc., tofu, soymilk, seeds, vegan "meat" substitutes, Peanut butter and other nut butters as well as a small amount from fruits and veggies. I get my iron from tofu, soymilk, fortified cereals, breads, grains, dark leafy greens (i.e. kale, collards, mustard greens, etc.)
I eat my B12 through eating nutritional yeast, soymilk, fortified breads and cereals, etc.
I understand that your teen doesn't like beans or nuts, but seriously consider experimenting with them. Black bean burgers, mexican pizzas featuring vegetarian refried beans and other toppings, hummus, and bean soups are all great things to try.
Nuts aren't absolutely necessary but, as mentioned above, try nut butters (preferably ones with as little ingredients as possible...i.e. old fashioned peanut butter, etc.) They are pretty tasty.
Good Luck and I just want to commend you on your support for your daughter. :0)
EDIT** If you didn't already know, protein intake should be roughly 1/3 of body weight. So if your daughter is 120 pounds, adequate protein would be 40 grams per day; 150 pounds...50 grams/day; 200 pounds...65-70 grams/day.
just get some suppliments/ pills, like protein shakes and iron pills
Soya products are great.
Supplements would be a good idea, to get all the needed nutrients :-)
We get our vitamins the way everyone else does, by eating food. The scope of your question is really too big to answer fully here. I highly recommend a book called "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, both registered dietitians. It's like the bible of vegan nutrition and it will cover all of your concerns from protein to vitamins to mineral and essential fatty acids. The key to a healthy vegan diet is variety - the more fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds she's eating the better. A couple of great cookbooks wouldn't come amiss either. "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero is fabulous and a good option for less experienced cooks (I'm just assuming from her age that she's still learning culinary skills.)
Is she already a vegetarian? If she isn't, maybe first you should suggest to her to become vegetarian. I'm a vegetarian right now, and I'm 13. I have almost fainted and feel dizzy and lightheaded some of the time. What she'll need most of is iron. You can get pills prescribed from a doctor (I haven't because I have a horrible fear of doctors!). So ask her to try being vegetarian first and see how she likes that, it's always hard to stay a vegetarian, especially when friends and family don't support you. Luckily I have stayed meatless for 5 whole years! Good luck!
-Vi
Other than beans and nuts, here are some good vegan sources of protein, iron, and calcium.
Protein: Brown rice, lentils, peanut butter, seitan, soymilk, sunflower seeds, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu, vegetarian faux meats
Iron: Bran flakes, Cream of Wheat, GrapeNuts, lentils, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, raisins, soymilk, spinach, sunflower seeds, tofu, tomato juice, whole wheat bread
Calcium: Broccoli, calcium-fortified orange juice, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, sesame seeds, soymilk, textured vegetable protein (TVP), tofu
This site is also useful:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/c...
(Scroll to the very bottom; there's a meal planning chart for teens between the ages of 13 and 19).
Hope this helps.
They don't. Honestly, I do not mean to crack down on the vegan lifestyle, but the vitamins vegans take are usually not all vegan. It is truly a stressful lifestyle and unless you are really so inclined, i would suggest sticking with vegetarianism.