A couple of questions from a newbie

[wanderlust]

Hello everyone! I have recently converted to a vegan diet as it just feels 'right'. I did it for a variety of reasons - for animals, for the environment and also for my own health. I was just wondering if anyone could provide me with some helpful tips or links on the following: I am worrying that I am not consuming enough protein. I understand the recommended amount to be about 50g a day for a woman and I think that I am falling short on this. I eat three meals a day and include beans, pulses and soy protein as well as veggies and fruit but am finding it a bit difficult to eat enough protein.

Also, I am wondering if anyone has any advice on vegan foods to eat to gain enough calcium, vitamin D and zinc as I am concerned about osteoporosis.

Thanks for all your help and it is great to have found this vegan forum! :)

[Erin Pavlina]

Hello and welcome!

Protein is easy to obtain on a vegan diet. Remember that ALL foods contain protein, even fruits and vegetables. As long as you're eating enough food/calories you're most likely getting plenty of protein.

Of more concern is calcium, Vitamin D, iron, zinc, Omega 3 fatty acids, and B12 really.

I would recommend the book Becoming Vegan (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570671036/vegfamily) by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina. It's an excellent guide to vegan nutrition. There's none better.

[wanderlust]

Thank you very much for your reply. I will certainly be getting that book! Dr Michael Klapper also has a good one which I just got - Vegan nutrition pure and simple which is also pretty informative. I guess that being a new vegan it is going to take me a little bit of time to tune my diet!

[Doug]

Remember that if you're not eating massive amounts of protein (i.e. meat and dairy) then your actual nutritional requirement for calcium is less than for meat-eaters. Basically, this is because protein is very acidic and your body will leach calcium out of bones to neutrilize the acidity. As a vegan, without consuming the excess protein, your calcium needs lower. Of course it's more complicated than this...I suggest you check out the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.

http://www.pcrm.org

There are plenty of articles and nutritional info on calcium, protein (including the protein myth) and lots of other interesting things.


Remember to eat your dark green leafy vegetables often!!!!

[Christa]

The average American eats about 3 times more protein that s/he needs, so I wouldn't worry too much. If you just pick up a food counts book, you can keep track of everything that you eat for a day or two & then figure out your protein totals. As Erin mentioned, everything has protein. You are meeting some of your requirements from eating vegis and bread!

If you are really nervous, have a dietician run an analysis for you, or email me a list of everything that you eat in a 2 day period & I'll total it for you. I have dietary analysis software on my computer, although it takes a bit of tweaking for a vegan diet. (I'm working for a public health nutrition program pt now a days).

[Fiona]

The Vegan Society website has a very good article called Diet and Bone Health which covers calcium intake and osteoporosis -

http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=104&page_id=30

As Doug says, green leafy vegetables are good for calcium. Contrary to popular belief, dairy products are not a good source of calcium as they also promote calcium loss from the bones.

Welcome to the boards and to your new diet!


Fiona

[sarahrose]

I wouldent worry too much about protein-for most people, the problem is too much, not too little. Too much causes strain on your kidneys, among other things, but it is animal protein that does this, not plant protein. Whole grains, beans, tofu, nuts and nut butters, all contain enough protein. If you are really worried, eat whole grains with beans, it creates a protein almost identical to an egg, and is more absorbable, but special combining is not really neccesary. For B12, either take a multivitamin that contains it or drink a glass of enriched soymilk every day. Tofu also has B12, but the body cannot use it, so get a good reliable source. For Calcium, eat Tofu, enriched soymilk, which contains a better form of Calcium than that in Cows milk (because of the absence of animal protein, which causes your body to lose calcium) as well as Vitamin D, Kale, mustard greens, almonds, sesame seeds, or take a supplement to be safe. Also, your body creates all the vitamin D it needs from 15 minuts a day of sun, but if you are worried about being exposed to uv rays in that time, get it from somewhere else, because it wont work with sunscreen on.
Also, be sure to get plenty of essential fats. Flax oil is a great source. Eat a tablespoon a day, unheated, and keep it in the fridge. Or, two tablespoons a day of Flax seeds will also work. This is very important, because vegans often fall short of this nutrient, and deficiency causes too many problems to list here, but among them are cardiovascular disease, arthritis, skin problems, problems with brain function, and many, many more. Follow these tips and you will be in exellent health. I have been vegan for 17 years and am very healthy, and am now almost a nutritionist. Good luck and congratulations on making the best choice for your health and the animals!!!!! :)