The vegan diet has recently gained an increasing popularity. More people choose to follow this diet for health, environmental, and ethical reasons.

It may result in various health benefits, including improved blood sugar control and a trimmer waistline, when done and followed correctly.

However, it can also be noted that, in some cases, a plant food-based diet may increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Here you will find a complete beginner’s guide to the vegan diet - everything you need to know to help you get started with the diet.

What Is the Vegan Diet?

The vegan diet involves excluding all animal products, such as eggs, meat, and dairy, to avoid any kind of animal cruelty and exploitation—whether that be for clothing, food, or any other purpose.

Many people opted to follow veganism for many different reasons, including health improvement and environmental concerns.

Types of Vegan Diets

There are several types of vegan diets, but the most common varieties include the following:

Whole-food vegan diet. This type of vegan diet is based on whole plant foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and legumes.

Raw-food vegan diet. This diet involves eating raw plant foods like nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables or those that are cooked at temperatures below 48°C.

The thrive diet. A raw-food vegan diet, thrive diet involves eating raw or minimally cooked plant-based, whole foods.

80/10/10. Also known as fruitarian diet or low-fat, raw-food vegan diet, the 80/10/10 relies mainly on soft greens and raw fruits and limits fat-rich plants like avocados and nuts.

The starch solution. A low-fat, high-carb vegan diet, the starch solution focuses on cooked starches like corn, rice, and potatoes. It is similar to 80/10/10.

Junk-food vegan diet. This diet relies on mock meats and vegan desserts, fries, cheeses, and other highly processed vegan foods. It is basically lacking in whole plant foods.

Vegan Diet Benefits

Vegan Diets Can Help You Shed Pounds

Usually, vegans have lower body mass index and tend to be thinner as compared to non-vegans. Thus, a growing number of people have decided to follow vegan diets to shed extra pounds.

Other than diet, several external factors, including health-related behaviors and healthier lifestyle choices like physical activity, may also explain the weight-related benefits that vegans experience.

However, multiple randomized controlled studies that control these external factors suggest vegan diets to be more effective than the diets they are compared to when it comes to losing weight.

Additionally, participants on vegan diets, who are allowed to eat until they are full, have been reported by some researchers to drop significantly more weight compared to those adhering to calorie-restricted diets.

It can be noted that a vegan diet may come with a higher dietary fiber intake, which can be a natural tendency to make you feel fuller and eat fewer calories.

Vegan Diets Are Beneficial for Type 2 Diabetes and Blood Sugar Management

Following a vegan diet may be beneficial for blood sugar control and type 2 diabetes.

Vegans have been shown in several studies to experience higher insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels, and a 78% reduction of risk of type 2 diabetes compared to non-vegans.

Additionally, vegan diets have been reported to reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes up to 2.4 times more than the AHA-, ADA-, and NCEP-recommended diets.

These advantages are partly attributed to the increased fiber intake brought about by the diet, as well as its weight loss effects.

Vegan Diets Promote Heart Health

A vegan diet may improve your heart health.

In fact, vegans have been reported in observational studies to have a 42% lower risk of dying from heart disease and 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

Additionally, randomized controlled studies have also reported vegan diets to be more effective at lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, total cholesterol, and blood sugar levels than the diets they are compared to.

Reduced cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar may result in a 46% reduction in heart disease risk, thereby making the diet’s effects especially beneficial.

Other Veganism Benefits

Vegan diets have several other health benefits, which include the following:

Alzheimer’s disease. Aspects of the vegan diet have been shown in observational studies to help reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Kidney function. People with diabetes who eat plant protein instead of meat may experience a reduced risk of poor kidney function.

Cancer risk. Veganism may also cause a 15% reduced risk of cancer.

Arthritis. Vegan diets tend to be good at reducing arthritis symptoms, including morning stiffness, joint swelling, and pain.

It is however important to note that studies supporting these benefits are observational, making it difficult to fully elucidate whether or not the benefits are attributed to the vegan diet. This necessitates randomized controlled studies before making any strong conclusions.

What do Vegans Eat?

Instead of eating animal products, health-conscious vegans opt for these plant-based replacements:

Whole grains, cereals and pseudocereals: These foods provide excellent amounts of iron, fiber, complex carbs, B-vitamins and several essential minerals. High-protein options include teff, spelt, quinoa, and amaranth.

Sprouted and fermented plant foods: Foods like kombucha, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, natto, miso, tempeh, and Ezekiel bread carry vitamin K2 and probiotics. Moreover, sprouting and fermenting may be beneficial in terms of mineral absorption.

Fruits and vegetables: These foods help boost your nutrient intake. Leafy greens like mustard greens, kale, bok choy, watercress, and spinach are especially rich in iron and calcium.

Tofu, tempeh and seitan: These are an excellent substitute to eggs, poultry, fish, and meat in many recipes. What’s more, they are also rich in protein.

Nuts and nut butters: Unblanched and unroasted varieties are especially rich in magnesium, fiber, zinc, iron, vitamin E, and selenium.

Legumes: Legumes, such as lentils, beans, and peas, provide excellent amounts of nutrients and beneficial plant compounds.

Seeds: Seeds, especially chia, hemp, flaxseeds, are good sources of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and protein.

Algae: Chlorella and spirulina provide decent amounts of complete protein.

Nutritional yeast: On top of adding an interesting cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast increases the protein content of vegan dishes.

Calcium-fortified plant milks and yogurts: Consuming these can help increase calcium intake.

Foods to Avoid

Vegan diets involve restricting any animal foods, as well as those that contain animal products.

Fish and seafood, such as all types of fish, squid, shrimp, anchovies, scallops, mussels, calamari, lobster, and crab

Meat and poultry, such as pork, beef, veal, lamb, horse, duck, goose, turkey, chicken, quail, wild meat, and organ meat

Dairy, such as yogurt, milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, and cream

Eggs from fish, chickens, ostriches, quails, etc.

Bee products like honey, royal jelly, and bee pollen

Animal-based ingredients, such as egg white albumen, whey, casein, cochineal or carmine, gelatin, shellac, lactose, isinglass, L-cysteine, fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids, and animal-derived vitamin D3

Risks of Following a Vegan Diet and How to Minimize them

Limiting processed foods and focusing more on nutrient-dense ones is healthy for everyone – not just vegans.

It is therefore highly important to follow a well-planned diet; otherwise, you can be at risk of certain nutrient deficiencies.

In fact, vegans have been shown in studies to be at a higher risk of insufficient blood levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, long-chain omega-3s, calcium, zinc, and iron.

Not meeting the required amounts of these nutrients can be a problem. It may also cause a particular risk to pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, or those with increased requirements.

Choosing nutrient-dense plant foods over highly processed vegan foods is a great way to minimize the likelihood of deficiency.

Eating fortified foods rich in vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium every day is also very important.

Sprouting, fermenting, and cooking foods can also help improve the absorption of zinc and iron. In addition, combining iron-rich foods with a source of vitamin C, avoiding coffee or tea with meals, and using iron cast pots and pans for cooking can also boost iron absorption.

Moreover, adding iodized salt or seaweed to your diet can help you reach the recommended daily intake of iodine.

Lastly, plant foods rich in omega-3, especially those that contain high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), may help the body produce longer-chain omega-3s like DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Walnuts, soybeans, hemp, chia, and flaxseeds are some popular foods that are high in ALA.

Supplements to Consider

Eating enough of the fortified and nutrient-dense foods mentioned above to meet their daily requirements can be an uphill battle for some vegans.

If that is the case, taking any of the following supplements can be of help.

EPA and DHA: They may be beneficial for weight management and improved cognitive function. Vegans can get these from seaweed and algae oil.

Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 in cyanocobalamin form seems to work well for most people; it is also the most studied.

Vitamin D: D2 or vegan D3 forms are recommended.

Calcium: Take ≤ 500 mg at a time for best results.

Iodine: You can either add 1/2 teaspoon of iodized salt to your diet every day or simply take a supplement.

Iron: Take only when there is a documented deficiency; otherwise, it may prevent the absorption of other nutrients or cause health complications.

Zinc: It can be taken in zinc citrate or zinc gluconate form. Don’t take it together with calcium supplements.

A 7-Day Vegan Sample Menu

Here we give you a simple 7-day vegan sample menu to help you get started.

Monday

Breakfast: Overnight oats made with fruit, nuts, chia seeds, and fortified plant milk

Lunch: Seitan sauerkraut sandwich

Dinner: Pasta with a lentil bolognese sauce and a salad on the side

Tuesday

Breakfast: Mango and spinach smoothie made with fortified plant milk and a banana-flaxseed-walnut muffin

Lunch: Baked tofu sandwich with a tomato salad on the side.

Dinner: Vegan chili on a bed of amaranth

Wednesday

Breakfast: Whole-grain toast with banana, hazelnut butter, and a fortified plant yogurt

Lunch: Tofu noodle soup with vegetables

Dinner: Jacket sweet potatoes with lettuce, beans, corn, cashews and guacamole

Thursday

Breakfast: Vegan chickpea and onion omelet and a cappuccino made with fortified plant milk

Lunch: Vegan tacos with mango-pineapple salsa

Dinner: Tempeh stir-fry with bok choy and broccoli

Friday

Breakfast: Spinach and scrambled tofu wrap and a glass of fortified plant milk

Lunch: Spiced red lentil, tomato and kale soup with whole-grain toast and hummus

Dinner: Veggie sushi rolls, miso soup, edamame and wakame salad

Saturday

Breakfast: Chickpea pancakes, guacamole and salsa and a glass of fortified orange juice

Lunch: Tofu vegan quiche with a sautéed mustard greens on the side

Dinner: Vegan spring rolls

Sunday

Breakfast: Vegan breakfast sandwich with lettuce, tofu, turmeric, tomato, and a plant-milk chai latte

Lunch: Spiralized zucchini and quinoa salad with peanut dressing

Dinner: Red lentil and spinach dal over wild rice

Each protein and vegetable source provides different vitamins and minerals essential for your health; thus, make sure to eat different sources throughout the day.

Eating Vegan at Restaurants

Eating vegan at restaurants can be challenging.

To reduce stress, you can search for vegan-friendly restaurants ahead of time using the keywords “vegan food near me” or “vegetarian restaurants near me” through the Internet.

If you happen to dine in a non-vegan restaurant, check out their menu beforehand to see the available vegan options you can have. Or you can also call the restaurant before dining in to allow the chef to prepare something especially for you.

You can also go to ethnic restaurants, such as Thai, Mexican, Ethiopian, Indian, and Middle-Eastern restaurants, as they often offer naturally vegan-friendly dishes.

Or you can simply order multiple vegan side dishes or appetizers to make up a filling meal.

Healthy Vegan Snacks

Snacks keep hunger at bay between meals, helping you stay energized. Some interesting on-the-go vegan snack options include the following:

• Whole-grain crackers and cashew nut spread
• Whole-wheat pita with salsa and guacamole
• Nutritional yeast sprinkled on popcorn
• Fresh fruit with a dollop of nut butter
• A plant-milk latte or cappuccino
• Hummus and vegetables
• Cereal with plant milk
• Dried seaweed snacks
• Homemade muffins
• Roasted chickpeas
• Nut and fruit bars
• Chia pudding
• Edamame
• Trail mix

It is important to note that protein- and fiber-rich vegan snacks are a great way to keep hunger away.

Conclusion

An increasing number of people are following the vegan diet for health, ethical, and environmental reasons.

The vegan diet can be uncomplicated and may offer several health benefits when done properly. You can only experience its benefits if you consistently build your diet around nutrient-dense plant foods instead of highly processed ones.

Vegans should also consider taking supplements, especially those who cannot meet their daily nutrient needs through the diet alone.