Vegans avoid all foods of animal origin and their diet generally includes vegetables, vegetable oils, cereals, pulses such as beans and lentils, nuts, fruit and seeds. There is an increased risk of nutritional deficiency if a wide variety of foods in appropriate combinations are not included.

1. A vegan diet can be healthy and balanced. It has been shown that there is a lower incidence of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and gallstones among vegans. This is probably not solely to do with their dietary regime since vegans adopt many other changes in lifestyle eg they do not usually smoke

2. Vegan diets are not necessarily low in protein provided a wide variety of plant protein sources are combined. Individual plant foods do not contain all the essential amino acids the body needs. Foods need to be combined eg grains with pulses, to ensure a complete supply of all the amino acids needed. This is called protein complementing

3. Beans on toast, peanut butter sandwich, rice with beans and peas, bean casserole with rice, lentils with bread and dhal and rice are all great choices to help ensure an adequate protein intake

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4. Use monounsaturated fats for cooking e.g. rapeseed oil, groundnut oil, olive oil or spread. These types of fat can help to protect the heart. Keep total fat intake low as it is the fat in the diet that is most likely to lead to weight gain. Check product labels to see whether foods are less than one third of energy from fat, if they are, then they are lower fat foods

5. Meals should be based around starchy foods and include a wide variety, e.g. bread, cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, as well as other good carbohydrate sources such as peas, beans and pulses, fruit and root vegetables and soya products

6. Include at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Choose ones of different colours and varieties. This will help provide a balance of the antioxidants vitamins A, C, E, selenium, lycopene and flavonoids

7. Vegans are at high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency as this vitamin is mostly found in animal products. Other sources include yeast extract, some vegetable stocks, textured vegetable protein, fortified soya milk, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soya mince and chunks. Nutritional supplements may be necessary in some cases

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8. Vegans may be at risk of calcium deficiency as they do not eat dairy products. They should regularly include alternative calcium containing foods such as fortified soya milk and products, beans, green leafy vegetables, bread, oranges, apricots and dried fruit in their diet

9. Vegans are also at an increased risk of iron deficiency as the main sources of iron are found in animal products such as red meat. Vegans should include alternative food sources of iron on a daily basis, e.g. beans, pulses, fortified cereals and bread, green leafy vegetables, tofu, soya products, nuts and seeds. If a food or drink containing vitamin C is eaten with these plant foods e.g. orange juice with cereal, then iron absorption is likely to be increased

10. Vegan diets can have low levels of zinc so ensure you include a wide variety of zinc containing foods on a daily basis, e.g. pulses, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals

11. The UK National Food Guide, the Balance of Good Health is appropriate for vegans to follow. Vegans should try to have about half of their food from the bread group a third from the vegetable and fruit group and a sixth from the ‘alternatives’ group

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This fact sheet provides you with basic information about healthy eating. It is not a substitute for medical or dietetic advice and you should contact your GP for further information