More and more people are eating vegan. This means: no meat, no fish, no dairy or eggs. They eat a completely plant-based diet and avoid all animal products. Is a vegan diet healthy, and what about vitamin B12?
A vegan diet is absolutely healthy, as long as you make sure you get the right nutrients.
Amino acids
Some people are skeptical of veganism and don't believe that all eight essential amino acids can be obtained from plant-based foods. Essential amino acids are building blocks that the body cannot produce itself and must therefore obtain from food. Amino acids are supplied by proteins.Proteins
This is what the Dutch Health Council says about protein: 'The quality of animal protein is higher than that of plant-based protein. Plant-based protein contains less of the essential amino acid lysine. Replacing meat and dairy with plant-based protein sources increases the protein requirement. However, because the average protein intake is significantly higher than the recommended amount, there is no reason to worry that people will not get enough protein if they consume less meat and dairy. Furthermore, it is possible to compensate for the decline in protein quality in the diet by regularly eating legumes, which contain relatively high amounts of lysine.'Legumes
In short: we consume so much protein in the Netherlands that even vegans should get enough if they replace animal products with plant-based foods. Regularly including legumes in the diet is sufficient. This can be done by consuming meat or dairy substitutes based on legumes.Vitamin B12
Only vitamin B12 needs to be supplemented if you eat a vegan diet, but also if you only avoid meat (vegetarian). Milk and eggs would need to be consumed in fairly large quantities to provide sufficient vitamin B12, which is not recommended due to cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats. In addition, it's wise for all Dutch people to supplement with vitamin D3, as it's produced by sunlight and is important for calcium absorption (calcium is found in chickpeas, green vegetables, sesame seeds, and certain nuts).Iron
In addition, the amount of iron is also important. Iron from animal products is absorbed better than from plant-based sources. Vitamin C promotes iron absorption. Consider combining whole-grain products with vitamin C-rich vegetables such as bell peppers, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.Vegan & NewFysic
As a vegan, at NewFysic you don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, but you do eat plenty of whole grains, legumes (2x per week), nuts (1x per week), vegetables and fruit. Examples of vegan meat substitutes/protein sources:- Vegetarian minced meat (Garden Gourmet)
- Legumes (max. 2 times per week, 100-125 g prepared weight)
- Tofu/Tempeh
- Seitan
- Quorn vegan fillets
- Vivera (plant-based chicken pieces, crumbled meat, vegetable slice, pulled veggie)
