British Nutrition Foundation<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n**Note there are other variables that can affect the requirements. Seek professional advice where applicable.<\/em><\/p>\n***6g of salt is the maximum recommended intake whilst the sodium requirement is the minimum level generally needed to maintain health and is included within that salt.<\/em><\/p>\nNutrient-Rich Vegan Foods<\/h2>\n
![\"Selection](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/selection-of-vegan-food.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
There are very few essential nutrients that are not readily available from a plant-based diet. Certain vitamins (e.g. Vitamin D<\/a>) and minerals (e.g. Iodine<\/a>) take a little more forethought than something like protein (as there are loads of great vegan sources of protein<\/a>). But here are some options if you think you are lacking in any of the main nutrients people might seek to consume more of.<\/p>\nVegan Sources of Essential Nutrients<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n| Typical Value<\/th>\n | Vegan Food Sources<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
\n\n| Fibre<\/td>\n | Rye, most wholegrains, legumes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Protein<\/td>\n | Seitan, tofu, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, lentils, beans, tempeh, edamame<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Calcium<\/td>\n | Fortified milk alternatives, broccoli, kale, calcium-set tofu<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Iron<\/td>\n | Lentils, soy beans, nuts and seeds, chickpeas, kale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Magnesium<\/td>\n | Nuts and seeds, quinoa, avocado, edamame<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Phosphorous<\/td>\n | Garlic, lentils, kidney beans, brown rice, apricots<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Potassium<\/td>\n | Sweet potatoes, spinach, chard, white beans, beets<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Zinc<\/td>\n | Chickpeas, lentils, beans, nuts, whole grains<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Copper<\/td>\n | Nuts and seeds, shiitake mushrooms, tempeh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Selenium<\/td>\n | Brazil nuts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Iodine<\/td>\n | Seaweed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin C<\/td>\n | Broccoli, pineapple, kiwi, peppers, oranges, spinach, mango, berries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Thiamin<\/td>\n | Nuts and seeds, nutritional yeast, soy beans, white beans, seaweed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Riboflavin<\/td>\n | Fortified cereals, almonds, mushrooms, buckwheat, prunes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Niacin<\/td>\n | Nutritional yeast, chilli powder, buckwheat, sunflower seeds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin B6<\/td>\n | Soy beans, bananas, chickpeas, prunes, chia seeds, kale, peppers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Folate<\/td>\n | Spinach, peanuts, sunflower seeds, peas, celery, leeks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin B12<\/td>\n | Soy beans, fortified milk alternatives, Marmite<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin A<\/td>\n | Carrots, fortified cereals, kale, spinach, chard, romaine lettuce<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin E<\/td>\n | Sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, wheat germ oil, pine nuts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n| Vitamin D<\/td>\n | Fortified milk alternatives, sun-exposed mushrooms, fortified orange juice<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nReference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs) vs Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) vs Dietary Reference Values (DRVs)<\/h3>\nNutrition, like many fields that rely on science, is a world of acronyms. These can become confusing, especially when you\u2019re trying to work out what the information on a food label means, whilst traipsing two young kids around the supermarket. As such, it can save a lot of time and hassle if you know your RDIs from your RDAs and DRVs (and that\u2019s just the start of it!).<\/p>\n According to the British Nutrition Foundation, the UK uses a set of Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) to produce a \u201cseries of estimates<\/a> of the energy and nutritional requirements of different groups of healthy people in the UK population\u201d. There are four types of DRVs, namely:<\/p>\nThe Four Types of Dietary Reference Values<\/h4>\n\n- Estimated Average Requirements (EARs)<\/strong> – This is an estimate for the average required of a nutrient for a given population, meaning that around half will require more, and around half will require less.<\/li>\n
- Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs)<\/strong> – More usefully, the RNI of a nutrient refers to the amount required by 97.5% of a given population (e.g. adult males) to make sure they meet their nutritional needs.<\/li>\n
- Lower Reference Nutrient Intakes (LRNIs)<\/strong> – The LRNI refers to the amount of a nutrient required by the lowest 2.5% of a population whose requirements are particularly low.<\/li>\n
- Safe Intake<\/strong> – When there is not enough evidence to set one of the above values, the Safe Intake is used to suggest a value that is safe for the vast majority of people and below a level at which detrimental effects could occur.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The most useful DRV for the majority of people is therefore the Reference Nutrient Intake, often just referred to as the Reference Intake (RI). Bear in mind, though, that these values vary based on whether someone is male or female, their age and in some cases how much they weigh, as well as variations in metabolism and endocrinology, growth, pregnancy and lactation and menstruation.<\/p>\n Also bear in mind that there is a lot of inconsistency when it comes to food labelling and some might refer to Recommended Daily Amount (RDA), which has been replaced by the RNI (or RI).<\/p>\n Traffic Light Labels on Food<\/h2>\n![\"Fruit](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/fruit-stoplight.jpg\") A lot of people don\u2019t have the time (or inclination) to read food labels in detail, so a \u201ctraffic light\u201d system of food labelling was introduced in the UK. It is not compulsory and does not appear on all foods, but it is increasingly being adopted by food retailers and producers. While the system has come in for some criticism for being too vague, it at least offers a snapshot of whether a particular food veers towards the healthy or not-so-healthy end of the spectrum. It doesn\u2019t tell you if it is vegan, of course, but can find out more about that in the Is It Vegan?<\/a>\u00a0area of the site.<\/p>\nThe traffic lights refer to whether a foodstuff contains low (green), medium (amber) or high (red) levels of fat, saturated fats, sugar and salt, with the parameters for food and drink shown below. As these four items are all things that many people eat too much of, green\/low is considered good with red\/high considered bad.<\/p>\n Traffic Light Food Label Parameters – Food<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n| Substance<\/th>\n | Green (low) per 100g<\/th>\n | Amber (medium) per 100g<\/th>\n | Red (high)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n| Fat<\/td>\n | less than 3g<\/td>\n | between 3g and 17.5g<\/td>\n | more than 17.5g per 100g
\nor 21g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Saturated Fats<\/td>\n | less than 1.5g<\/td>\n | between 1.5g and 5g<\/td>\n | more than 5g per 100g
\nor 6g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Sugar<\/td>\n | less than 5g<\/td>\n | between 5g and 22.5g<\/td>\n | more than 22.5g per 100g
\nor 27g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Salt<\/td>\n | less than 0.3g<\/td>\n | between 0.3g and 1.5g<\/td>\n | more than 1.5g per 100g
\nor 1.8g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nTraffic Light Food Label Parameters – Drinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n| Substance<\/th>\n | Green (low) per 100ml<\/th>\n | Amber (medium) per 100ml<\/th>\n | Red (high)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n | \n\n| Fat<\/td>\n | less than 1.5g<\/td>\n | between 1.5g and 8.75g<\/td>\n | more than 8.75g per 100ml
\nor 10.5g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Saturated Fats<\/td>\n | less than 0.75g<\/td>\n | between 0.75g and 2.5g<\/td>\n | more than 2.5g per 100ml
\nor 3g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Sugar<\/td>\n | less than 2.5g<\/td>\n | between 2.5g and 11.25g<\/td>\n | more than 11.25g per 100ml
\nor 13.5g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | \n| Salt<\/td>\n | less than 0.3g<\/td>\n | between 0.3g and 0.75g<\/td>\n | more than 0.75g per 100ml
\nor 0.9g per portion<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nWhen displayed on labels, the traffic lights can refer to 100g\/ml of the food\/drink, or a defined portion size. To make matters somewhat more confusing, the defined portion size is often not the obvious one.<\/p>\n For example, a drink or bar of chocolate that most people would consider to be a single serve might be classed as two servings, with the nutrition based on half of the sold product. An example of how it might be displayed is given below.<\/p>\n ![\"Nutrition](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/vf-balance.jpg\") <\/p>\n
It can sometimes be a challenge to follow a truly balanced diet, but variety is the spice of life, and if you mix things up and use some of our nutritious vegan recipes<\/a> in your diet, you stand a very good chance of fulfilling all your nutritional requirements from plant-based ingredients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":807,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/food\/801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/food"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/food"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} | | |
![\"Balanced](\"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/balanced-diet-1.jpg\")
Many people, whether vegans or those considering veganism, have concerns about whether a plant-based diet can supply all the nutrients they need to stay healthy. The short answer is: yes, it sure can! As we explain in more detail when looking at vegan vitamins & supplements<\/a>, there is very little, if indeed anything, in the way of nutrients that cannot be obtained through vegan-friendly foods.<\/p>\n