Vegan diet: balanced weekly menu prepared by nutritionists

The team from the Realfooding nutritionist center, owned by Carlos Ríos, has prepared a weekly vegan menu with everything you need to avoid any deficiencies.

Here you can download your menu.

Keep reading because we explain the keys to a vegan diet to be healthy and balanced always.

The team from the Realfooding nutritionist center, owned by Carlos Ríos, has prepared a weekly vegan menu with everything you need to avoid any deficiencies.

Here you can download your menu.

Keep reading because we explain the keys to a vegan diet to be healthy and balanced always.

100% vegetable

Unlike other vegetarian diets -the ovo-lactovegetarian (which includes, along with foods of plant origin, eggs and dairy) and the ovovegetarian (in which the only foods of animal origin that have a place are eggs) -, the vegan diet only includes plant-based foods.

Can it be harmful depending on age? According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, as well as for athletes. The key is that the diet is well planned and balanced.

Keys to a balanced vegan diet

According to the vegan nutritional pyramid, a minimum of 2 pieces of fruit, more than 4 servings of vegetables, 5 to 10 servings of whole grains, 1 to 3 servings of legumes and 2 to 3 servings should be taken per day of nuts and seeds. However, as with the conventional nutritional pyramid, there are many nutritionists who claim that it is out of date and that at the base (and therefore, the largest amount of food that should be eaten) instead of cereals, fruits and vegetables should be found. vegetables.

Beware of the processed. It is also important to base the diet on fresh foods, since more and more processed foods are sold (hamburgers, sausages …) that no matter how vegan they are, they are not healthy.

How to get protein?

It is one of the main doubts that arise when one considers doing a vegan diet. But the truth is that there are foods of plant origin that also provide us with a large amount of protein, such as legumes, nuts, seeds or whole grains.

It is true that in some cases the proteins provided by these foods are not complete, that is, they do not have all the essential amino acids. However, this problem is easily solved by combining these food groups; for example, legumes with whole grains, legumes with nuts, or whole grains with nuts. And they don't have to be eaten at the same meal; It can be done throughout the day since amino acids are stored in the liver and the body can use them later to assemble the proteins it wants. And there are processed protein foods that are suitable for vegans such as tofu, tempeh, seitan or textured soy protein.

How Much Protein Should You Eat? The advisable thing to obtain the necessary amount of proteins would be to include a protein portion at least in the three main meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Find out here where to find vegetable protein and how to incorporate it well into your dishes.

Does it cause iron deficiency?

The rate of anemia due to lack of iron is the same in both vegans and in the rest of the population, therefore there is no need to worry excessively. In addition, in vegetarians who have been vegetarian for a while, a metabolic adaptation occurs: they absorb more iron and eliminate less. Even so, it is advisable to resort to the mechanisms that we have at our fingertips to promote the absorption of this mineral.

Good combinations. The indicated thing is to take foods rich in iron together with foods rich in vitamin C (oranges, kiwi, peppers …) and vitamin A (red and orange vegetables) that favor the absorption of iron.
Bad combinations. You should avoid taking foods rich in iron with others that inhibit its absorption at the same meal. This is the case of foods rich in calcium (vegetable drinks enriched in calcium, almonds, broccoli, white beans, kale or kale), in zinc (whole wheat bread, peas, corn), foods with polyphenols (coffee, tea, wine, beer , cocoa, raw nuts) or rich in insoluble fiber (cocoa and bran).
Tricks to increase its absorption. And keep in mind that soaking legumes, whole grains or tubers and roasting nuts and seeds at a low temperature also favors the absorption of iron.

Does the absence of dairy cause a lack of calcium?

Although dairy is an exceptional source of calcium, it is not the only one. Among the calcium foods that are not dairy, we find seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, legumes, etc. And as with iron, there are also measures that can help us improve its absorption.

Bad companies. You should avoid eating foods rich in calcium along with others with a lot of fat, rich in insoluble fiber or with oxalic acid (chard, tea …).
Beware of excesses. And you have to try not to take too much salt or sugar, or go overboard with proteins.

Is it necessary to take supplements?

Yes. The most problematic point of a vegan diet is vitamin B12 (essential for the proper functioning of the body) since it is only bioavailable in foods of animal origin. So it would be necessary to resort to supplements of this vitamin.

Recommended amount. It depends on the age and characteristics of each person, but, in general, it is advisable to take vitamin B12 in the form of cyanocobalamin and at a dose of 2000 mcg per week.

The rest of the nutrients can be obtained without problems from a well-established diet such as the balanced vegan diet menu without deficiencies that has been prepared for you in the Realfooding Center of the nutritionist-dietician and CLARA blogger Carlos Ríos. Below these lines, you have the link to download it.

Download here your weekly menu with a vegan diet made by nutritionists