Essentials MAG - MAY 2020

Vegetarian &
Vegan Eating
We all have different ways of eating and
no one way is better than the other, but
current evidence suggests we could all
benefit from having a couple of meat free
days a week and limiting our red meat
consumption to 500g per week or 70g
per day. The research also advises to
limited processed meat intake*.
For the majority of the population unless
you have a dietary condition (and under
the supervision of a dietitian/health care
professional) the Eatwell Guide is where we
should look to guide us on what types of
food and in which proportions we should
be eating them to give us the right amount
of Macronutrients; carbohydrates, fat,
protein and Micronutrients; vitamins,
minerals and this applies equally to
vegetarian and vegan eating. By eating
plenty of fruit and vegetables we all benefit
by getting adequate amounts of fibre,
vitamins and minerals.
The Vegetarian Society and The Vegan
Society have put together Eatwell Guides
to show what foods are good to include
if following these dietary paths. (websites
included at the end).
Vegetarian diets need to pay particular
attention to adequate iron intakes,
however by eating plenty of iron rich plant
foods, e.g. green leafy vegetables, dried
fruit and fortified breakfast cereals this is
not to be a concern. The other nutrient
which we all need to ensure we
get into our diets is Omega 3,
this is most easily obtained by
eating oily fish such as salmon,
mackerel, pilchard or sardines,
for those following vegetarians or vegan
diets this would be via nuts and seeds
good examples being walnuts, flaxseed,
rapeseed oil.
Public Health recommendations since 2016
has been that we should all consider taking
a 10 microgram supplement of Vitamin D
during the months of October to March,
although there is no reason why we can’t
continue to take all year round, for people
following a vegetarian or vegan diet the
advice is the same.
With regard to vegan diets it’s worth
considering taking Vitamin B12, Iodine and
Selenium supplements, or looking for
foods that have been fortified with these,
as it becomes difficult to get these through
the diet alone. For exact amounts go to the
vegan society website. Finally, whichever
dietary path you choose, enjoy your food
and try to ensure that it is as nutritionally
balanced as possible.
• The Vegetarian Society
www.vegsoc.org
• The Vegan Society
www.vegansociety.com
• World Cancer Research Fund * (WCRF)
www.wcrf.uk.org
EssentialsMAG nutrition contributor
is Sarah Powell-Jones, RNutr (Public
Health), Registered Nutritionist with
the Association for Nutrition
sarahpowelljones@gmail.com