SHOW NOTES

Why?

• Ethical
• Environmental - A vegetarian, pescetarian or flexitarian diet  with an increased intake of plants and reduced reliance on animal-based products (so not just a vegan diet) has been associated with significant reductions in premature mortality and environmental impact.  https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2542-5196%2818%2930206-7
• Health - https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/148/4/624/4965931  Dietary changes to balanced flexitarian, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets led to reductions in premature mortality of 19% (95% CI 18–20) for the flexitarian scenario to 22% (18–24) for the vegan scenario https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2542-5196%2818%2930206-7
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28446499
• Self-experiment
• Financial 
• Combination 

Nutrients to be aware of 

If you’re planning on going fully plant-based, vegan, then there are some important nutritional considerations

• Vit B12 - most will need a supplement. Check your levels.

Mushrooms, tempeh, miso and sea vegetables are often claimed to be a source of B12. However, this is not accurate. They contain a compound with a similar structure to B12, but it doesn’t work like B12 in the body.

• Don’t forget fats - mouthfeel
• Milk alternative

Bon Soy (25mg calcium per 100mL) vs VitaSoy CalciPlus (160mg per 100ml = 50% RDI) 

Impressed Plant Milk (almond, cashew, pea, fava bean) (117mg per 100ml) or oat milk

Listen to our milk ep and find a fortified alternative

• And if not - calcium

Low oxalate dark green leafy veg - kale over spinach (the oxalates bind to the calcium), almonds, soy, white beans, edamame, broccoli, bok choy, okra  

• Selenium - include just one brazil nut per day 
• Iron - listen to ep 5
• Iodine - iodised salt or miso/seaweed products 
• Omega-3s - you’ll get some from flaxseed meal, ground chia, walnuts → grinding enhanced the bioavailability which is still poor!). Consider a yeast or algae derived omega-3 supplement 0 chat to an APD or doctor.   
• Protein - it’s not hard to get enough protein. 0.8g/kg/d = 60kg person = 48g per day = 1 tin beans (15g) + glass plant milk (8.5g) + 2 cups broc or veg (15g) + ½ cup quinoa (4g) + handful nuts (5.2g)

Plant foods are lower in certain amino acids than animal products and it is important to get a complete AA profile across the day. This is fairly easy to do so long as we include a variety of plant foods daily - eg rice + beans or tofu + peanut satay sauce or soy milk + chia seeds. 

Complete = soybeans, quinoa, chia, hemp, seitan  

Important to know that it’s not inherently healthier to be vegan/vegetarian vs omnivorous. What’s unanimously healthy is a diet rich in plant foods, but it doesn’t have to be a diet devoid of animal foods. You can be a vegan and also not have a healthy or balanced diet

Report: -  World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Population Salt Reduction, The George Institute for Global Health

https://www.georgeinstitute.org/sites/default/files/meat_alternatives_key_findings_report.pdf

Other Key References:

https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2542-5196%2818%2930206-7

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28446499