As a vegan Registered Dietitian I love talking about the importance of vegan nutrition. My focus is often on the important nutrients for a vegan diet and how to meet nutrient needs as a vegan. But we don't eat nutrients, we eat food!
Sometimes, a more helpful approach when transitioning to a vegan diet is to learn what types of foods to include in a meal. And of course, find recipes that include those nutrient-packed ingredients.
Most people grew up learning about food groups. Typically one or more of those food groups were focused on animal products (ex. meat or dairy). When transitioning to a vegan diet, these types of guidelines aren't very helpful. Instead, I've created my own system of grouping foods together and ended up with six food groups for a healthy vegan diet.
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A New Way to Think about Food Groups and Nutrients
Some of the most common questions about transitioning to veganism are related to meeting nutrient needs, especially for protein, iron and calcium. I personally think this stems from the fact that many people are taught those nutrients are found in animal products, and education around plant sources of these essential nutrients is lacking.
However, the majority of essential nutrients are found in plant-based foods. The primary exception is vitamin B12. A few other nutrients also require some consideration.
Regardless, learning about what food groups to include in a vegan diet can help vegans meet nutrient needs. Check out the different pages below which outline the six food groups for a balanced vegan diet. While it's not a food group, hydration is another important consideration for vegan diets.
Basic Nutrients Provided by the Six Food Groups for a Healthy Vegan Diet
While there's lots of great information in the articles above, to summarize, here's a list of the basic nutrients provided by each of the six food groups:
Legumes are generally a source of:
- Protein, including the amino acid lysine
- Fiber
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Folate
- Phosphorous
- Selenium
Vegetables typically provide:
- Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene)
- Magnesium
- Calcium (specifically in leafy and dark green vegetables)
- B vitamins, including folate
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Zinc (varies based on vegetable)
Fruit generally provides:
- Vitamin C
- Fiber
- Potassium
- Folate
- Vitamin A
- Magnesium
Nuts and seeds typically contain:
- Plant-based protein
- Fiber
- Vitamin E
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Calcium
- Iron
- Phosphorous
- Selenium
- Omega 3 fatty acids (specifically ALA in walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds) + other healthy fats
Whole grains contain different nutrition in each of the 3 parts, but overall usually have:
- Fiber
- B-vitamins
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin E
- Plant-based protein
- Eaten in small quantities and therefore don't provide a large amount of nutrition
- Vitamin and mineral content varies greatly with different herbs and spices
- Leafy green herbs may provide similar nutrition as other leafy green vegetables
Summary: Six Food Groups for a Healthy Vegan Diet
Eating a variety of the food groups listed above can help vegans meet nutrient needs for a balanced vegan diet. There are other foods that can be included in a vegan diet but these posts focus mainly on whole foods.
More processed foods can certainly be included as part of a balanced diet and can also help meet nutrient needs (for example, fake meat products must be fortified in Canada so can be a good source of different nutrients).
Get my best tips for how to include more of these tasty food groups into your diet by clicking on any one of the food group pictures above!
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Author Profile: Nicole Stevens
Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out. She provides vegans with balanced meals and easy-to-understand nutrition science.
Having attained a Masters degree and passing a national registration exam, Nicole is a trusted source of nutrition information. She uses this knowledge to educate others about vegan diets and how to thrive as a vegan.