Recommendations for Optimum Vegan Nutrition
Originally posted at http://www.drgregor.org
under the same title. The original document was in pdf.
I have made some small format changes in creating the html version, turned the
quoted urls into hyperlinks,
and I have removed Dr. Michael Greger's personal contact
information from the document. You can read the original document at http://www.drgreger.org/optimum.pdf
Vitamin B12
- One 2000mcg (or µg) tablet
(ideally chewed or dissolved under your tongue) once a week; or 10-100mcg once a
day; or servings of B12-fortified foods twice a day (each containing at least 20%
"Daily Value" on the label, such as a cup of fortified soy milk or 1 teaspoon
B12 fortified nutritional yeast).
Essential Fatty Acids
- Two tablespoons of ground
flax seeds every day. In addition, avoid anything with "partially hydrogenated"
on the label, deep-fried foods, and omega 6 rich oils (corn, safflower,
sunflower, cottonseed). Diabetics, and pregnant or breast-feeding women should
take 300mg of DHA every day.
Vitamin D
- North of Los Angeles or
Atlanta, non-elderly white non-sunscreen-using adults who spend time in the sun
can get away with ensuring daily dietary vitamin D just during the winter.
Everyone else living at such latitudes should include daily vitamin D sources in
their diet year-round. Sources include vitamin D fortified foods, vitamin D
supplements (400 IU a day) and dried shitake mushrooms.
Calcium
- 700 -1000mg a day for ages
19-50 via cups of low-oxalate greens, fortified foods and/or supplements.
Iodine
- If you don't eat seaweed or
use iodized salt, you should supplement your diet with 150mcg a day
Iron
- All menstruating women (vegan
or not) should increase their intake by combining iron-rich and vitamin C
- rich foods at meals, and
should get checked for iron-deficiency anemia every 5-10 years.
Selenium
- Northern European
vegetarians may need to take supplements or eat about 20 Brazil nuts/month.
Eat Dark Leafy Greens, Beans, Nuts, Fresh Fruit, Whole Grains every day.
Eat as many Vegetables as you can (at least a pound a day).
Drink five 8oz.
glasses of Water a day. Consider drinking Green Tea every day (but not with
meals).
Articles:
Books
:
-
Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis
and Vesanto Melina
Newsletters:
-
"Making Sense of
Nutrition
Research" Subscribe at http://www.jacknorrisrd.com
-
"
Vegetarian Nutrition
and Health Letter" from Loma Linda University 1-888-558-8703.
Websites: