Nutritional Adequacy of A Plant Based Diet 

Eating a plant-based diet doesn't necessarily have to mean "vegan", it can also be  that you're just trying to eat more plant-based products and decreasing the intake of animal-based items

A plant-based diet can still meet all of your nutritional needs, but there are a few nutrients that you need to pay closer attention to, so you need to be mindful of them when meal planning.

Those nutrients include:
  • Protein: found in tofu, tempeh, beans, nuts, and seeds
  • Vitamin B-12: found in fortified plant-based milks (e.g. soy, almond, cashew, oat, rice, etc) and nutritional yeast 
  • Iron: found in beans, broccoli, and fortified cereals
  • Calcium: found in calcium-set tofu, broccoli, and fortified plant-based milks
  • Zinc: found in beans, nuts, and seeds3​


REFERENCES:
  1. Rizzo, N. S., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Sabate, J., & Fraser, G. E. (2013). Nutrient profiles of vegetarian and nonvegetarian dietary patterns. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(12), 1610–1619. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4081456/
  2. NHS. The Vegetarian Diet. May 2022. Available at https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/the-vegetarian-diet/
  3. Government of Canada. Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) - Search by food. May 2022. Available at: https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp
  4. Bouzari, A., Holstege, D., & Barrett, D. M. (2015). Vitamin retention in eight fruits and vegetables: a comparison of refrigerated and frozen storage. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 63(3), 957–962. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526594/