Philosophical Vegan Forum

Brief intro in case any of it is relevant:
I eat pretty much the same thing every day, with a predictable bit of variation built in. Anything that requires a significant amount of prep or cooking is done in large batches one or twice a month and the products are frozen. This is just to streamline this part of my life so that it doesn't take too much time. I have a spreadsheet that lists my meals, the foods that make them up, and the nutrient composition of each meal.
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Here is a brief list of the items in my diet (that are obvious to me) that are keeping me from becoming a vegan:
1) Eggs, 2) Yogurt, 3) Salmon

Can anyone suggest a combination of foods or supplements that might be able to replace the nutrients found in these items?

Also, regarding vitamin B12:
These sites recommend 2.4 mcg/day:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/su ... -cobalamin
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitam ... sional/#h2

And 6 mcg/day is the recommendation here:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulat ... 064928.htm

I've noticed a few places where people suggest supplementing vegan diets with a lot more than these amounts. Does anyone know why?

Do you eat yogurt for the probiotics, or because you enjoy it, or both? If you like yogurt for the taste and texture there are dairy alternative yogurts on the market made from soy, almond, coconut, and rice milks. I've yet to find one a really like, but I've heard good things about the Silk yogurt. If you're simply looking for the probiotics, I love kombucha tea.

Eggs can be substituted in baking with flax meal mixed with water or even Ener-G egg replacement. If you like things like scrambled eggs, firm tofu can be prepared in a way that resembles the texture, look, and somewhat of the taste of scrambled eggs. Salmon, I can't help you there if you're looking to replace the sensory experience of eating it. If you're looking to replace the Omega 3s found in fish there are lots of plant based sources. Beans, leafy greens, hard squashes, nuts and seeds (especially chia and hemp) and cabbages contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

For B12 I eat about 2 tablespoons a day of nutritional yeast sprinkled on my food and I use a Garden of Life Vitamin B12 spray. It is vegan and organic.

But this is just an over all starting point. I'm neither a doctor or nutritionist so please take this with a grain of salt.

Welcome!

Cooking in large batches is very smart.

kagt wrote: I've noticed a few places where people suggest supplementing vegan diets with a lot more than these amounts. Does anyone know why?

B-12 is harmless and cheap to supplement on in larger amounts, and for some people absorption isn't good. It depends on your digestive system, it's different for different people.

Usually you'd supplement with 1,000 mcg once or twice a week.

Ideally, I would say follow these recommendations:
http://veganhealth.org/articles/dailyrecs

He suggests 1,000 mcg twice a week.

kagt wrote:Here is a brief list of the items in my diet (that are obvious to me) that are keeping me from becoming a vegan:
1) Eggs, 2) Yogurt, 3) Salmon

Can anyone suggest a combination of foods or supplements that might be able to replace the nutrients found in these items?

Mainly you need to eat more beans and legumes to replace these in terms of protein and vitamin/mineral content.

Salmon has DHA/EPA, so you will need more Omega 3, or take a DHE/EPA supplement derived from algae.
Omega 3 can be found most economically in canola oil (low erucic acid rapeseed oil), or in ground flax seeds. Walnuts are another pretty good source, but you have to eat more of them and they can be more expensive. Hemp and chia seeds are a good source too, but again, expensive.

Jaxxie1181 wrote:Omega 3s found in fish there are lots of plant based sources. Beans, leafy greens, hard squashes, nuts and seeds (especially chia and hemp) and cabbages contain Omega-3 fatty acids.

Thanks Jaxxie,

Chia and Hemp are decent sources. I just worry about the cost, but if you can afford them, go for it!

It's true that these other veggies contain Omega 3, but most of them have such low fat, that you have to eat a few kilograms to get enough Omega 3.
And in the case of some other seeds, they contain much more Omega 6 than Omega 3. It's the ratio that's important. Too much Omega 6 will interfere with the body's ability to use Omega 3.

Flax is usually your best bet, or Canola oil, for a cheap source. That's what Dr. Greger recommends, and I agree with him on that point.


kagt,

If you use a site like cronometer ( https://cronometer.com/ ) that can help a lot in making sure your diet is balanced.

As long as you're getting enough protein from a mix of veggies, beans, and legumes, and a few nuts and seeds, you should have most things covered.

Calcium is the only mineral that tends to be hard to get enough of. It's mostly present in dark green leafy veggies like collards, but you have to eat a lot of them (between a pound and a kilogram). It could be worth supplementing if you don't eat many.

For men, sometimes a Zinc supplement can be useful. For women, sometimes iron. These are both readily present in high protein plant sources like lentils though.