Green Food ReportOn the Nutritional Adequacy of a Vegan Diet

U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E R O O S E V E L TJ E S S I C A T A X

Index Introduction Iron Zinc Calcium Selenium Iodine Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin Vitamin B12 - Cobalamin Vitamin D Protein Omega-3 Fatty Acids Sample menu References

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.

10.11.12.13.14.

Index

This report is an additional document complementingthe Essay : 'Green Food Report: On the Nutritional Adequacy ofa Vegan Diet' written for SCICAPS250 in Spring 2020. Thisinternship and course aimed to add to current academicmaterial the Eleanor Green Office (EGO) has on sustainabilityand ways individuals can help combating climate change. Asnone of the current EGO members had extensively researchedthe nutritional adequacy of a vegan diet, we felt obligated to doat least some research prior to offering adhering to a vegandiet or choosing to incorporate more vegan meals in one's dayto day life as an option for being more environmentallyfriendly.

While all main information is included in the essay, thisdocument may serve as a more practical guide for (to-be)vegans of UCR aiming for a more balanced diet. It will mentionseveral sources of all nutrients included in the main essay,while providing the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) andthe Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (UL) for all where applicable.All information for the nutrients in various types of food hasbeen retrieved from Davis & Melina unless stated otherwise.Due to a time limitation and the fact that the book 'BecomingVegan' has been written in America, most volume-referenceswill be given in cups rather than grams unless otherwisespecified. All beans and grains are cooked whereas vegetable-weights are raw. Enjoy this guide and stay Green!

Introduction

2

1

1

1

RDA : - 8mg: Males and menopausal females (vegan 14,4mg*) - 18mg: Females of childbearing age (vegan 32,4mg*)*.Vegans potentially need 1,8 times more iron than non-vegans (see essay p.4)

UL :- 45mg

Iron

Iron (mg) Iron (mg)Food (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Lentils

Chickpeas

Beans (e.g. kidneybeans)

Tofu

Quinoa

Dried apricots

Raisins

Dried coconut

Pumpkin seeds

Hemp seeds

Ground lineseed

Chia seeds

Cashew nuts

Almonds

Kale

Spinach

Bok choy

3,5

2,5

2,1

2,1-3,5

1,4

1,7

1,1

1,8

1,6

1,6

1,6

6,4

6,6

5,8

9,8

4,2

2,8

1,2

3,4

0,9

Oatmeal

Spelt

Dried figs

1

1

RDA :- 11mg: Males - 8mg: FemalesUL :- 40mg

Zinc (mg) ZincFood (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Lentils

Chickpeas

Beans (e.g. kidneybeans)

Tofu

Quinoa

Spelt

Oatmeal

Garlic

Avocado, raw,medium

Ground lineseed

Chia seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Hemp seeds

Cashew nuts

Almonds

Walnuts

Pine nuts

Sesame seeds

1,3

1,3

0,9

1,1-2,1

1,1

1,3

1,2

0,5

1,3

0,8

1,2

4

5,2

6,11

4

2,2

1,8

4,4

5,6

Zinc1

3

Mushrooms

Wholemeal bread,slice

4

0,3-0,5

RDA :- 1000mg: Adults- 1200mg: Males above 70 and Females above 50UL :- 2500mg between 19 and 50 years old. - 2000mg 51 and older

Calcium (mg) Calcium (mg)Food (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Soybeans

White beans

Tofu

Quinoa

Whole wheat bread,slice

Amaranth

Parsley

Garlic

Kale

Bok choy

Sweet potato

Almonds

Brazil nuts

Chia seeds

Flax seeds

Sesame seeds

Tahini, 2 tbsp

93

97

85

200

17

48

58

129

89

130

100

84

47

192

114

538

162

712

43

Calcium1

5

Tempeh

6

Edamame 49

Spinach

RDA:- 55mcg: everyone above 14- 60mcg: pregnant women- 70mcg: breastfeeding womenUL :- 400mcg

Selenium (mcg) Selenium (mcg)Food (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Kidney beans

Pinto beans

Whole wheatspaghetti

Brown rice

Whole wheatbread, slice

Amaranth

Garlic 

Mushrooms

Asparagus

Coconut, dried

Brazil nut, 1/8 cup

Chia seeds

Sesame seeds

Sunflower seeds

Molasses, 1 tbsp

Oatmeal

Quinoa

Spelt

61

6

19

10

11

9

10

5

6

4

340,5

48

26

38

3,6

7

3

4

Selenium1

7

7

7

The iodine content of foods depends on theiodine content of the soil which the product growsin. Therefore, it is important for vegans to consumethe recommended amounts of sodium, includingsalt either fortified with iodine or sea-salt.

RDA : - 150mcg UL : - 1100mcg

Iodine1

8

1

RDA :- 1,1mg: Females- 1,3mg: MalesUL :No UL has been established, however even though currently no adverseeffects are known does not imply that there are none. Caution forexcessive consumption is advised.

Riboflavin (mg) Riboflavin (mg)Food (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Edamame

Soybeans

Tempeh

Quinoa

Wild rice

Almonds

Cashew nuts

Pine nuts

Tahini, 2 tbsp

Sesame seeds

Dried applesFortified plant-

based milk, 100ml

Grapefruit,medium

Asparagus

Avocado, medium

Broccoli

Red hot chilepeppers

Spirulina, 1 tbsp

Brownmushrooms

Sun-dried tomato

0,12

0,49

0,31

0,11

0,08

0,80

0,14

0,16

1,04

0,18

0,3

0,21*

0,08

0,13

0,26

0,10

0,99

0,26

0,20

0,14

Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin1

9

*.based on plant-based milks in Dutch grocerystores (e.g. Alpro soya and Albert Heijn-brand milk)

RDA :- 2,4mcgUL :No UL has been established, however adverse effects have been foundwhen one has elevated B12 levels. Caution for excessive consumption isadvised.

Cobalamin (mcg)FoodFortified plant-

based milk, 100mlNutritional yeast,

fortified, 1 tbsp

0,38*

2,4

Vitamin B12 - Cobalamin1

1

*.based on plant-based milks in Dutch grocerystores (e.g. Alpro soya and Albert Heijn brand milk)

Supplements could ensure vegans obtainenough vitamin B12 needed for bodily processes.Supplements come in several 'packages', includingfortified foods like plant-based milk and nutritionalyeast, as well as pills. When consuming B12 pills,those with extremely high multiplications of the RDA(e.g. 4000%) should be avoided.

2

RDA : - 15 mcg (600 IU)UL :- 100 mcg (4000 IU)

Vitamin D (mcg)SourceFortified plant-

based milk, 100mlFortified margerine,

1 tsp

Mushrooms, 100g

0,75*

0,5

10

Vitamin D

*.based on plant-based milks in Dutch grocerystores (e.g. Alpro soya and Albert Heijn brand milk)

Regular and moderate sunlight exposurewill aid in receiving an adequate amount ofvitamin D. During winter or when due tocircumstances it is not possible to get vitaminD through sunlight, fortified foods andmushrooms can aid in reaching the RDA.

1

10

2

RDA : - 0,83 g/kg/day for non-vegans (0,83 * your weight)- 0,90 g/kg/day for vegans UL :- 3,5 g/kg/day

Protein (g) Protein (g)Food (1/2 cup) Food (1/2 cup)Edamame

Soybeans

Tofu, firm

Oatmeal

Almonds

Cashew nuts

Chia seeds

Line seeds, grounded

Hemp seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Coconut milk, fresh

Broccoli

Garlic

Shiitake mushrooms,dried

Peas

Spirulina, 1 tbsp

Sun-driedtomatoes

10

15

20

4

3

14-16

12

12

12

26

20

12

3

2

4

20

4

4

4

Protein1

11

Quinoa

All other beans (e.g.chickpeas) 7

RDA: - 1.6g: males- 1.1g: females (1.4 when pregnant and 1.3 when lactating)UL :- Although no UL has been set, it is advised not to exceed 3grams a day

ALA (g) ALA (g)Food (1 tbsp, 15ml) Food (30 g)Canola oil

Flaxseed oil

Hempseed oil

Soybean oil

Walnut oil

Butternuts

Chia seeds, 2 tbsp

Flaxseeds, ground,2 tbsp

Hemp seeds, 2 tbsp

Walnuts

Peanuts

1,3

7,3

2,5

0,9

1,4

2,5

4

3,2

1,7

2,6

0,001

Omega-3 fatty acids1

12

12

Olive oil 0,1

Sample menu To make it a bit easier to eat a varied andcomplete vegan diet, a sample menu is provided here.Due to the fact that I am not a certified nutritionist,a menu compiled by Davis and Melina has beenutilized. This menu is based on a 76 kg (168 pound)individual and provides around 2000 calories.

2

Breakfast- 2 slices of toast- 2 tablespoons tahini- 1 tablespoon molasses- 1 glass of calcium-fortified orange-juice

Lunch- 1 tortilla + 60g black/pinto/refried beans 1 tomato + 75g lettuce + 1/4 avocado + salsa- 125ml fortified plant-based milk (e.g. almond, soy)

Dinner- 100g whole grains (e.g. quinoa, brown rice)- 250g mixed lettuce- 2 tablespoons dressing with fortified nutritional yeast- 80g tempeh with BBQ sauce

Snacks- 40g dried figs and 1 orange- 30g pumpkin seeds- 125ml fortified plant-based milk (e.g. almond, soy)- 30g dark chocolate

References Accompanying Essay Davis, B., & Melina, V. (2014). Becoming vegan. Summertown,TN: Book . Publishing Company.National Institutes of Health (2020). Zinc. Retrieved from: . . ...........https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/Medical News Today (2018) What are the health benefits of hemp?............Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ ...........308044#nutritional-breakdown-of-hempNational Institutes of Health (2020). Calcium. Retrieved from:...........https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-Health...........Professional/Messina, V. (2019). Meeting Calcium Recommendations on a Vegan Diet.............Retrieved from: https://vegetariannutrition.net/docs/Calcium-...........Vegetarian-Nutrition.pdfWebMD (2020). Selenium. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/a-............to-z-guides/supplement-guide-selenium#1Institute of Medicine. (2001). Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A,............Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron,............Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.............Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:...........10.17226/10026.

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3.

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5.

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7.

8.

9. National Institutes of Health (2020). Riboflavin. Retrieved from:................... https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Riboflavin-Health....................Professional/ 10. Government of Canada (2019). Vitamin D and Calcium: Updated Dietary.....................Reference Intake. Retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca/en/....................health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/....................vitamins-minerals/vitamin-calcium-updated-dietary-reference-....................intakes-nutrition.html 11. Wu, G. (2016). Dietary protein intake and human health. Food &.....................function, 7(3), 1251-1265. doi: 10.1039/c5fo01530h 12. National Institutes of Health (2020). Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Retrieved................... from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-................... HealthProfessional/