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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Jack Norris
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June 9 - June 14, 2020
But while riboflavin is found in only small amounts in many plant foods, a varied diet of grains, legumes, and vegetables provides plenty.
Choosing soy (or other plant) milks that are fortified with this nutrient can provide extra insurance, but we don’t think that vegans need to worry about riboflavin.
The amount of selenium in your diet depends on where you live—or where your food comes from—since the amount of selenium in plant foods is dependent on the amount in the soil where the foods are grown. Evidence suggests that vegans in the United States and Canada get enough selenium. In parts of northern Europe, the selenium content of the soil is fairly low, however, and vegans may need to supplement.
Recommended choline intakes are 500 milligrams per day for men and 425 milligrams for women.
The best sources of choline in vegan diets are peanuts and peanut butter, beans, soyfoods, quinoa, asparagus, spinach, and vegetables in the cabbage family like broccoli and cauliflower.
It takes as much as 25 grams of soy protein per day (the amount in about three servings of traditional soyfoods) to have an effect, and the effect is modest, producing around a 4 percent reduction in LDL-cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).
The position of the American Cancer Society and American Institute for Cancer Research is that women with breast cancer can safely consume soyfoods.27,28 Furthermore, the World Cancer Research Fund International suggests that soyfoods consumption might possibly improve survival in women who have had breast cancer.29 Their stance is based in part on studies of soy intake in more than eleven thousand breast cancer survivors.
In contrast, there is intriguing evidence that as little as one serving of soyfoods per day during childhood and/or the teen years reduces the risk for breast cancer later in life by as much as 50 percent.
At present, we can say that in healthy women, soyfoods don’t raise breast cancer risk, and, while it remains speculative, they may offer benefits for women who have had breast cancer. The most promising findings, though, are that girls who consume soy could have a lower lifetime risk of getting breast cancer.
The effects of iodine deficiency can be worse if the diet is high in goitrogens. For Western vegans, this shouldn’t be a problem as long as we consume enough iodine—an easy task if you use small amounts of iodized table salt every day or take an iodine supplement.
The FDA, the European Food Safety Authority, and the German Research Foundation have all rejected concerns about isoflavones and thyroid function.38,42,43
Stories that make their way around the internet about the alleged feminizing effects of soyfoods are not supported by the research. A comprehensive analysis published in 2010 showed that neither soyfoods nor isoflavones affect testosterone levels.
In postmenopausal women, isoflavone supplements have been linked to improved skin thickness and elasticity, and even a decline in small wrinkles.55 Benefits have been seen with an amount of isoflavones that you could get from just a serving of traditional soyfoods like a half-cup of tofu or tempeh per day. It’s not the fountain of youth, but if you enjoy soyfoods in your vegan diet, this is one more small perk of consuming them.
It’s interesting to note that some of the health benefits associated with soy have been seen in people who consume the most soyfoods.
There is no requirement to include soy in your diet, but there is no reason to avoid it either. Since variety is an important factor in planning healthy diets, we recommend limiting soyfoods to three to four servings per day.
We recommend aiming for four servings of grains per day because these foods are excellent sources of fiber and iron. Whole grains can also be an important source of zinc in vegan diets.
We recommend at least three to four servings of these foods every day for adults. Generally, one serving provides around 7 to 8 grams of protein, but many of the soyfoods, such as tempeh, veggie meats, and some types of tofu, are quite a bit higher. These foods are also important sources of minerals like iron and sometimes zinc. If your diet is based on a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and nuts, then the three recommended servings from this group are plenty. If you like to spend some discretionary calories on desserts, added fats, or more servings of fruit (which are very low in
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You might be surprised to find peanuts and peanut butter in this group. While they may seem to be more closely related to tree nuts, they are actually part of the legume family. Like beans and soyfoods, they are an excellent source of protein.
Some vegans shy away from nuts and seeds because of their high fat content. But moderate nut consumption improves cholesterol levels and can even help with weight control
These foods are concentrated in calories, though, so a serving is small—just two tablespoons of a nut or seed butter or whole seeds, or ¼ cup of nuts. We suggest consuming one to two servings of these foods every day. Choose nuts more often than seeds; they usually have a healthier fat profile and their health benefits are impressive.
Flax, chia, and hempseeds are quickly becoming staples in the kitchens of health-conscious cooks. All three are excellent sources of the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid
Vegetables are among the best sources of vitamins C and A and contain thousands of plant chemicals that might improve health.
Added fats aren’t essential in healthy vegan menus, but small amounts of the right ones can fit in a well-balanced diet. We’ve placed them on the side to indicate that they are optional, but by no means off limits. Two or three servings per day (note: a serving is just a teaspoon) is a reasonable amount for most people.
We’ve recommended four servings of these foods per day because they represent an easy way to ensure that you are getting adequate fiber and iron. When you choose whole grains, they are also a good source of zinc. But the truth is that legumes provide more iron than grains, and they are just as good a source of fiber and zinc.
Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. • Choose good sources of vitamin C and vitamin A from the fruits and vegetables group. • Eat plenty of protein-rich beans, soyfoods, and/or peanuts. • Choose whole grains and starchy vegetables more often than refined grains. • Opt for foods that provide omega-3 fats when you make choices from the nuts and seeds and the added fats groups. • Focus on calcium-rich foods by aiming to eat at least 3 cups per day of some combination of fortified plant milks, fortified juices, calcium-set tofu, oranges, low-oxalate leafy green vegetables like kale,
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VITAMIN B12: • Two servings per day of fortified foods providing 2 to 3.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 per serving OR • 25 to 100 micrograms per day from a chewable or sublingual supplement OR • 1,000 micrograms twice per week from a chewable or sublingual supplement IODINE: • 75 to 150 micrograms three to four days per week (or ¼ teaspoon of iodized salt per day) VITAMIN D: • 600 International Units (15 micrograms) per day unless you are certain you are getting adequate sun exposure OMEGA-3 FATS: • ALA: Be sure to include a good source of ALA in your diet every day. The best choices are canola,
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The point isn’t that you must eat processed foods to be healthy; it’s that there is a reasonable way to balance healthy food choices with convenience if you wish to do so.
Iodized salt: Many vegan cookbooks suggest using sea salt. But sea salt has the same effects on blood pressure and calcium loss as any other salt—and it’s not a reliable source of iodine. So use salt sparingly, and when you do, choose plain iodized salt.
And the longer they had been vegan, the better their weight gain. One other finding was surprising: preeclampsia, a potential complication of pregnancy that occurs in 5 to 10 percent of pregnant women, was nearly nonexistent among vegan pregnant women in this community.
At the very least, it’s wise for all women, vegan or not, to take a supplement of the B vitamin folic acid since adequate intake of this nutrient is vital in the early days of pregnancy. There is also evidence that folic acid can be helpful for women who are having trouble getting pregnant.
Piling your plate with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables is always a good choice, and in this case, it may help you get pregnant.
An added serving of leafy green vegetables and two additional servings of protein-rich foods (beans, peanuts, and soyfoods) and grains will give you needed calories and help meet nutrient needs during the second trimester. During the last trimester, when your baby is growing fastest, add one more serving of either whole grains or legumes/soyfoods.
Inadequate intake can result in birth defects or place newborns at high risk of serious B12 deficiency.
Your baby’s vitamin B12 comes directly from your diet. For vegans, supplements and fortified foods are the only source of this nutrient.
To meet needs for vitamin B12, take a daily supplement providing at least 25 micrograms and up to 250 micrograms of vitamin B12 in the form of cyanocobalamin.
Protein needs increase by almost 50 percent in pregnancy and, beginning with the second trimester, the RDA for pregnant women is 25 grams higher than for nonpregnant women. Vegan protein needs are slightly higher (see Chapter 4) but this translates to just 3 additional grams of protein per day, for a total of 28 grams.
A nonpregnant vegan woman who starts her pregnancy at 130 pounds would require 80 grams of protein per day beginning in her second trimester (52 grams to meet nonpregnant needs plus 28 grams for pregnancy).
But to ensure adequate intake, a supplement is advised beginning in the months before you become pregnant and continuing throughout at least the first trimester.11,12 Choose a prenatal supplement that provides 400 micrograms of folic acid.
For that reason, a supplement providing 30 milligrams of iron is almost always recommended for pregnant women.13 In addition to taking the supplement that your health-care provider recommends, it’s important to continue eating iron-rich foods and maximizing absorption by including a good source of vitamin C at meals and snacks.
It’s difficult to assess zinc status in pregnant women, but there is evidence that many women, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, have zinc intakes that are lower than recommendations, unless they are taking supplements.
Choose a prenatal supplement that provides around 15 milligrams of zinc to ensure adequate intake.
The RDA is 600 International Units (or 15 micrograms).
Throughout the world, iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable brain damage.
Check to make sure your prenatal supplement provides at least 150 micrograms of iodine.
Experts recommend that pregnant women consume 300 milligrams of DHA and EPA combined per day.19–21 We suggest choosing a supplement that is mostly or all DHA since this is the omega-3 fat that is significantly lower in the blood of vegans.
A bonus for vegetarian women who breastfeed is that their milk might be lower in environmental contaminants.24 Although we don’t have recent data, a 1981 study of the breast milk of vegans found that levels of seventeen environmental chemicals were lower compared to the general population. In fact, the highest vegan value was lower than the lowest value in milk from the general population.25
One survey of the B12 content of breast milk found no difference in the levels among vegan, vegetarian, and nonvegetarian women, but overall, there was a risk of having levels that were too low in all groups.26 Nursing women should continue to consume a daily vitamin B12 supplement.
We recommend that you continue with a supplement providing 200 to 300 milligrams of DHA.
It’s also important to eat foods that provide plenty of folate and vitamin A.
SUPPLEMENTS FOR PREGNANT VEGANS: • Prenatal supplement that provides folic acid, vitamin D, zinc, iron, and iodine • Vitamin B12 if your prenatal supplement doesn’t provide at least 25 micrograms of cyanocobalamin • A calcium supplement if you feel you are falling short of the 1,000 milligrams of calcium recommended during pregnancy • 300 milligrams of DHA from algae SUPPLEMENTS FOR BREASTFEEDING VEGANS: • A daily vitamin B12 supplement providing at least 25 micrograms of cyanocobalamin • 300 milligrams of DHA • 150 micrograms of iodine
