People often question whether a plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients required for maintaining a healthy body. But you’ll find that loads of omnivores are actually deficient in many key nutrients anyway and you can get all your body needs without touching an animal product.
Here’s a handy list of essential nutrients that are common concerns when following a plant-based diet. They are really simple to incorporate when you’re aware of them – and our recipes contain a large proportion of what you need.
Calcium
Calcium helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. The Pepp Plan includes broccoli which is a great plant source of calcium. But it’s chia seeds that are the real calcium heroes as they boast 157mg of calcium per 25g – that’s more than in 100ml of cow’s milk. We also encourage using calcium-enriched plant milks – check the label to see what they offer.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D also plays an important role in bone health – we get it mainly from sun exposure (even in the chilly Britsh climate) but you’ll also get plenty from mushrooms and enriched nut or hemp milk.
Vitamin B-12
No animal products, no problem! It may not naturally occur in plants but nutritional yeast is all you need. Our recipes contain loads of it as it also happens to be super tasty! All that B-12 goodness will help maintain healthy nerves and red blood cells.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for heart health. Chia and flax seeds are fantastic sources, along with hemp milk – 250ml is 50% of your recommended intake of Omega-3.
Iron (+Vitamin C)
Iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Chickpeas are an incredible source of iron (a can of chickpeas provides 80% of your RDA). Broccoli is also a good source as it contains both iron and vitamin C, which is needed to help your body absorb the iron. Lemons and beetroot powder are brimming with vitamin C – as are our berry trio (cherries, strawberries and blueberries.) We recommend that you drink lemon water with all meals to aid iron absorption.
Zinc
Like iron, zinc is not as easily absorbed from plant sources but that doesn’t mean it’s difficult either – pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, as are nuts like cashews and almonds – and there are plenty of them in our blends!
Protein
Where do you get your protein from? Possibly the most frequently asked (and hated) question put to vegans! We guess people are concerned because protein is essential to maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. The good news is, you can get more than enough protein from plant sources and it’s actaully pretty simple – we pack in plenty of legumes (like peas and chickpeas), nuts and seeds to achieve this.
Fibre
This is one thing that vegans don’t need to worry about! Fibre is abundant in plants and that’s what makes a plant-based diet so much healthier. Fibre ensures food runs through your system smoothly, which improves digestive health and reduces risk of some cancers. High-fibre diets also reduce blood pressure and inflammation, which makes them the best choice for heart health.