How to Eat a Balanced Vegan Diet

A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that excludes animal and dairy products, fish and poultry. A balanced vegan diet means eating a variety of plant foods to ensure you’re getting important nutrients. This is a strict type of diet that may reduce the risk of serious illnesses.

1. Learn as much as you can about a balanced vegan diet by researching and educating yourself. There is a lot of information and resources online, at the library and in bookstores. Find support through groups or individuals to help you stay on the vegan diet and for tips on keeping it balanced.


2. Choose foods from different plant parts for a balanced vegan diet. This includes fruits, leaves, seeds, stems, roots and flowers. Some leaf parts are spinach, kale and cabbage. Flower parts include cauliflower and artichokes, and stems are asparagus, celery and leek. Root parts include potatoes, carrots and onions. Seeds include different types of beans such as peas and lentils.


3. Eat vegan foods that are good sources of calcium and protein. Some sources of calcium include leafy green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach. There’s no need to worry about not getting enough protein from a vegan diet. You’ll get plenty of protein from eating legumes, nuts, seeds and grains.


4. Supplement your vegan diet with vitamins and minerals if you feel your vegan diet isn’t as balanced as it should be. A vegan diet that includes foods from all the plant parts has most of the vitamins you need to maintain health. One supplement you may need is vitamin B12, which is important for red blood cells and protection of the nervous system.  


5. Add foods with essential fatty acids to a vegan based diet. These foods include pumpkin, flax or sesame seeds and walnuts. Use vegetable oils such as sunflower, safflower or flax.