Veg Nutrition Tips

<p> Veg nutrition tips from Alex Lacey. Alex is a student at the University of Minnesota studying nutrition and planning to become an registered dietician (R.D.). Please e-mail Alex at <a href="mailto:alex@exploreveg.org">alex@exploreveg.org</a> if you have a nutrition question you would like to see answered in CAA's weekly e-newsletter. </p> <p> Responses to question will be published as nutrition tips in the CAA e-newsletter, not as a personal email. Your inquiries are very important to this column and we appreciate your interest. </p> <p> These articles are not meant to be used in place of a visit to a registered dietitian. </p>

Protein

Many vegans and vegetarians are plagued with the question “How do you get your protein?” In order to better answer this question—and get that adequate intake of good proteins—there are a few things every vegan and vegetarian should know about plant-based protein.

Calcium

Achieving adequate levels of calcium can be challenging for omnivores and even more so for vegans. Vegetarians often get adequate calcium from milk and other dairy products, but vegans have more limited sources of calcium available. Despite these limitations, vegans do have many options if they consume a varied diet and pay attention to their daily calcium intake.

B12 for Vegans

Susan has been a vegan for the past six years. She eats a balanced diet, has maintained a stable weight for most of this time, and has never taken any supplements. Lately, she's begun to feel tired all the time and is losing weight. Susan has also not had a menstrual period for the past two months.