A healthy vegetarian or vegan diet needs to be balanced.
For a healthy non – meat diet, it is recommended to have 4 food groups in your diet.
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Grains
- Protein
Vegetables – at least 4 servings
Eating a variety of colourful veggies will make sure you have enough nutrients in your body. It is recommended to eat four servings a day. One serving is about 1/2 cup of cooked, 1 cup raw, or 1/2 cup vegetable juice every day.
Fruits – at least 2 servings
Most fruits are a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants. You should eat about 2 servings. One serving would be like a 1 cup sliced, 1/4 cup dried, or 1/2 cup juice.
Grains – about 4 – 6 servings
Most whole grains provide vitamin B, fibre, minerals, protein, and antioxidants. You should eat about 4 – 6 servings but this can vary with how active you are and if you feel like you need more or less grains. A serving would be like a slice of bread, 1/2 cup cooked grains, or 1 ounce cereal.
Protein – about 4 servings
Proteins can be legumes, nuts, and seeds if you are partaking in a vegan diet or if you are a vegetarian you could add egg yolks and whites. Some examples of legumes are soybeans, garbanzo beans, alfalfa, and peas but there are a lot of other legumes. A serving is about 1/2 cup cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu or tempeh, 1 cup soymilk, or 2 T nut or seed butter.
