8 February 2010

Anonymous asked: I'm a freshman in college who switched from being vegetarian to vegan a month ago. My diet includes oatmeal and a piece of fruit in the morning, a large salad (spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and legume proteins like chickpeas, beans, hummus) for lunch, some vegetables and grain for dinner (like brown rice with steamed broccoli and carrots), and fruit/nuts for dessert. I also take a Centrum multivitamin each morning. I am worried that the diet is "too easy"; am I forgetting some important nutrients? Thanks.

I don’t know how many calories you’re consuming, but as long as it’s over 1,200 (or 1,500 if you exercise regularly), this looks like a great diet to me. It seems like you’re incorporating plenty of whole grains, protein, and fiber (from the grain and the produce). To be sure, ask yourself the following:

1) Do I feel satisfied and energized most of the time?

2) Do I get enough variety?

3) Do I consume enough healthy fat?

If the answers to all those questions are “yes,” then I think you’re solid!