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Step 1
Enjoy a wide variety of foods. If you're only going to follow one step, make it this one; eating a wide variety of foods goes a long way toward ensuring that if one food is not adequately meeting your nutritional needs its shortcomings will be covered by the others.
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Step 2
Take in lots of protein in the form of soy, legumes, meat substitutes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
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Step 3
Maintain adequate calcium intake for healthy bones and teeth. Dark leafy greens like kale, broccoli and spinach are usually good sources of calcium; other vegan options for calcium include supplements or fortified soy products or fruit juices.
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Step 4
Get adequate vitamin B-12 in your diet; B-12 is crucial for the creation of red blood cells and comes almost exclusively from animal products or by-products, so eliminating these from the diet may lead to anemia. Vegans can take in B-12 from fortified soy products, enriched cereals, or taking supplements.
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Step 5
Eat leafy greens, dried peas and beans, lentils and whole-grain products to maintain adequate iron intake, which is also crucial for preventing anemia. Eating foods rich in vitamin C at the same time you eat iron rich foods help your body to absorb the iron. Examples of foods rich in vitamin C include broccoli, citrus fruits, tomatoes and cabbage.
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Step 6
Continue eating whole grains as a good source of zinc as well. This mineral is crucial for enzymes, cell division and the formation of proteins.
