Healthy vegetarians are conscious of food choices and vegans even more so.

Protein

Humans need protein for pretty much everything that happens inside, and only some types of plant foods have notable amounts. Anything that’s a seed, botanically speaking, has enough protein to pay attention to. That includes:

• Nuts – there are many kinds
• Legumes – soy beans / edamame, white beans, red beans, black beans, green beans, peas, lentils, garbanzos, etc
• Grains – oats, wheat, rye, barley, corn, rice, millet, sorghum
• Other culinary grains – quinoa, amaranth, teff, buckwheat, etc
• Other culinary seeds – flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, so many kinds

Classic combinations include:

• Beans and rice
• Hummus and tabbouleh or pita bread
• Tofu and wheat or rice
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Any legumes and whole grains actually – these make tasty culinary combinations and will satisfy your persnickety friends about getting a complete protein.

Legumes and grains complement each other to make a complete protein – rice and corn in particular are low in certain amino acids that legumes make up for – not important to combine in one meal but over the course of days it is.

How much? A low-to-medium active adult body needs 50-100 grams of protein a day. Here are a few examples; complete information is at the USDA Food Data Central.

1 serving	Protein
White rice	3 grams
Red or black rice	6 grams
Oats / oatmeal	6 grams
Pasta, refined wheat	6 grams
Legumes (typical)
Edamame / soy beans
Nuts (typical)

Vitamin B12

Human bodies need vitamin B12 for a great variety of things, and no plants have any. The human liver stores a couple years worth of vitamin B12, which is convenient, but after that a person starts having problems, some of which can become irreversible. Protein and vitamin B12 are classic deficiencies to be avoided for vegans.

More information is on Wikipedia > Vitamin B12 or search the web.

My recommendation is take an under-the-tongue dissolving B12 weekly.

Dark leafy vegetables and whole grains

Dark leafy vegetables are a decent source of things that are common in animal products and rare in plant products: iron (especially in red meat), and calcium (especially in milk, cheese, yogurt), both needed for lots of different things.

Whole grains are a decent source of choline, which is common in meat and eggs and rare in plant products. Human bodies make some choline but not enough and depend on food for the rest, which they use for making cell walls, neurotransmitters, and other things. More information is on Wikipedia > Choline or search the web.

My recommendation is eat whole grains and dark leafy vegetables, and take supplements with at least 50% of DV for calcium, iron, and choline.

Fats

Fats provide calories, which can be shy with vegan diets, and some fats provide essential fatty acids. Most people know about essential amino acids, which human bodies rely of food proteins for, but essential fatty acids are overlooked. Why? First of all “fatty acids” sounds terrible, like something nobody wants, and second of all the public health focus on excess calorie consumption deemphasizes the importance of fats.

Human bodies need the fatty acids linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid; the corresponding fats are omega-3 and omega-6. Human bodies use these not for calories but for synthesizing many other molecules they need.

How much? Omega-6 fats are common and if you eat a decent amount of fats or oils, you’ll get enough. Omega-3 fats are rarer and worth seeking out. A low-to-medium active adult needs about 15 grams of linoleic acid and 1.5 grams of alpha-linoleic acid a day. More omega-3, maybe even much more, is beneficial.

More information is at Wikipedia > Essential Fatty Acid or search the web.

My recommendation is use plenty and a variety of vegetable oils, or eat a nice amount of walnuts or use walnut oil for cooking and/or salads.

My personal journey

I’ve been chasing down food reactions for a couple years, and spent multi-month blocks being both carnivorous and vegan. I’ve been dismayed to discover my body reacts badly to plant proteins, seemingly of all types.