Nutrition Revisited

I know it has been a while since I have posted about my nutrition journey. Part of this reason was that  I had no idea what I was getting into and part of it was because I am a busy mom and had to set it aside for a while. But since I am changing the way I view food and losing weight I thought I should bring the subject to the forefront of my life again. 

When I began this journey I wasn't looking for diets or pills or anything like that. I was looking for what nutrients, vitamins, and minerals my body needs, how much of those things it needed, and where I could get them from. I found a lot of information online, but my main source of information actually came from the USDA food guidelines. I was quite surprised actually that I found such (what I consider) honest information. I thought that there would be a lot of weight given to foods that come from sources with government ties such as the meat and dairy industry. I was surprised when I was reading through the many pages of the food guidelines that there was no leading information telling me that I must eat meat and dairy or else I was going to deprive my body of nutrients it needs. I was also surprised to read the words 'nutrient dense' over and over in the food guidelines and how much it was trying deter people from eating processed foods.  I was even more surprised to find dietary guidelines for both vegetarians and vegans. 

Because I am trying to lose weight I have chosen to eat around 1800 calories a day. Based on this number this is the minimum amount of nutrients in order to be at optimum health.

Protein - 46 g

Carbohydrates - 130 g

Fiber - 25 g

Fats - 40 - 70 g

Minerals

Calcium - 1000 mg

Iron - 18 mg

Magnesium - 320 mg

Phosphorus - 700 mg

Potassium - 4700 mg

Sodium - <2300 mg

Zinc - 8 mg

Copper - 900 mcg

Selenium - 55 mcg

Vitamins

A - 700 mcg

D - 15 mcg

E - 15 mg

C - 75 mg

Thiamin - 1.1 mg

Riboflavin - 1.1 mg

Niacin - 14 mg

Folate - 400 mcg

B6 - 13 mg

B12 - 2.4 mcg

Choline - 425 mg

K - 90 mcg

So how does this translate into a typical day right now for me?

Today I ate the following food:

2 Tbsp Almond Milk

1 Cup Coffee

1 Piece of Ezekial Sprouted Wheat Bread

1 Tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

1 Granny Smith Apple

1 Banana

2 Carrots

1 Cup of Strawberries

1 Package of Frozen Spinach

1 Whole Wheat Bun

1 Shiitake Mushroom Garden Burger 

1/4 Cup of Almonds

(Normally I eat a bit more per day, but I had a busy day with soccer games and was not home for most of the afternoon.)

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Here are the nutrient totals for all of the above items:

Protein - 30 g 

Carbohydrates - 293 g

Fiber - 40 g

Fat - 40 g

Calcium - 450 mg

Iron - 9.36 mg

Magnesium - 12.8 mg

Phosphorus - 0 mg

Potassium - 2328 mg

Sodium - 1227 mg

Zinc - 1.12 mg

Copper - 0 mg

Selenium - 0 mg

Vitamin A - 4039 mg

Vitamin D - 0 mg 

Vitamin E - 6 mg

Vitamin C - 166.5 mg

Thiamin - 0 mg

Riboflavin - 0 mg

Folate - 40 mcg

Niacin - .84 mg

B6 - .52 mg

B12 - 0 mcg

Choline - 0 mg

Vitamin K - 0 mcg

I have a lot of work to do to eat an optimal diet in some areas, but in others today was a good day. I am most likely going to start taking a B -Complex supplement because I cannot ever see myself reaching my daily B vitamin requirement being a vegan. I was surprised when looking over my nutrient intake for today how much protein I ate. Most people question whether vegans get enough protein in their diet since they do not eat meat/milk products and most people would assume that that is where most protein consumption occurs. (I know that I thought this for a while.) The fact is that I will be just fine as I learn (over time) how to eat optimally. I am curious (but will never know) what my dietary nutritional intake looked like on my standard american diet. I definitely feel better since becoming a vegan again. I know that this lifestyle does not work for most people, but it certainly works for me. 

The last thing that I researched was how much of each food group should I be consuming on a daily or weekly basis in order to reach the USDA's guidelines for a vegan. 

Here is what I found (and am going to try my hardest to incorporate into my life) This is based on a diet of 1800 calories per day:

Fruits

 1 1/2 cups/daily

Veggies

2 1/2 cups/daily

(This is broken down even further):

Dark-Green Veggies: 1 1/2 cup/week

Red & Orange Veggies: 5 1/2 cups/week

Beans & Peas (Legumes): 1 1/2 cups/week

Starchy Veggies: 5 cups/week

Other Veggies: 4 c/week

Grains - Whole

6 oz daily

Protein Foods 

5 oz/daily

(Also broken down further)

 Beans & Peas: 12 oz/week

Soy Products: 9 oz/week

Nuts & Seeds: 14 oz/week

Dairy (vegan)

 3 cups/daily

Oils 

16 g /daily

It is going to take me while to build up to eating this way because I am really just learning about nutrition. I know that there are many ways of eating out there, but this is what I feel most comfortable trying to attain. It is going to take me a while to learn which foods will help me to obtain the daily minimum requirements especially in the vitamins and minerals part of my diet. I am confident though that I can get there with a lot of patience, education, and time. 

***Most of this information game from the USDA guidelines and caloriecount.com***