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It has become popular to cut down on meat with meat-free days and some go further and decide to live either vegetarian or vegan. Vegan and vegetarian diets have i.a. significance for the climate impact of the diet. Vegan diet recipes generally provide the greatest reduction in the climate footprint, followed by vegetarian diets and plant-rich diets with less meat and dairy products.

Studies have also found that vegetarian diets are associated with a reduced risk of some types of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity, as well as certain types of cancer. These are the same health benefits you get when you follow the official Dietary Guidelines. This is due to the similarities between the two ways of eating, namely i.a. lots of whole grains and lots of vegetables and fruits.

Only vegan nutrition for infants and toddlers (under 2 years of age) can not be recommended, as it can be very difficult to meet the child’s nutritional needs in the first years of life with this diet. Read more about vegan nutrition for infants and toddlers in the section “Vegetarian and vegan diet for children under 2 years”.

What is the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan diet?

What is a vegetarian diet?

A vegetarian diet consists of plant foods (fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, etc.) with or without the addition of dairy products and / or eggs. A vegetarian is a collective term for people who eat like that. Thus, they have in common that they do not eat any kind of meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or by-products from the slaughter of animals.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet consists of plant foods (fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, etc.). Vegans do not eat any meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or by-products from slaughter, nor do they eat milk, eggs, cheese, honey and the like. In addition, vegans try as much as possible to avoid other products from animals such as. leather, fur, wool, and products tested on animals, etc.

Advice for vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy products

When eating vegetarian with eggs and dairy products, you can follow these tips:

• Follow the official Dietary Guidelines and turn up legumes, eggs, seeds, protein-rich dairy products and cheese
• Use oils and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids

The advice applies to children from 2 years as well as adults.

Follow the official Dietary Guidelines and turn up legumes, eggs, seeds, protein-rich dairy products and cheese

When eating vegetarian with eggs and dairy products, you can follow the official Dietary Guidelines. And you can screw up legumes, eggs, seeds, protein-rich dairy products and cheese, to cover your need for nutrients e.g. protein.

The official Dietary Guidelines – Good for Health and Climate – read:

• Eat plant-rich, varied and not too much
• Eat more vegetables and fruits
• Eat less meat – choose legumes and fish
• Eat whole grain foods
• Choose vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products
• Eat less of the sweet, salty and fatty
• Quench your thirst in water

When you turn up the legumes, eggs, seeds, protein-rich dairy products and cheese, the specific amounts can look like this:

Adults:

• 125 g of legumes per day.
• 3 tbsp. seeds a day (including seeds from bread). Remember to vary between different seeds and hold again with flax seeds and sunflower seeds.
• 250 ml skim milk and dairy products and 30 g skim cheese a day (1½ slice) or 400 ml skim milk or milk product a day if you do not eat cheese. Vary with lean protein-rich dairy products such as skyr and ylette a few times a week.
• 7 eggs a week.

The above amounts apply to prepared food for an adult with a diet of 10 MJ.

Adults 65+:

• 150 g of legumes a day.
• 2 tbsp. seeds a day (including seeds from bread). Remember to vary between different seeds and hold again with flax seeds and sunflower seeds.
• 300 ml skim milk and dairy products and 30 g skim cheese a day (1½ slice) or 450 ml skim milk or dairy products a day if you do not eat cheese. Vary with lean protein-rich dairy products such as skyr and ylette several times a week.
• 7 eggs a week.

The above amounts apply to prepared food for an adult over the age of 65 with a diet of 8.9 MJ.

Children 2-5 years:

• 50 g of legumes a day.
• 1-2 tbsp. seeds a day. Remember to vary between different seeds and hold again with flax seeds and sunflower seeds.
• 250 ml of skim milk and dairy products and ½-1 slice of cheese a day (or a little grated cheese) or 330 ml of skim milk or dairy products a day if your child does not eat cheese.
• 3-4 eggs a week.

The above amounts apply to prepared food for a child of 2-5 years with a diet of 5.3 MJ.

It is also good to choose sourdough-leavened bread or use sourdough leavening or grains that have been soaked when you bake bread yourself. Yeast leavening and soaking of grains can help promote the availability of iron, zinc and calcium and thus make the minerals easier to absorb and the body can thus make better use of these.

Use oils and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids

When not eating fish, eat more of the vegetable oils, nuts and seeds that contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Good choices are e.g. rapeseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil, walnuts and chia seeds. If you eat flaxseed oil, you should eat only small amounts.

It is important to vary between different plant oils. It is good to let about half of the oils you use be rapeseed oil. It helps cover your need for omega-3 fatty acids.

Advice for vegans and vegetarians who eat only a few eggs and dairy products

Eat varied within the plant kingdom

It requires great knowledge and insight to put together a vegan diet that covers the need for nutrients e.g. vitamins, minerals and protein. You can advantageously start with a varied diet that includes the following:

• Vegetables, including dark green, red and orange
• Fruits
• Legumes and soy products, e.g. tofu
• Potatoes, breads and cereals, e.g. groats, rice and pasta. Choose primarily whole grain products. It is also good to choose sourdough-leavened bread or use sourdough leavening or grains that have been soaked when you bake bread yourself. Yeast leavening and soaking of grains can help promote the availability of iron, zinc and calcium and thus make the minerals easier to absorb and utilize for the body.
• Seeds and nuts. Select e.g. sesame seeds, pine nuts and pumpkin seeds. Bread can be a good source of seeds. Remember to vary between different seeds. Good choices in nuts can be e.g. walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and peanuts. Varies between different kinds. When eating Brazil nuts and pistachios, you should eat only small amounts. Hold again with roasted almonds.
• Vegetable oils and foods containing the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Good choices are e.g. rapeseed oil, walnut oil, soybean oil, walnuts and chia seeds. If you eat flaxseed oil, you should eat only small amounts. It is important to vary between different plant oils. It is good to let about half of the oils you use be rapeseed oil. It helps cover your need for omega-3 fatty acids. Read more about omega-3 fatty acids.
• Calcium-enriched plant drinks, e.g. calcium-enriched soy drink or calcium-enriched oat drink
• If possibly: a little bit of eggs and dairy products

In addition, follow the dietary advice ‘Quench your thirst in water’ and ‘Save on the sweet, salty and fatty’.

Here you can see an example of what varied vegan food for a woman aged 31-60 can look like (normal weight with a medium activity level). Remember to follow the advice given by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on dietary supplements.

Here are the various vitamins and minerals in the foods

When you need to put together your food, it may be relevant to know where you can get the various vitamins and minerals from. Find information below about the vitamins and minerals that you need to pay special attention to.

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is found in dairy products and eggs. If you are vegan, you must, among other things. take a supplement of vitamin B12. The same supplement may be relevant if you only eat a little dairy and eggs.

Vitamin D
The sun is the main source of vitamin D. Vitamin D is formed in the skin during the summer months when the skin is hit by the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UVB). During the winter months (from October to April), the sun’s radiation in Denmark is not strong enough to form vitamin D in the skin, and you thus consume the vitamin D stock that is formed in the summer.

Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, such as. salmon, herring and mackerel. In addition, vitamin D is found in limited amounts in milk, cheese and eggs, and largely not in plants. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration recommends that you take a daily supplement of 10 µg of vitamin D during the winter (from October to April). Read more about vitamin D.

Calcium
Calcium (lime) is found in dairy products as well as in calcium-enriched plant drinks, eg calcium-enriched soy drink or calcium-enriched oat drink. It is easiest to get enough calcium if you eat these foods. However, calcium is also found in e.g. spinach and almonds. If you are in doubt about whether your need for calcium will be covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
Riboflavin is found in e.g. green beans, spinach, mushrooms and avocado. If you are in doubt about whether your need for riboflavin will be covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Iodine
Iodine is found in e.g. seaweed and bread. There are special seaweed species you need to stop eating. Nori seaweed, which is usually used for sushi, can be included in a varied diet. Read more about iodine in foods. If you are in doubt about whether your need for iodine is covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Selenium
Selenium is found in e.g. Brazil nuts, lentils, millet and bread. Brazil nuts have a very high content of selenium, and you can therefore get selenium from Brazil nuts. However, Brazil nuts can also have a high content of the fungal toxins aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are substances that are carcinogenic and genotoxic. This means that they can damage the hereditary systems. Therefore, you should not eat too many Brazil nuts. Read more about aflatoxins.

Iron
Iron is found in e.g. eggs, spinach, almonds, pasta, rye bread, oatmeal and beans. Vitamin C, which is found in fruits and vegetables, helps increase the body’s absorption of iron. If you are in doubt about whether your need for iron will be covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Vitamin A
Vitamin A is found in e.g. dairy products, eggs and in vegetables such as carrots and kale. If you are in doubt about whether your need for vitamin A is covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Zinc
Zinc is found in e.g. dairy products, eggs, oatmeal, almonds, rye bread, lentils and beans. If you are in doubt about whether your need for zinc will be covered, you can choose to take a dietary supplement.

Take the recommended supplements if you are vegan

Take a dietary supplement if you are vegan. The same supplements may also be relevant for you who eat only a few eggs and dairy products.

You can also choose to take a supplement of iodine, selenium, iron, calcium, vitamin A, riboflavin (also called vitamin B2) and zinc if you are in doubt about meeting your needs for these vitamins and minerals.

You can choose to buy the various supplements individually or take a multivitamin tablet. A multivitamin tablet will typically be able to cover your need for all vitamins and minerals. However, there are many different multivitamin tablets, so it is a good idea to look at whether the dietary supplement you choose contains the vitamins and minerals that you want to take a supplement from. You can see on the label what the product contains.

Dietary supplements can never replace a healthy and varied diet because a healthy and varied diet contributes many more important substances than just vitamins and minerals. However, when you exclude whole food groups from your diet, in some cases it is necessary to take a dietary supplement.