Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [34]
RIBOFLAVIN CONTENT OF PLANT FOODS
Recommended intake is 1.1 micrograms for women and 1.3 micrograms for men.
Food Riboflavin Content (in milligrams)
Breads, cereals, grains
Barley, whole, ½ cup 0.26
Bran flakes, ¾ cup 0.42
Corn flakes, 1 cup 0.74
Pasta, enriched, ½ cup 0.15
Pasta, whole wheat, ½ cup 0.03
Quinoa, ½ cup 0.1
White bread, 1 slice 0.9
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice .06
Vegetables
Asparagus 0.06
Beet greens 0.2
Collard greens 0.10
Mushrooms 0.23
Peas 0.08
Spinach 0.21
Sweet potatoes 0.08
Sea vegetables (½ cup cooked)
Dulse 0.14
Kombu 0.018
Nori 0.47
Wakame 1.64
Fruit
Banana, 1 medium 0.09
Legumes (½ cup cooked)
Kidney beans 0.05
Soybeans 0.24
Split peas 0.06
Soyfoods
Soymilk, 1 cup 0.5 (varies by brand)
Veggie “meats,” 1 ounce 0.17 (varies by brand)
Miscellaneous
Nutritional yeast, Vegetarian Support Formula, 1 tablespoon 4.8
Marmite yeast extract, ½ teaspoon 0.42
POTASSIUM CONTENT OF PLANT FOODS
Recommended intake is 4,700 milligrams.
Food Amount of Potassium (in milligrams)
Legumes
(½ cup cooked)
Black-eyed peas 239
Chickpeas 239
Kidney beans 358
Lentils 365
Lima beans 478
Navy beans 354
Pinto beans 373
Soybeans 443
Split peas 355
Vegetables
(½ cup cooked unless otherwise noted)
Beet greens 654
Beets 259
Plantain 465
Potato 296
Spinach 419
Squash, acorn 322
Sweet potato 475
Swiss chard 480
Tomato juice, 1 cup 556
Tomato sauce, canned 405
V-8 Juice, reduced sodium, 1 cup 1000
Sea vegetables
(½ cup cooked)
Dulse 1023
Kombu 1708
Nori 371
Fruit
Banana, 1 medium 422
Orange juice, 1 cup 443
SELENIUM CONTENT OF PLANT FOODS
Recommended intake is 55 micrograms. These numbers are from USDA and may not apply outside of the United States. People in other countries should check the selenium content of local supplies.
Food Selenium Content (in micrograms)
Breads, cereals, grains
Barley, pearled, ½ cup cooked 6.8
Bran flakes, 1 cup 4.1
Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice 7.2
Grape-Nuts, ½ cup 5.3
Oatmeal, ½ cup cooked 6.3
Pasta, whole-wheat, ½ cup cooked 18.1
Rice, brown, ½ cup cooked 9.6
Legumes and soyfoods (½ cup cooked)
Chickpeas 3
Lima beans 4.2
Pinto beans 5.3
Soybeans 6.3
Tofu, firm 12.5
Nuts and seeds
Brazil nuts, 2 tablespoons 319
MEETING NUTRIENT NEEDS: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
It’s good to know the different sources of individual nutrients and how to meet your needs for each one. But planning a healthy diet by tracking intake of individual nutrients can quickly become overwhelming and confusing. And it’s not necessary for vegans or anyone else to do so. In the next chapter, we’ll provide simple guidelines for planning menus that bring together the information we’ve talked about so far. It’s the Vegan Food Guide—and it makes planning vegan diets a breeze.
Vegan Diets, Minerals, and Hair Loss
Every so often, we hear from women who believe that they have been losing hair since going vegetarian or vegan. While there are no studies of this issue in vegans, there is research on general nutrition factors and hair loss.
Reasons for hair loss vary among individuals, and they are not necessarily related to diet. About one-third of all younger (premenopausal) women experience some hair loss at one time or another (and the vast majority of these women are not vegan). And it is an unavoidable fact of life that hair thins as we age. Women going through menopause may notice a significant thinning of their hair.
Hair loss can be associated with certain medical conditions, including thyroid problems, so if you are convinced that you are losing hair at an unusual rate, it’s important to see a physician. Sometimes a dermatologist can diagnose the problem.
Rapid weight loss can cause an increase in hair loss, and the hair growth should return to normal after the weight loss ceases. Women who become vegan sometimes initially lose weight quickly and this might