What do you know about vitamins and minerals?
Vitamins
A sensible, varied
vegetarian diet will provide all the necessary
vitamins and
minerals, as you will see from the following table.
Vitamin A
Most red, green and yellow fruit and
vegetables (especially, carrots, green leafy vegetables, peppers, broccoli), margarine, dried apricots, cheese, butter.
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Dried brewer's yeast, yeast extract, wholegrains, nuts (especially peanuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, pecans), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fortified products such as breakfast cereals.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Yeast extract, dairy products, millet, wholegrains, wholewheat pasta, mushrooms, almonds, leafy green vegetables, fruits, miso, quinoa, fortified products such as breakfast cereals.
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Yeast extract, peanuts, wholegrains, dried brewers yeast, brown rice, fortified products such as breakfast cereals.
Vitamin B6
Wholegrains, bran, nuts, avocados, wheatgerm, yams, brown rice flour, peanut butter, sesame seeds, chick-peas, sunflower seeds, fortified breakfast cereals.
Vitamin B12
Eggs, cheese, milk, fortified products such as yeast extract, textured
vegetable protein, Ribena and breakfast cereals. (This is the one
vitamin which strict vegetarians and vegans have to ensure they are getting adequate amounts.)
Folic acid
Yeast extract,
soya flour, peanuts, raw spinach and cabbage, toasted wheatgerm, asparagus, sunflower seeds, mung beans, soy flour, fortified products such as breakfast cereals.
Vitamin C
Most green, red or orange fruit or vegetables, especially: red and green peppers, blackcurrants, lemon juice, orange juice, kiwi fruit, citrus fruit and juice.
Vitamin D
Sunlight, eggs, cheese, margarine, fortified products.
Vitamin E
Wheatgerm and wheatgerm oil, vegetable oils, margarine, nuts and nut oils, tahini, seeds, avocados, olives, dark green leafy vegetables.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Linseeds (or linseed oil) is an excellent source of this.
Minerals
A sensible, varied vegetarian diet will provide all the necessary vitamins and
minerals, as you will see from the following table.
Calcium
Cheese, milk (including soya milk), eggs, leafy green vegetables (including seaweeds), beans (especially soya beans, baked beans and kidney beans), sesame seeds and tahini, dried fruit, molasses, broccoli, carob powder.
Iron
Dried fruit, wholegrains, pulses, molasses,
soya products including tofu, wheatgerm, parsley, prunes, dates, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, millet, green leafy vegetables, wholemeal bread, fortified breakfast cereals, sesame seeds, quinoa, cocoa.
Magnesium
Nuts (especially almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts), green vegetables, dried fruits (especially prunes), soya beans, bananas, wholegrains, wheatgerm, seeds, pulses, tofu, cheese, wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice.
Zinc
Seeds (especially pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds), cheese, lentils, wholegrains, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, wheatgerm, wheat bran, brewers yeast, pulses, tofu, milk, bean sprouts, oatmeal, brown rice, wholegrain bread and pasta, miso, durum wheat.
