The Few Vegan Nutrition Basics Genuinely Worth Getting Right
Eating a whole-food plant-based way is one of the kindest things you can do for your body. Big, fibre-rich plates that fill you up, food that's gentle on you, and a way of eating that helps the weight settle without any starving or sad little portions. I'm a huge believer in it, as you know by now.
But I'd be doing you a disservice if I pretended there was nothing to think about at all. There's a handful of little bits, and I do mean a handful, that are worth getting right. Not because plant-based eating is somehow lacking, but because these few things make sure you're properly nourished as well as lighter, which is the whole point. None of it is complicated, none of it is expensive, and once it's a habit you barely notice you're doing it.
B12 is the one that isn't optional
Let's start with the non-negotiable, because it's the most important. A B12 supplement, taken regularly, is something every plant-based eater wants to be on. This one really isn't a maybe.
B12 isn't reliably found in plant foods, so it's not about willpower or eating "better," it's simply a gap that a little supplement fills beautifully. Pop it somewhere you'll see it, by the kettle or next to your toothbrush, and tie it to something you already do every day so you don't forget. It's a tiny habit that quietly looks after a great deal, and it's genuinely the one I'd want you to sort first if you only did one thing from this whole post.
A spoonful of ground flax for your omegas
Next on my little list is ground flaxseed, and I adore it because it's so easy. A spoonful most days covers your omega-3s, the lovely fats that plant eaters want to keep an eye on, and it asks almost nothing of you.
The trick is to buy it ground, or grind it yourself, because whole flaxseeds tend to sail straight through without giving you much. Once it's ground, it's the easiest thing in the world to stir in. I tip a spoonful into my morning oats or porridge, but it disappears just as happily into a smoothie, a bowl of soup, or sprinkled over whatever you're having. You won't taste it, you won't fuss over it, and it's doing a quiet job in the background.
A little iodine, easily done
The third little box to tick is iodine, and a sprinkle of dulse is my favourite way to manage it. Dulse is a soft, savoury seaweed flake, and a small scatter now and then does the job nicely. A little goes a long way here, so there's no need to go overboard, just a modest sprinkle into a soup, a stew, or over a savoury meal.
It's one of those things most people never think about, but it's so easy to cover once it's on your radar. Keep a little pot of it in the cupboard alongside your other seasonings and it becomes second nature.
Variety is what really covers you
Here's the reassuring bit that ties it all together. Beyond those few specifics, the thing that keeps you properly nourished is simply eating a good variety of whole plants across your days. Beans and lentils, tofu and tempeh, a rainbow of veg, potatoes, whole grains, fruit, a few nuts and seeds. When your plates are varied and colourful, the nutrition largely looks after itself.
You don't need to engineer every meal or chase any single nutrient at every sitting. Mix it up across the week, lean into the foods you genuinely enjoy, and let variety do the heavy lifting. Well-fed and well-nourished is the goal, and it's a very achievable one.
Watch
To see what a properly varied, nourishing day actually looks like on the plate, have a watch of this: Watch: A Full, Balanced Day Of Eating. It's a lovely, ordinary day of food that ticks all the boxes without any fuss.
Sort your B12, add your flax, keep a bit of dulse about, and eat plenty of variety. That's truly all there is to it, my love. Well-fed and well-nourished, every single day.