Sample Menu
Here’s a day of meals for a vegan on a 1,500-calorie diet, adapted from a sample menu published in the Vegetarian Journal.
Breakfast
Orange-vanilla smoothie
1 slice whole wheat toast with 2 tbsp. almond butter
Lunch
2 whole wheat tortillas with:
1 cup kidney beans
¼ cup avocado
Salsa, chopped tomatoes, and lettuce as desired
Steamed kale with 1 tsp. flax oil
1 cup calcium-fortified soymilk
Dinner
Tofu and snow pea stir-fry
½ cup brown rice
½ cup watermelon cubes
Snack
1 cup calcium-fortified soymilk
¾ cup unsweetened breakfast cereal
Nutrition
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of a day’s meals on a typical 2,000-calorie vegan diet, alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Because this diet is highly individualized, your actual intake will vary. Diet figures come from a committee’s report advising the government on its 2010 Dietary Guidelines. They show one way to eat a healthful vegan diet.
| Vegan Diet | Recommended | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 2,000 | Women | Men |
|
21-25: 2,000 26-50: 1,800 51+: 1,600 |
21-40: 2,400 41-60: 2,200 61+: 2,000 |
||
| Total Fat | 33% | 20%-35% | |
| Saturated | 6.8% | Less than 10% | |
| Trans | 0% | N/A | |
| Total Carbohydrates | 57% | 45%-65% | |
|
Sugars (total except as noted) |
N/A | N/A | |
| Fiber | 43 g. | Women | Men |
|
19-30: 28 g. 31-50: 25 g. 51+: 22 g. |
19-30: 34 g. 31-50: 31 g. 51+: 28 g. |
||
| Protein | 13% | 10%-35% | |
| Sodium | 1,224 mg. | Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+ | |
| Potassium | 3,645 mg. | At least 4,700 mg. | |
| Calcium | 1,338 mg. |
19-50: 1,000 mg. 51+: 1,200 mg. |
|
| Vitamin B-12 | 8.1 mcg. | 2.4 mcg. | |
| Vitamin D | 7.9 mcg. | 15 mcg. | |
Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms. Because of rounding, protein, fat, and carbohydrate content may not add up to 100 percent.