Vegan Diets For Seniors: Pros And Cons

Vegan diets are becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. Research shows that they may help support the immune system, lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, and improve overall health. However, it's important to consider the specific nutritional needs of older adults when switching to a plant-based diet. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Protein Intake: Older adults require more protein to preserve lean body mass, maintain body function, and support overall health. It is recommended that daily protein intake should be around 1.0-1.2g per kg of body weight for this age group. Plant-based protein sources such as beans, tofu, nuts, and soy alternatives to dairy are excellent ways to meet these requirements.

2. Calcium and Vitamin D: These nutrients are crucial for maintaining bone health, especially as osteoporosis becomes a concern in older adults. Fortified plant-based milk, certain breads, and calcium-rich foods like leafy greens can help meet calcium needs. For vitamin D, sunlight exposure, fortified foods, and supplements are recommended.

3. Vitamin B12: This vitamin is essential for red blood cell production and nervous system health. Older adults may struggle to absorb B12 from food, so supplements or fortified foods like cereals and plant-based milk are advised.

4. Iron Intake: Iron is crucial for red blood cell production, immune function, and cognitive health. Plant sources like leafy greens, seeds, and pulses are great ways to include iron in your diet, and pairing them with vitamin C-rich foods can enhance absorption.

5. Appetite Considerations: As appetite tends to decrease with age, it's important to make every bite count. Include protein in every meal, opt for nourishing drinks like smoothies, and add healthy fats like olive oil to meals to boost calorie intake.

Getting enough protein

Protein is essential for building strong muscles, bones, and skin, especially as we age and begin to lose muscle and bone mass and find it harder to heal from wounds. Older adults need more protein compared to the general adult population to preserve lean body mass, body function, and good health. While most adults only need around 0.75 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, it is recommended that healthy older adults should increase their daily protein intake to 1.0-1.2 g per kilogram of body weight. This is even higher for older adults who are malnourished or have severe illnesses.

To ensure adequate protein intake, it is important to include plant-based proteins in meals and snacks, such as chickpeas, tofu, black-eyed beans, kidney beans, lentils, quinoa, wild rice, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and soy alternatives to milk and yoghurt. Eggs and dairy products are also good sources of protein if included in the diet.

It is recommended that people over the age of 65 aim for a daily protein intake of at least 1 to 1.2 g per kg of body weight. For example, someone weighing 60 kg would require a protein intake of at least 60 to 72 g per day. This is 33-60% extra protein compared to the UK recommendation for younger adults.

Some specific plant-based foods that are rich in protein include:

• Beans
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Tofu
• Soy alternatives to milk and yoghurt
• Peanuts
• Cashew nuts
• Pistachio nuts
• Chia seeds
• Ground linseed
• Hemp seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Buckwheat
• Quinoa
• Wild rice

Calcium and vitamin D

Calcium plays a crucial role in bone, dental, heart, nerve, and blood health. For older adults, it is recommended to consume at least 1 to 1.2g of protein per kg of body weight daily. This amounts to a minimum of 60-72g of protein per day for a 60kg individual, which is 33-60% more than the recommended protein intake for younger adults in the UK.

To meet these requirements, it is important to include good sources of calcium in the diet, such as beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, soy alternatives to milk and yoghurt, and nuts like cashews, pistachios, and peanuts. These foods also provide additional nutrients like fibre, vitamins, and minerals.

For optimal bone health, vitamin D is also necessary. Older adults are advised to get 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily. Vitamin D supports the immune system and helps it function properly. Mushrooms grown in sunlight, fortified spreads, breakfast cereals, and dairy alternatives are good sources of vitamin D for vegans. However, it is challenging to obtain sufficient vitamin D from diet alone, so a supplement of 10 micrograms per day is recommended, especially during winter or for those who don't get enough sunlight exposure.

Getting vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is crucial to our DNA, red blood cell formation, new cell growth, glucose metabolism, and maintaining our nervous system and thinking skills. It is only found in animal-based foods, so vegans must take particular care to consume enough of it.

Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria, not by animals or plants. As we wash the soil off our produce before eating it, we can no longer get B12 from plant foods. This is why vitamin B12 is not reliably found in plant-based diets, and why vegans are at an increased risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency.

However, there are still ways for vegans to ensure they are getting enough vitamin B12. Here are some sources of vitamin B12 that can be found on a vegan diet:

• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a very popular food for people on a vegan diet. It is usually fortified with vitamin B12, and just one tablespoon provides 2.4mcg of vitamin B12, which is 100% of your vitamin B12 intake. It is also a great source of protein, fibre, and other vitamins and minerals.
• Vitamin B12 Fortified Foods: Fortified foods are the most efficient and reliable food sources of vitamin B12. Fortified breakfast cereals, non-dairy milk, and vegan meats are all good sources of vitamin B12.
• Yeast Spreads: Yeast spreads like Marmite and Vegemite contain some vitamin B12, as it occurs naturally during the production process.
• Tempeh: Tempeh is one of the few non-fortified foods found on a vegan diet that provides some vitamin B12. It is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans, and the vitamin B12 is made during the fermentation process.
• Shiitake Mushrooms: Some mushrooms naturally contain vitamin B12, including shiitake mushrooms. Consuming around 50 grams of dried shiitake mushrooms can provide you with your daily vitamin B12 needs.

Even with these sources of vitamin B12, vegans are still at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency, so it is recommended that they take supplements.

To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should either eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms of B12, take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms, or take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

Eating iron-rich foods

Iron is a vital nutrient for many bodily functions. It is used to make haemoglobin in red blood cells, which carry oxygen in the blood, and myoglobin, which stores oxygen in muscle cells. Iron is also part of many important enzymes, which are substances that speed up chemical reactions.

Iron deficiency can cause low energy, breathlessness, headaches, irritability, dizziness, or anaemia. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for males and females varies depending on age and sex, but is around 8-18mg of iron per day.

Vegan diets can be a healthy choice for many people, but they may not provide older adults with an adequate amount of high-quality protein. This is because plant-based proteins have lower anabolic properties, which may compromise muscle mass and strength.

However, there are still many plant-based sources of iron, including:

Legumes

Lentils, beans, and peas are great sources of iron. The pulses with the highest iron content are:

• Lentils: 6.6mg per cooked cup (82% of RDA)
• Chickpeas: 4.3mg per cooked cup (53% of RDA)
• Navy beans: 4.3mg per cooked cup (53% of RDA)
• Kidney beans: 4.5mg per cooked cup (56% of RDA)
• Black-eyed peas: 4.7mg per cooked cup (58% of RDA)

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are another good source of iron. The following varieties contain the highest amounts:

• Pumpkin seeds: 11.4mg per cup dried (140% of RDA)
• Sesame seeds: 9.6mg per cup whole (120% of RDA)
• Cashews: 7.8mg per cup whole (97% of RDA)
• Chia seeds: 7.5mg per cup dried (93% of RDA)
• Sunflower seeds: 6mg per ounce (37% of RDA)
• Tahini: 1.3mg per 2 tablespoons (16% of RDA)

Vegetables

Vegetables often have higher iron content than meats and eggs, though non-heme iron is less easily absorbed. Cooking vegetables increases their iron content, and consuming them with vitamin C-rich foods can help maximise absorption. Vegetables with the most iron include:

• Spinach: 6.6mg per cooked cup (82% of RDA)
• Potatoes: 2.7mg per large unpeeled potato (33% of RDA)
• Sweet potatoes: 2.2mg per large peeled sweet potato (27% of RDA)
• Broccoli: 1.9mg per cup cooked (23% of RDA)
• Tomatoes: 2.4mg per cup canned (30% of RDA)

Fruits

Fruits are not commonly thought of as a good source of iron, but some contain surprisingly high levels. These include:

• Mulberries: 8.5mg per cup raw (100% of RDA)
• Prunes: 2.9mg per cup (36% of RDA)
• Olives: 2.6mg per cup (32% of RDA)

Whole Grains

Whole grains typically contain more iron than refined grains, though most refined grain products are fortified with iron. The following whole grains have the most iron:

• Quinoa: 2.8mg per cup cooked (35% of RDA)
• Oats: 1.2mg per cup cooked (15% of RDA)
• Spelt: 3.7mg per 100g flour (46% of RDA)
• Long-grain brown rice: 5.2mg per cup cooked (65% of RDA)

Other Foods

Some foods that don't fit into the above categories also contain significant amounts of iron. These include:

• Canned coconut milk: 7.5mg per cup (93% of RDA)
• Molasses: 3.4mg per ounce (42% of RDA)
• Dark chocolate: 3.4mg per ounce (42% of RDA)
• Thyme: 1.2mg per teaspoon dried (15% of RDA)

Making every bite count

As we age, our bodies require fewer calories, but we need to maintain a good-quality diet with extra protein and plenty of fibre, vitamins and minerals. This means that it is even more important to make nutritious choices.

Eat Enough Protein

Protein helps to maintain muscle mass and bone strength. Older adults need more protein compared to the general adult population to preserve lean body mass, body function and good health. While most adults only need around 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day, it’s recommended that healthy older adults should increase their daily protein intake to 1.0-1.2g per kilogram of body weight.

To ensure adequate protein intake, make sure meals and snacks contain plant-based proteins, such as:

• Beans
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Tofu
• Soya alternatives to milk and yoghurt
• Nuts and seeds
• Nut butters

Include Calcium and Vitamin D

Calcium and vitamin D play an important role in maintaining good bone health, which is extremely important in older age as osteoporosis and associated fractures are a major cause of bone-related diseases and mortality in older adults.

Women past menopause and men over 55 should have 1200mg of calcium per day. Calcium-fortified soya milk and almond milk, calcium-fortified cereals, pitta bread, chapatti and white bread are all good non-dairy sources of calcium.

Older adults are recommended to get 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily. Vitamin D is important for bone health and supporting the immune system. Mushrooms grown in sunlight, fortified spreads, breakfast cereals, and dairy alternatives are all good sources of vitamin D. However, it is hard to get vitamin D from diet alone, so a supplement of 10mcg a day is recommended.

Get Your Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for making red blood cells, keeping the nervous system healthy, and providing energy. Older adults need 1.5 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day, and many are at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 can’t be found in most plants, nuts, and seeds. Fortified breakfast cereals, yeast extracts, soya yoghurts, and non-dairy milks are some plant-based sources of vitamin B12. People may also consider taking a vitamin B12 supplement.

Eat Iron-Rich Foods

Low iron intake can be an issue for those who don’t have a varied diet, especially for men aged 65 and over living in residential care homes and women over 85.

Iron is essential for making red blood cells, physical performance, wound healing, supporting the immune system, cognitive development and function, and thyroid metabolism. Older adults need 8.7mg of iron a day. Plant sources of iron include wholegrains, green leafy vegetables, seeds, pulses and dried fruits.

Make Every Bite Count

Some people find their appetite decreases as they get older. Reduced appetite can contribute to unintentional weight loss and nutritional deficiencies. It’s therefore important to find ways to get adequate nutrition in every meal. Here are some tips:

• Include protein in each meal
• Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day
• Include plant-based milks in tea, coffee or smoothies
• Add oils to your favourite meals
• Mix plant creams or vegan cheese into mashed potatoes, soups and stews
• Add nut butters to bread, dairy-free yoghurt and smoothies

Frequently asked questions