There are many people out there who are vegans or wish to become vegan but find it very difficult to get a balanced diet especially if they are in to intense exercise programs or sports.

Below are the most important foods to eat so that you get enough of the correct nutrients including complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, but also remember to drink plenty of fresh tap or mineral water to ensure you are well hydrated as this is very important for vegans as the food they eat can sometimes take a little more time to break down which means more water is used in this process.

Chickpeas (hummus), lentils, navy beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, soybeans, tofu.

Pumpkin seeds, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame tahini, pine nuts, almonds, almonds, pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed, flaxseed.

Almond milk, soya milk, oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk are all great souces of non animal milks which are normally fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

Granola, porridge oats, oat flakes, natural muesli, rice crispies, all bran are all excellent for breakfast to give you a kick start for the day, try adding dried fruit, nuts and seeds to them to bump up your protein and essential fatty acids.

Fresh fruit especially red berries high in anti-oxidants, apples, pears, oranges, peaches, avacados, bananas, figs, prunes, strawberries, kiwi, cranberries, blueberries, fruit juice. Fruits are great for using as smoothies with some protein added to them for a great post workout recovery shake.

Fresh vegetables especially greens like broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, kale, spinach, green beans, peas, sugar snap peas, and others like carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, potatoes,sweet potatoes, tomatoes and butternut squash, remember to have a minimum of 4 to 6 portions of fruit and vegetables a day for a balanced healthy diet.

Herbs and spices to put flavour in to foods especially rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint, garlic, basil, bay leaf, corriander, ginger, paprika, pepper and sage, remember variety is the spice of lifee, the more flavours you use the less chance you will have of getting bored with particular foods.

Brown/wild rice, rye bread, wholegrain bread, wholewheat pasta, gluten free pasta, quinoa are excellent high energy foods for your lunch and dinner

olive oil, flaxeed oil,sesame oil, coconut oil can be used with salads, curries and vegetable stir fries.

Also if you are extremely active doing intense exercise then I would recommend a high quality protein drink containing a mix of pea protein, rice bran protein and soy protein and if you can stomach it hemp protein. A good one on the market is Sci-MX Nutrition Pro-VX a high protein containing all of the above proteins except hemp.

I hope this has been of help to vegans or potential vegans, if you need any more information don't hesitate to contact me through my website.