Although the vegan diet contains only plants, and foods made from plants, vegans should be able to get most of the nutrients they need from eating a varied and balanced diet and part of this should include eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day and drinking plenty of fluids; the recommendation is at least six to eight cups/glasses per day.
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Some of the key nutrients that could be missed otherwise are calcium and iron. Non-vegans get most of their calcium, which is needed for strong and healthy bones and teeth, from dairy foods. Iron is a key nutrient and essential for the production of red blood cells. Although iron can be absorbed from plant-based foods it is absorbed by the body less well than iron from meat, so this is an important issue to address to ensure adequate supplies are maintained.
Good sources of iron can come from dried fruit such as prunes, figs and apricots, and Crazy Jack soft fruits for instance are all totally organic and partially re-hydrated with water, so they don't need to be re-soaked and can be enjoyed as a snack straight from the bag or in cooking and baking since the moisture has been locked away into the packs. They also don't contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative used to maintain colour in some fruits, eg apricots. The rehydration of CJ's soft fruit is important as some dried fruit can lead to dehydration because the body has to provide its own water to rehydrate it before it can be digested. This water drain often leads to feelings of sluggishness and fatigue, hence the need to ensure plenty of fluid is always drunk.
Apricots are an excellent source of iron and other nutrients and a handful can provide up to 35% of the body's daily iron intake. Remember a 30g portion of dried fruit counts as one of your five-a-day but most should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce the impact on teeth due to the high sugar content of some dried fruit.
Calcium is the other important nutrient and although it is now added to brown and white flour here in the UK by law, dried fruit is another good source, again apricots, prunes, figs and also raisins. Toss some in your cereal, or on your fruit or green salad, they're so easy to eat! However, something else to remember: the body needs Vitamin D to absorb calcium so this means getting out in the sunshine from April to October (don't forget the sunscreen) or otherwise look for fortified spreads, breakfast cereals and soya drinks which often have added Vitamin D. Alternatively a vitamin supplement may be an option.
So, organic, soft dried fruits are a key element in a vegan diet and the nutrients they supply can also be backed up by pulses, seeds and some nuts… the latter a good supply of omega-3-fatty acids, so important for heart health and do remember to ensure whatever you do eat is low in saturated fat and watch your salt and sugar intake.
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