Following on from our Vegan Savvy webinar, we’ve pulled together a list of top resources on vegan diets and how to make them healthy. We’d love to hear if you find them useful – please comment in the box below and let us know your thoughts.

Factsheets and PDFs

Plant based diets (reviewed 2020), British Dietetic Association (BDA). An overview of the nutritional considerations when following a plant-based diet

Plant-based diets (2019), British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). An overview of the nutritional considerations when following a plant-based diet

Nutrition for Older Vegetarians and Vegans (2020), Vegetarian for Life. A useful BDA-endorsed publication, ideal for care home and hospital caterers which answers frequently asked questions concerning older vegetarians and vegans. Can be downloaded as PDF or hard copies can be ordered.

One Blue Dot (2020), BDA. A toolkit of information, graphics, tools and links relating to environmentally sustainable diets

Vegan Hacks (2021), Quorn Nutrition. A guide including lots of vegan hacks to help people following a vegan diet

Plant Food Sources of Protein for Optimum Health, Muscle Status and Sustainability – the Evidence and the Practice (2017), Vanessa Clarkson, RD, RNutr. A four-page fact sheet discussing plant-based protein, commissioned by the science and nutrition team at Alpro

The Role of Plant-based Drinks in the British and Irish Diet (2018), Vanessa Clarkson, RD, RNutr. An eight-page factsheet focusing on the role of plant-based drinks in the diet, commissioned by the science and nutrition team at Alpro

Plant-based eating for children: nutrition considerations (2020), Vanessa Clarkson RD, RNutr; edited by Kate Roberts, MSc RD, specialist dietitian in paediatrics and allergy. A 12-page factsheet into the nutritional considerations for plant-based eating in children, commissioned by the science and nutrition team at Alpro

Vegan diets and the Ultimate Cholesterol Lowering Plan© (UCLP©) (2020) An overview of the Ultimate Cholesterol Lowering Plan© (UCLP©) in relation to vegan diets, commissioned by the science and nutrition team at Alpro

BOOKS

Vegan Savvy (2021), Azmina Govindji, RD. A book written by a UK RD giving a comprehensive guide to nutrition on a vegan diet, with emphasis on the unique concept of ‘nutrient bridges’.

Vegan for Life (2020 Revised Edition), Jack Norris, RD and Virginia Messina, RD. A comprehensive overview of the vegan diet.

Vegan for Her (2013), Virginia Messina RD. An excellent guide for vegan women throughout different stages in life.

Never Too Late to Go Vegan (2014), Virginia Messina, RD, Carol Adams and Patti Breitman. A guide to adopting and thriving on a plant-based diet for the over 50s.

Protest Kitchen (2018), Virginia Messina, RD and Carol Adams. Guide to food and lifestyle choices with over 50 vegan recipes.

The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book (2011), Reed Mangels, RD. This book focuses on how to eat well on a vegan diet whilst pregnant.

The Vegan Society Resources

Vegan Eatwell Guide (2020) A visual representation of what constitutes a healthy balanced vegan diet. This is an adaptation of the government’s ‘Eatwell Guide’

Vegan and Thriving Campaign (2019-ongoing) A campaign with healthy vegan recipes and tips, new recipes have recently been added for Veganuary 2021

Perfect Pairing Campaign (2021 – part of the Vegan Society Thriving Campaign) Promoting tasty nutritious vegan breakfasts for those new to being Vegan during Veganuary 2021

Catering for Everyone (2021-ongoing) Resources for information relating to vegan diets in a range of settings, including hospitals and schools

VEG 1 Vegan Supplement (2021-ongoing) Find out frequently asked questions about the supplement developed by The Vegan Society

VeGuide App An app developed by The Vegan Society to help guide people through becoming vegan

Other Useful Websites

Vegan Health Website for a range of evidence-based recommendations from US Dietitians Reed Mangels, Virginia Messina, Jack Norris and Taylor Wolfram

The Alpro Foundation Website with advice and information relating to plant-based sustainable eating.

Virginia Messina, RD Leading vegan RD in the United States

MyNutriWeb webinars linked to vegan diets

Vegan diets, person centred practice (2020) Heather Russell, RD from The Vegan Society, talks us through the practical aspects of a vegan diet

Nutritional adequacy of plant-based diets for children (2020) Vanessa Clarkson, RD, RNutr discusses the dietary considerations for children following a plant-based diet

The truth about soya (2020) Dr Mark Messina dispels many of the myths and facts around consumption of soya in the diet

Social Media – Instagram & Twitter

@MyNutriWeb Our own Instagram & Twitter handle, where you can keep up to date with the latest events

@vegan_kids_dietitian (Instagram) & @vegan_kids_rd (Twitter) Specialist RD in paediatrics and allergy, and expert in plant-based diets

@AzminaNutrition Azmina’s Instagram and Twitter handle, where she shares tips for plant-based eating

@theoriginalvegansociety (Instagram) and @TheVeganSociety (Twitter): The Vegan Society’s official accounts

@Alpro Alpro’s Instagram & Twitter handle, with resources focused on plant-based eating

@BDA_sustainablediets The Instagram and Twitter handle for the specialist group of the British Dietetic Association

@Herbiheather Twitter account for Heather Russell, RD from The Vegan Society

@ginnymessina (Instagram) @TheVeganRD (Twitter) Virginia Messina, RD

Sharing Perfect Pairings vegan breakfast recipes on Instagram: @plantpowerdoctor (Dr Gemma Newman), @dieteticallyspeaking (Maeve Hanan, RD), @sophieshealthykitchen (Sophie Bertrand, RNutr), @essentially.emma (Emma Hanton, MSc aNutr), @therunnerbeans (Charlie Watson, RD)

RDUK Twitter Chats

Vegan Diets (2021) A recorded chat, supported by the BDA, between dietitians and other health professionals talking all things vegan diets using the hashtags #rduk and #vegandiets

Blogs

15 nutritious vegan meals for kids and how to make them balanced (2021) Practical advice written by freelance RD Sarah Buschell

How to have a heart healthy Veganuary (2021), HEART UK. Blog post with tips on how to eat well following a vegan diet

Vegans and Bone Fractures: New Findings and Best Practices for Keeping Bones Strong (2020), Virginia Messina, RD. Addressing findings into vegans and bone fracture risk

Getting Vegan Savvy for Veganuary (2021), MyNutriWeb. Our guide into eating well during Veganuary 2021

Vegan Diets (2019), Dietetically Speaking. Blog post by Maeve Hanan, RD giving an overview into vegan diets

Should I Be Vegan? (2020), Dietitian’s Life Louise Robertson, RD Discussing vegan diets with some tips and recipes

Nutritional Guidelines & Research

Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for zinc (2015), EFSA. Advice on zinc requirements for those eating a higher phytate diet.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Is Prevalent Among Czech Vegans Who Do Not Use Vitamin B12 Supplements (2019), Selinger et al. Study looking into the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in vegans.

Comparison of Nutritional Quality of the Vegan, Vegetarian, Semi-Vegetarian, Pesco-Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diet, (2014), Clarys et al. Study looking the nutritional quality of various diets including vegan diets.

Iodine status of consumers of milk-alternative drinks v. cows’ milk: data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, (2020) Evidence that consumers of plant milks have risk of iodine deficiency.

All websites accessed 22/01/2021