I decided therefore to write a few posts on protein, iron and calcium rich foods - three things that vegans get worried (or badgered) about quite often. But first, a recent episode that strengthened my faith in nature's ability to provide us every thing we need, without us having to resort to killing animals.
Soon after my daughter's 1st birthday, the staff of the kinderkrippe (cretch) that Meera goes to expressed concern over whether Meera was getting enough of the basic nutrition needed in her diet - especially given that we were insistent on her being given purely vegan food (she's allergic to milk and yogurt and can only eat very small quantities of cheese once a week or so). They wanted a certificate from a nutritionist that (a) she was getting enough nutrition needed for her healthy growth, and (b) that she was indeed allergic to milk and joghurt.
Honestly speaking, given the number of times I had been told by a vast number of people about how deficient vegan diets are in iron, protein, calcium, etc. etc., I was myself rather concerned (I was brought up vegetarian, but not vegan). We decided therefore to visit an expert nutritionist for a thorough analysis.
The nutritionist gave me a long lecture about how she was almost certain that Meera was not getting enough protein, calcium and iron in her diet. B-12 was also most definitely a problem. So she asked us to write down in absolute detail, down to the last gram, exactly what she ate and how much of it, for three weeks. I was very happy that we'd gotten such a thorough doctor :)
I proceeded to note down with clinical precision what Meera ate, when, and exactly how much. At the end of the 3 weeks, I sent the report to our doc.
We met her the following week and she said that she was extremely impressed. We saw the charts she had made out - Meera was getting way way above the required minimum amount of iron, calcium and protein - even when compared to the diet of non-vegetarians. She was also impressed at the diversity of foods that Meera was getting - all rich is a number of vitamins and minerals essential for the growth of a child. The only thing needed was Vitamin B-12. And our vitamin supplement was taking care of this too. :) She was also amazed that a small child (just over 1 year) was eating such a diversity of things!
Following this episode, I have noticed more and more frequently how amazed people are that Meera happily eats Tofu, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Dates, Almond butter, Buckwheat muffins, Millet balls, Quinoa, all kinds of fresh fruit, cucumber, avocados, whole grain rice and pastas, all varieties of lentils etc. etc. with so much enthusiasm. Needless to say, she is at least as tall and healthy (and sometimes visibly more so) than most kids her age. She is a bundle of joy and energy and displays sensitivity, maturity and intelligence well beyond her years (of course, part of this is a mother's love for her child speaking - but I assure you that many doctors we have visited have said the same).
In the coming weeks, I will write out some recipes and tips for current or aspiring vegetarians and vegans - so that they can go to bed each day feeling confident that their dietary choices are not leading them to long term ill health.
Vegan Banana Bread (Low sugar, high protein, high iron)
About the Key Ingredients:
Sunflower seeds are also an amazing source of Selenium and folate.
Black strap molasses (sold in Germany under the name "Goldsirup aus Zuckerrüben" is another fantastic source of iron. 1 tablespoon contains 25% of the daily requirement of iron.
Almond butter is a great source of both iron and calcium. Three tablespoons of almond butter (as used in this recipe), will give you 12% of the daily requirement of Calcium and 9% of the needed iron. It will also give you 15% of the protein!
Note: The original recipe for this bread (available here) uses only white flour, double the amount of brown sugar, no molasses, and no almonds. With the below modifications, the bread becomes a lot healthier, but remains extremely moist and yummy!
Ingredients
1 cup whole buckwheat flour (I make the flour fresh at home from the whole grain using a small coffee grinder)
1 cup white flour
2 tablespoons powdered sunflower seeds (I used the coffee grinder again for this)
50 g brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons molasses
60 g cooking oil (I suspect you can even get away with using less - try it and let me know!)
3 tablespoons almond butter (I used white almond butter)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder
2.5 teaspoons baking powder (I used Bio Reinweinstein backpulver)
1/3 tsp salt
3 super ripe bananas (the more ripe they are, the better the bread will taste)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Mash the bananas using a fork or potato masher (do not use a blender!). Add the oil, sugar, molasses and almond butter and mix using the potato masher or a wooden spatula till everything is pretty much uniform other than the small lumps of banana. Set aside.
In another vessel, mix all the dry ingredients (other than the sugar) - buckwheat flower, white flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla powder, baking powder, salt and powdered sunflower seeds. Mix well using a dry wooden spatula.
Pour the dry ingredients-mix into the wet mix and mix well using a light hand with a wooden spatula.
Pour the batter into a pre-greased bread form. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover the form well with an aluminum foil and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the form. Serve with warm or cool lemon water :)
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