Vegetarian

Vegetarians can get enough protein from their food as long as they are eating a good variety of foods. Vegetarian sources of protein include dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, beans and pulses.

Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products so making sure you are eating, not the meat, but other animal products, is a great way of avoiding deficiency. Vegetarian sources include fortified breakfast cereal, eggs, dairy products and yeast extracts, such as marmite.

In the UK we mostly get Vitamin D from meat, but vegetarian sources include eggs, fortified breakfast cereals and fortified margarine. Please note that the most natural way of boosting your vitamin D intake is through exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is especially important for young children – they may need to take supplements if they’re not consuming enough through their diet – seek advice from your doctor if you’re concerned.

Meat sources of iron are much more bioavailable than non-meat sources, so eating iron rich foods regularly is important for vegetarians. Vegetarian sources of iron include dark-green leafy vegetables, pulses, wholemeal bread and flour, fortified breakfast cereals, soya products, nuts and dried fruit (in particular, dates and apricots). Women need more iron than men, so they need to be aware of the amounts they’re consuming.