Vegan Practically

Whether you’re a “superfood” skeptic or a “superfood” believer, the best thing about superfoods is that the majority of them are vegan. On this ranking of 21 superfoods from Outside Magazine, 19 of them are vegan. As a personal aside, 13 of them are in my kitchen right now (14 if you count whole oranges, of which I have sufficient number to make orange juice even though I likely won’t). There’s a lot of overlap here too on this list of 15 superfoods from Everyday Health.

At the top of the Outside Magazine list are blueberries. Almost all the lists include broccoli, citrus fruits, apples, legumes, sweet potatoes, dark chocolate, and nuts. You’ll sometimes see turmeric, chia seeds, coffee, and green tea. Whole grains, leafy greens, and olive oil show up quite a bit. So does salmon, for the omega 3 fatty acids. But salmon is to be avoided for other reasons, whether farmed or wild-caught. If farmed, picture factory farming in water. Farmed salmon have a good chance of being toxic, raised in ways that are harmful to the environment and a threat to wild salmon. If wild-caught, they’re an endangered species. Best to get omega-3s from flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, or brussels sprouts.

The Harvard Health Blog reminds us that superfoods aren’t the be-all end-all, but they do “offer some very important nutrients that can power-pack your meals and snacks, and further enhance a healthy eating pattern.”

I’ve noticed in my research of late that a frequent criticism of veganism is that eating a plant-based diet leads to malnutrition. Personally, I think there are stronger reasons besides nutrition to eat a plant-based diet. But that is not because such a diet is unhealthy or incomplete. Whether you do or do not eat a plant-based diet, covering all the nutritional bases that you need to cover takes some knowledge and planning. It’s not as if people who include animal products necessarily are eating in a healthy way. And it’s not as if people who avoid animal products are necessarily eating in a healthy way. We’ve all heard of the “junk food vegan.” But that doesn’t have to be the case.

I have been vegan since 2011 and my pantry, refrigerator and fruit bowl are filled with healthy whole foods, even superfoods. I informed myself early on what was needed for good vegan nutrition, and it has easily fallen into place. You can’t go wrong with the plant-based “superfoods.”

If you are thinking about trying to pursue a vegan lifestyle (great goal for 2024!), it’s perfectly normal to feel unsure of where to start. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the nutritionally excellent “superfoods,” the vast majority of which are vegan, and consulting one of the many guides for beginners that you can find on the internet, such as this one from Forks over Knives. It’s easy to eat delicious and nutritionally sound foods when you’re vegan, and being vegan will nudge you towards these foods with less effort than if you built your meals around animal products.

Call them what you will, “superfoods” are good for you.

Bon appétit!