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The Vegetarian/Vegan Diet
- Special Protein & Vitamin requirements

Plant-based foods are lower in protein than animal foods.
They also lack one or more essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein, vital for maintaining the structure and health of every cell and tissue - muscle, internal organs, skin, hair, nails.
To get enough protein from a vegetarian diet, it is important to eat the right combination of plant-based protein foods. This is not so important if you eat dairy products and eggs since these contain all the essential amino acids in proportions matched to the body’s needs.
However, a vegan diet should achieve protein complementation by combining foods from 2 or more of the following:
- Pulses: beans, lentils
- Grains: bread, pasta, rice, oats, couscous, cereals
 - Nuts & seeds
- Soya or quorn products
At Cinnamon Girl we prepare the following foods to meet these needs:
Wraps filled with hummus
Spicy mixed beans
Vegetable chilli (when available)
Multigrain bread
Seeds used on our salads
Flapjacks
Peanut butter on toast
Organic beans on toast
Vegetable & lentil moussaka (when available)
Breakfast cereals
Special Vitamin requirements
Vitamin B12 is naturally only found in animal products. It is needed for red blood cell production in the bone marrow (red cells contain haemoglobin which transports oxygen round the body), cell division and protein manufacture.
Vegans should include B12 – fortified foods in their diet.
E.g. Breakfast cereals, yeast extract

Vegan diets are often low in calcium, important for healthy bones and teeth and nervous activity.
In the absence of dairy products, calcium can be found in sesame seeds, nuts, spinach, soya products.

Jan Watson, Sports Nutrition advisor.