The Vegan Food Pyramid: reasonable plate composition

We have not included information on supplementation in this guide for the sake of clarity. However, you can find detailed information in The Nutrient and Supplement Guide.

🥗 How to build a healthy meal
(See our simple formulas + graphics below)

• ½ plate vegetables and fruits
  → Colorful and varied, fresh or frozen, raw or cooked
• ¼ plate whole grain products
  → e.g. whole grain rice, whole grain bread, oats, quinoa
• ¼ plate protein-rich foods
  → e.g. tofu, tempeh, seitan, vegan meat made from legume protein (soy, beans, lentils) or other plant proteins, legumes, nuts, seeds

🥤 What you should drink with it

• Water is the best choice;
  → Instead of sugary drinks like soft drinks or fruit juice!
• Amount: An adult man weighing 60 kg should drink about 1.8–2.4 liters of water per day. Add around 0.5 liters extra for every bout of light exercise (e.g. 30–60 minutes).

🍽️ Eat mindfully

• Sit down to eat and take your time. Don’t just “shovel” food into yourself while on the go or scrolling on your phone!
• Eat slowly and chew well, this gives your body time to send fullness signals. That way, you avoid overeating and feel satisfied after your meal 😊

🧂 Salt (Sodium)

Ideally no more than 3.5 grams of table salt per day. That’s not much, especially considering:

• Just 2 slices of bread can contain 1–1.5 g of salt.
• A ready-made meal (e.g. a whole vegan pizza) often contains 2–3 g or more.

Many processed foods have high salt content. Excessive salt consumption can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Especially processed foods like baked goods, ready meals, processed meats, cheese, soups, sauces, and spice blends contribute significantly to sodium intake.

• Tip: Choose unsalted or low-sodium products and avoid highly processed foods that often contain hidden salt.
• Use herbs and spices instead of salt for flavor.

🍟 Ultra-processed foods and “hyperpalatable foods”

Be cautious with the regular consumption of (most) ultra-processed foods, as they often contain high levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Examples include fried foods, sugary breakfast cereals, many ready-made spreads, cookies, cakes, sweets, sugary drinks, and many convenience meals.

Frequent intake of these foods can increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. That’s why we recommend limiting the consumption of these products.

In order for you to reach your nutritional needs effortlessly, we recommend the following easy formulas for a day-to-day guideline:

• 🍞🥣 Breakfast:
  High-fiber carbohydrate source + low-fat protein source + 2 servings of fruit
• 🥦🌾 Main course 1 (Lunch):
  High-fiber carbohydrate source + low-fat protein source + 2 servings of vegetables (of which ⅔ green vegetables + ⅓ colorful vegetables)
• 🥦🌾 Main course 2 (Dinner): ≙ Variation of Lunch
• 🍓🥤 ± Snacks (optional / if necessary):
  Fruits; Vegetables; Proteinshake; ⅓ Portion of a Main-Course-plate
• + 💊 Supplements (See our Guide: Nutrients + Supplements)

A main course plate should ideally consist of

• 50% vegetables, preferably 2/3 green cruciferous vegetables and 1/3 colorful vegetables to cover a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

The remaining 50% of the plate should be evenly divided:

• 25% protein sources like tofu, tempeh, or pea protein to meet protein needs, and
• 25% complex carbohydrates like quinoa, brown rice, potatoes, or whole grain pasta that provide long-lasting energy.

➡️ This structure promotes a healthy nutrient balance and supports a well-rounded vegan diet 💪

If you feel overwhelmed by this theoretical structure of your main meals, here’s some inspiration to get you started:

On her TikTok channel @diemildeveganerin Raffaela regularly cooks whole meals according to these principles 🙂

You can also access the recipes here and, for example, translate them using the Google browser translator.

“Green Vegetables” (CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES + Green Veggies)

These are generally lower in calories and carbohydrates than colorful vegetables. The plant compound chlorophyll, responsible for the green color, offers many health-promoting properties. Especially for vegans, so-called “cruciferous” vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, and bok choy are key sources of calcium and iron!

• Kale
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Chard (Swiss Chard, Rainbow Chard)
• Bok Choy
• Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens

“Colorful vegetables”

Cooked or raw as a snack.

• Bell peppers
• Tomatoes, tomato sauce
• Carrots
• Beets
• Zucchini, Eggplant
• Pumpkin
• Sugar snap peas
• Mushrooms

✅ Whole grains are generally recommended due to their higher fiber, iron, and protein content.

• Oats, spelt flakes/flakes, buckwheat flakes
• Nutrient-rich grains: buckwheat, spelt wheat, millet, quinoa, bulgur, amaranth, barley (pearl barley), whole grain couscous
• Sweet potatoes, potatoes
• Brown rice
• Whole wheat pasta (spaghetti, shells, fusilli)
• Polenta
• Bread (whole wheat, spelt, buckwheat, potato bread, pumpernickel, kamut bread)

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👉 As explained in the Protein Guide, unprocessed legumes can't be clearly categorized as either a protein or a carbohydrate source, because while they contain more protein than most carbs, they also have a significant amount of carbohydrates. So when you eat them, count them as half protein, half carbohydrates.

• Peas
• Chickpeas
• Kidney beans
• Black beans
• White beans
• Pinto beans
• Soybeans (edamame, mukimame)
• Lentils (red, green, yellow, brown)
• Black-eyed peas
• Lupins
• Adzuki beans
• Mung beans
• Fava beans (broad beans)
• Borlotti beans

✅ Berries should be consumed daily due to their powerful antioxidant properties.

• Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
• Kiwi
• Apples
• Pears
• Citrus: orange, lime, lemon
• Plums
• Peach, nectarine
• Grapes
• Watermelon

👉 Ready-made sauces and spreads from the supermarket are often high in sugar and fat, and therefore not recommended.

• Lemon juice, lime juice
• Vinegar, apple cider vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Chili flakes
• Sugar-free ketchup, hot sauce (e.g. Sriracha)
• Nutritional yeast (as parmesan: mix nutritional yeast with ground cashews or almonds, garlic powder and salt)
• Vegan tzatziki: mix soy yogurt with lime or lemon juice, grated cucumber, Italian herbs, salt and garlic
• Basic Curry sauce: sauté onion, garlic and minced ginger, add chopped tomatoes or tomato passata, a splash of oat milk or light coconut milk, season with curry powder, turmeric, and garam masala
• Basic Tomato sauce: sauté onion and garlic, heat with diced tomatoes and tomato passata, season generously with basil, oregano, pepper, and a splash of lemon juice
• Stroganoff sauce: sauté onion and garlic, stir in soy milk and light soy cream, season with a splash of soy sauce and vegetable broth

👉 Be mindful with portion sizes for high-fat toppings, as they can quickly increase your daily calorie intake without you noticing.

• Sesame paste (tahini): Mix 1 tbsp with 2 cans of chickpeas, some lemon juice, garlic, and salt to make a hummus that’s lighter than store-bought versions
• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts): Recommended portion size: ~ 1 tbsp per serving
• Nut butters, e.g. homemade vegan Nutella: 2 tbsp hazelnut butter, 1 tbsp date syrup or agave syrup, 1 tbsp cocoa powder | Serving size for nut butters: approx. 1 tbsp

• ➡️ 👕 Activism clothing
• ➡️ 🏋️ Vegan sportswear
• ➡️ ✊ Vegan stickers

👉 You can find all of our merch here and all of our English Gear here.