The most common question people ask us about our vegan diet is “What about X, how do you get enough of it?” The “X” is usually protein or iron or some other critical nutrient. Here is a power drink that Aleta and I slam down every morning before we start our day. The shake has all the ingredients I talked about in the “Superfoods for Vegetable Haters” posts. The recipe is below:

• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tbsp chia seed
• 1 tbsp hemp seed
• 2 tbsp flax seed
• 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses

Pour the soy milk and water into a shakable container. Grind all the seeds in a coffee grinder and pour into the cup. Add the molasses last. Seal your container and shake until your arms fall off. Open the container and slam down. It will taste like a sugar/gingerbread cookie.

Below is a comparison of what you just drank to an 8 oz trimmed (1/8 inch) sirloin steak.  All I did in creating this chart was use the facts printed on the nutritional labels of all the food ingredients.  Obviously, this drink does not substitute the satisfaction of gnawing on a juicy steak over a bottle of red wine on a Friday night. Still, the nutrition speaks for itself. The one thing the steak has over the shake is the concentration of protein. Still, the shake gives you 25% before you start your day with 3 meals left and plenty of nutrients to get your brain engaged (think twice about coffee, this is a natural stimulant).

This is my 4th and final installment on really small foods that pack very large punches and avoid you having to eat 50 lbs of salad a day to get nutrition. I have previously talked about chia, flax, and blackstrap molasses. My fourth installment may sound kinda illegal, but it isn’t. Shelled hemp seeds. They can be obtained (legally) at your local health food store. They usually come in the form of a toasted snack or simply raw.

I prefer the raw seeds. They are tiny little guys and very soft. These seeds are considered a complete protein, a source of omega 3/6/9. One tablespoon is loaded with protein and significant nutrients (click on each to see why: vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and maganese). Grind these up in the coffee grinder and mix them in anything: smoothie, peanut butter, cookies, pancakes, etc. I buy Ruth’s Soft Hemp here at the Akins, the local grocer. An 8 oz. bag will run you $11. Much cheaper than the illegal alternative (or at least from what I remember in my college daze).

A common misconception about eating vegan is that you do not get enough iron or protein because vegans don’t eat meat. I have posted about this before (see iron and protein). The bottom line is that there are plenty of iron sources out there in vegan foods. Flax seed is not only a rich source of iron, but also omega-3 (for lowering cholesterol), protein, fiber, and antioxidants (anti-aging). This is one of the power foods I rely on every morning before I head to the gym.

You can buy flax seed at many grocery stores. You can either get whole seeds or ground seeds. If you get whole seeds, you have to grind them as the flax seed shell is to hard to digest and you will simply pass them out. Eating two tablespoons a day will give you about 40% of your iron intake, some calcium, and a good does of protein and fiber. You can safely throw it in anything. Mix it in your morning smoothie, peanut butter, oatmeal, brownies, etc. You can also use it as an egg or butter substitute in baking recipes.

Many people here in middle America don’t even know what the word “vegan” means. Once I explain, they say “Oh, you eat a lot of salads and want to save the animals”. For some, this is true. For us, neither of these are true. The idea of eating salad around the clock is enough to make me contemplate heading to the Siberian goulags for a better meal. Our children would also be emotionally scarred and melt down at their first school birthday party at the sight of pizza. “Does not compute. Does not compute. Does not compute.”

If you have picky eating children or a “salads are for sissys” kinda husband, I want to introduce you to a bunch of superfoods you can sneak into just about anything. I would have never come across these foods had I not started eating vegan. The reason why I stumbled upon these foods is because I started studying how to get a daily balanced nutrition without animal products and without having to gorge myself on raw broccoli (yeah baby). What I found is that you can get a whole lot of your protein, fiber, carbs, and vitamins from a couple very small sources. These food pack vegetable power in 1 teaspoon doses. For those of you who want to balance out your nutrition (vegan or not), you can incorporate these throughout your day and boost your nutrition by 50%.

The first food is closely related to your Chia pet from the 80’s. “Cha-Cha-Cha-Chia Pet!” Remember? Well, you can eat part of your Chia pet. I am not suggesting that you buy one, bust it with a hammer, and stir it in a soup. Specifically, I want to talk about the chia  seeds that you spread all over a Chia pet. Chia seeds are the first power food I want to discuss. These seeds have ancient roots and were known as an energy, strength, and endurance food for the Aztec indians.

Chia seeds pack 8x more omega-3 than salmon and 30% more antioxidants than blueberries. A tablespoon serving has 17% of your fiber intake, 5% of your protein, and around 10% of your different mineral requirements. It’s completeness in nutrition makes it a great morning energy booster. This is what you do: the tiny seeds can can be ground into a fine powder (your coffee grinder) and put in just about anything as they have little to no taste. Put it in a morning smoothie. Drop the powder into your pancake mix. Mix it with some peanut butter and spread it on your toast. Stir it in a glass of water or OJ.

You can pickup white chia seeds (Salba seeds) from http://www.salba.org OR you can just head to Whole Foods or a decent health food store and pick up a bottle. A decent sized bottle will run you between $15 – $25. And if you get bored with them, you can always rub them on a piece of clay and try to grow a Jerry Garcia head.

A couple of our non-vegan friends and family are deeply concerned about our vegan diet and whether we will get enough vitamins and minerals. There are thousands of articles on vegans and diets. A simple google search will provide for you hours of reading. The bottom line is that there are 3 nutrients that vegans have to watch out for: iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.

* Disclaimer – I am no expert at nutrition, just trying to understand what I am reading. My comments are not authoritative.

Iron is found abundantly in meat products and referred to as heme-iron as opposed to iron. The only difference is the absorption in our bodies. The heme-iron can absorb better. There are a wealth of plant foods that contain iron. Like I said, you can google all day long and read about it. I would like to tell you a hidden gem I have found: flax seed.

I started taking flax seed years ago for its cholesterol fighting benefits. It is extremely rich in omega-3’s and has a respectable amount of fiber in it. I noticed it also has quite a wallop of iron! Like to the tune of 70% of your daily intake per serving. A serving is considered 1/4 cup.

So, how do I get 1/4 cup into my body a day?

For starters, this is what I have learned about flax seed. They are tiny seeds that hold up quite well in seed form. The problem is that your body can’t digest them like this. You need to ground them. The moment you grind them (nice nutty tasting powder), they are extremely perishable. So, you either grind them per serving or by them ground and keep them in the fridge with little exposure to air and room temperature.

I start in the morning with a cup of vanilla soy milk, two tablespoons (half a serving) of ground flax seed, and two tablespoons of psyllium husk (another cholesterol fighter). I shake it up good and slam it down. It has a vanilla nutty flavor.

From there, we make smoothies for the whole family (have been for years). We throw in whatever we have: apples, bananas, peaches, and a handful of frozen fruits. I throw an additional two tablespoons of flax into the shakes. The benefit of this is that vitamin C helps your body absorb iron. If my calculations are correct, I have already taken in 80% of my iron intake before 8 AM.

As for the rest of the day, I will throw ground flax in everything I can. The kids don’t have a clue in most of it. As for the rest of my iron intake, the following chart gives you an idea of how many foods have iron in themt. We eat at least 3 – 5 of these a day.