Nutrition
Can a vegan diet be balanced?
Short answer
Yes — for healthy adults, a well-planned vegan diet can meet nutrient needs, provided you take B12 consistently and look after iodine, vitamin D, calcium, iron and omega-3. In pregnancy, while breastfeeding, in childhood and in older age, more caution and specialist support are needed.
This is the view of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in its 2025 position paper (which covers adults who are not pregnant or breastfeeding) and of the German Nutrition Society, DGE (2024). For pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, teenagers and older adults, DGE makes no recommendation either for or against a vegan diet because the evidence is still limited, and advises support from a dietitian. See the questions on pregnancy and on children for details.
“Well planned” means, day to day: legumes or soy foods, whole grains, nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruit, a calcium-fortified plant drink, iodised salt (in moderation) or an iodine supplement, B12 from a supplement or regularly from fortified foods, and vitamin D – which in Poland is recommended for adults for most of the year.
A diet of fries and cola is not balanced, whatever the “vegan” label says. The problem is not the lack of meat but the lack of a plan.
Sources
- Vegetarian Dietary Patterns for Adults: Position Paper of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (2025)
- The vegan diet — NHS
- Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based diet — British Dietetic Association
- DGE position on plant-based diets (Ernährungs Umschau, 2024)
- Praktyczny przewodnik po diecie roślinnej — NCEŻ PZH (2025)