Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta: Bursting with Basil

Fibre

Fibre comes in two forms: soluble (dissolves in water) and insoluble. It benefits the gut microbiome by nourishing beneficial bacteria and can help keep our bowels moving.

Building up to the recommended daily amount of 30-40g from a standard western diet should be achieved slowly as current diets fall incredibly short. In addition, many nutritionists and health professionals challenge this RDA as, historically, we consumed closer to 60-70g and beyond.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential, water-soluble vitamin and powerful antioxidant found in most plants we eat as a species.

Also known as L-ascorbic acid, the vitamin promotes the absorption of the specific type of iron found in plants (non-heme iron).

The absolute minimum recommendation for vitamin C intake is around 100mg daily. However, a broad, plant-based diet should far exceed this amount.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an essential fat-soluble vitamin beneficial for the upkeep of the immune system, heart health, lung health, embryo development and improved low-light vision.

Vitamin A is found in carrots and explains the association with improved sight in the dark associated with eating them.

The recommended daily amount of vitamin A is 700-900mcg RAE. A broad plant-based diet should meet these requirements.

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that we utilise to build structures in the body, like strong bones and teeth. In addition, it helps nerves, muscles, and blood vessels function correctly.

The recommended daily amount of calcium is around 1,000mg for the average adult. Two excellent sources are tofu and spinach.

Iron

Iron is a mineral that our bodies use to make proteins found in our blood associated with delivering oxygen from the lungs to the various organs and muscles in the body.

Iron plays a vital role in our body's energy maintenance and our fundamental ability to move and function.

The recommended daily intake for iron is between 8-18mg, with higher values for women and pregnancy.

Ensure you consume foods rich in vitamin C alongside your iron sources to improve absorption. For the same reason, avoid excessive calcium intake around the same time as iron, as calcium can 'compete' for absorption.

Fat

Fats are vital to our bodies despite the demonisation. However, excess of anything can harm us, and we must consider how certain fats can be more beneficial than others.

Without beneficial fats in the diet, your body cannot absorb and digest specific fat-soluble vitamins.

The body needs essential fatty acids (fats), with the brain relying on the two primary polyunsaturated fats, omega 3 and 6. Omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fat which is associated with reduced inflammation and improved eye health.

The recommended daily amount of fat is between 45-75g.

Calories

Calories are the measure of energy in a meal or ingredient, and despite the attention it gets, this is pretty much all it tells us. It can not definitively predict weight-related outcomes and is by no means the only contributing factor to weight gain/loss.

Successful weight loss plans are never about marginal malnourishment, and the calories in vs calories out model wrongfully encourages this.

The quality of those calories far exceeds the importance of their quantity, and the correct 'quantity' for you is an impossibly in-depth process to calculate accurately.

Protein

Proteins are molecules of varying sizes comprised of a chain of amino acids. The amount of functions, cells, organs and tissues in the body that rely on or are composed of proteins is incomprehensible.

From neurological chemical messengers (think happy hormones) to muscle mass, protein is vital to what we are and do.

Plants contain all nine essential amino acids (those we need but cannot make), and there is no protein outside of a plant-based diet that we need to survive.

Those wishing to gain insane volumes of muscle mass have fuelled misinformation about protein that has resulted in many individuals grossly overconsuming. High volumes, particularly of powdered, concentrated protein, can be detrimental.

The commonly cited RDA for protein is around 50g, and others claim 0.8g/kg/day is more accurate.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are our primary energy source and get their name from the presence of carbon and hydrogen in the molecule. Commonly known as carbs, we measure the quality of a particular carbohydrate in terms of its complexity (how long it takes us to break it down).

Carbs are chains of sugars. Imagine a bunch of sugar molecules holding hands with one another. Complex carbs are much longer chains of sugars that take more effort to break down into an absorbable size.

Simple carbs are absorbed quickly, resulting in much faster blood glucose spikes, which can cause issues. Complex carbs take longer to break down, with the most complex being indigestible to us without help from microbes in our gut. As a result, complex carbs release sugar into the blood much more gradually and over a longer time.

So instead of demonising carbs, we should focus on limiting or avoiding simple carbs like sugar, white carbs and pasta and replacing them with complex carbs like whole grains, brown rice and fibre.

The recommended daily carbohydrate intake for the average adult's diet is around 275g.

Sodium

We commonly consume sodium in the form of salt. Salt is a mineral (like crystals and rocks) mainly composed of sodium chloride. It is naturally present and makes up 3.5% of open ocean water.

Sodium in its elemental form is a metal.

Sodium is an electrically charged electrolyte vital to a host of processes within the body ranging from hydration to neurological function.

According to the British Heart Foundation, 2.5g of sodium or 6g of salt should be the maximum daily intake for the average adult.

Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element essential to our bodies involved in various nerve processes, regulating our heartbeat, maintaining blood pressure, and allowing us to move. Additionally, it is required for our bodies to make proteins.

The recommended daily intake of potassium for the average adult is 3,000mg. For reference, one apple contains 238.6 mg.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that helps your body regulate chemical reactions, transport potassium and calcium, develop bones, manufacture antioxidants, and regulate heart rhythm and muscle function.

The average recommended daily intake for magnesium is around 400mg, and you can achieve over a quarter of this with an ounce of chia seeds (156mg).

Sugar

Sugar is energy for our bodies. We turn most of our food into a form of sugar called glucose to fuel the various processes in the body. However, naturally present sugars in our foods are far less concerning than the ultra-processed white powder we often refer to as sugar.

While sugars can cause harmful blood glucose spikes, it is far more of an issue with the manufactured, powdered form as it is highly concentrated and does not come into the body alongside plant compounds as intended.

Many plant compounds counterbalance the risks associated with sugars. For example, longer-release carbs found in plants will offset the effects of a blood sugar slump when the source of that sugar is not concentrated and is from the whole food.

The recommended daily limit for sugar is 30g. However, your outcomes would not be ideal if you achieved this amount daily with simple sugars (like white sugar). If you at 30g of sugar daily in the form of strawberries, you will also eat vitamins, longer-release sugars and beneficial compounds, which can reduce the risks.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral found in lentils, pumpkin seeds and oats that benefits immunity, helps our body build proteins and DNA, and supports healthy growth and development during pregnancy.

The recommended daily intake for zinc is between 9 and 10mg.