Plant-based eating glossary
The words of vegetarian and vegan eating, defined plainly, with the guides that go deeper.
- Allergen
- A food that can trigger an allergy or intolerance. The European Union requires fourteen of them on labels, including gluten, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame.
- → Seitan
- Complete protein
- A protein that provides all nine essential amino acids in sufficient amounts. Soy and quinoa are; legumes and grains complete each other over the day.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Essential amino acids→ Plant protein→ Tofu
- Dietary fibre
- The part of plants we don't digest: whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables. A meat-free plate often holds much more of it.
- → Legumes→ Satiety
- Essential amino acids
- The nine protein building blocks the body can't make and must get from food, such as lysine and methionine.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Complete protein
- Flexitarian(semi-vegetarian)
- Someone who eats mostly vegetarian and cuts down on meat without excluding it. There's no official threshold: it's a direction more than a diet.
- → Vegetarian→ Pescetarian
- Heme iron
- The form of iron found in meat and fish. Eggs, dairy and plants contain none.
- → Non-heme iron
- Legumes(pulses)
- Lentils, chickpeas, beans, split peas, broad beans, soy: the seeds of the pea family. High in protein and fibre, they are the base of a meat-free plate.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Plant protein→ Dietary fibre
- Non-heme iron
- The form of iron in plants, eggs and dairy. It is absorbed less well than heme iron; vitamin C in the same meal (citrus, peppers) improves absorption, tea and coffee reduce it.
- → Heme iron→ Legumes
- Omega-3
- A family of fatty acids the body doesn't make enough of. Plant sources include rapeseed (canola) and flaxseed oils and walnuts; oily fish is the animal source.
- → Pescetarian
- Pescetarian
- A diet without meat but with fish and seafood. It's often the first step for people quitting meat.
- → Vegetarian→ Flexitarian→ Omega-3
- Plant protein
- Protein that comes from plants: legumes, soy, grains, nuts and seeds. Varied over the day, they cover an adult's needs.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Complete protein→ Legumes→ Tofu
- Protein digestibility(PDCAAS)
- How much of a protein the body actually absorbs, adjusted for its essential amino acid content. The PDCAAS score rates it from 0 to 1; soy is close to animal protein.
- → Complete protein
- Satiety
- The feeling of no longer being hungry after a meal, and how long it lasts. Protein and fibre extend it.
- → Dietary fibre→ Plant protein
- Seitan(wheat gluten)
- Wheat gluten cooked into an elastic dough. Its texture recalls meat and it is among the highest-protein plant foods; it isn't suitable for people avoiding gluten.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Tempeh→ Plant protein
- Tempeh
- Whole soybeans fermented into a cake, from Indonesia. Firmer and higher in protein than tofu (about 18 to 20 g per 100 g), with a nutty taste.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Tofu→ Seitan
- Textured soy protein(TVP)
- Defatted soy flour dried into granules or chunks. Rehydrated, it replaces minced meat in a chili, a bolognese or a cottage pie.
- → Tofu→ Plant protein
- Tofu
- Soy milk curd pressed into a block. Firm tofu has about 12 to 15 g of protein per 100 g; silken tofu is softer and has less.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Tempeh→ Complete protein
- Vegan
- A diet with no animal products at all: no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or honey. Veganism often extends the choice beyond food (leather, cosmetics…).
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Vegetarian→ Plant protein→ Vitamin B12
- Vegetarian(lacto-ovo vegetarian)
- A diet without meat or fish, which usually keeps eggs and dairy.
- → Vegan→ Pescetarian→ Flexitarian
- Vitamin B12(cobalamin)
- A vitamin made by bacteria and found in animal products. Plant foods don't provide it reliably: vegans rely on fortified foods or a supplement, on a health professional's advice.
- Plant protein: how much you need and where to find it→ Vegan
Less meat, at your own pace
Veegee helps with challenges from one week to ten years, an impact counter and 229 vegan, vegetarian and pescetarian recipes. Free on iPhone.
Android: beta on request, from the home page.