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How do I get maximum benefit from a vegan diet?

• Eat a varied diet including plenty of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables.
• Avoid highly processed foods, especially hydrogenated fats (check the 'nutritional advice' on the side of the pack).
• Make sure you have a reliable source of vitamin B12, which means including fortified foods or supplements in your daily routine.
• People may try to tell you that you need the fatty acids found in fish to stay healthy, but the omega-3 fatty acids that you need are also found in flax seed, hemp seed, rapeseed oil and walnuts.
• A Brazil nut a day is a good source of selenium, a nutrient that is often neglected.
• Iodine is important for healthy thyroid function (glands in your neck that produce hormones). There isn't much iodine in British soil, so it is added to cattle feed to increase levels in meat and milk - vegans can obtain it from certain seaweeds, such as kelp (kombu).
• When your skin has enough sunlight, your body can create vitamin D, but in winter and when sun exposure is limited dietary sources are necessary - add a food that has been fortified with vitamin D2 (eg some soya milks, margarines, breakfast cereals, some yeast extracts or a supplement).