DeAndra Forde Interview

DeAndra Forde, D, is a 22-year-old nutrition major at Drexel University and for as long as she can remember food has been her passion. She has always had a deep love for: cooking, eating, and talking about different kinds of foods. As she grew, so did her relationship with food. As a child, D experienced many various injuries and a big part of her healing process was finding certain foods, to help her have speedy recoveries. She has never been a big meat eater, only poultry and fish, which is a big reason why I wanted to interview her about this topic.

She is currently a senior at Drexel and in the summer will be finishing up her college career. After graduation, she will be taking some time off academically with the hope to pursue a community partnership. In the fall, D plans on moving back to her home state, New York City where she will begin touring for dietetic internship programs.

Q: What are foods rich in protein that are vegan?

A: Lentils, quinoa, seitan, tempeh, beans and legumes.

Q: Are those who eat a vegan diet missing core vitamins and minerals? Should they be supplementing?

A: A multivitamin is good for everyone, and it isn’t just vegans that are at risk for not getting essential vitamins and minerals. However, vitamin b12 is mostly naturally found in animal products, so vegans should make sure to take a vitamin b complex supplement to avoid any missing nutrients. 

Q: How important is B12?

A: really important! Most natural sources of B12 (cobalamin) is found in animal sources meats and dairy, so supplementation is very important. Inadequate amounts of B12 can lead to neuropathy. Vitamins B12 deficiency can be due to inadequate intake and impaired pancreatic of GI function. It can cause pernicious anemia which is also due to lack of intrinsic factor in the body. 

Q: Are those who eat a vegan diet likely to suffer from iron deficiency?

A: Yes and no. It depends on how educated and dedicated the vegan is. You can eat a bag of chips and be vegan, you can eat clean and also be vegan. But it’s about taking the next step to know what plant based foods can come together and make a complete protein. Many meat eaters even suffer from iron deficiency. Iron deficiency isn’t just about eating meat. 

Q: Is too much soy a health concern? 

A: There were studies in the past that related a high consumption of soy to lead or trigger breast cancer. That is not the case anymore so I don’t believe there are any health concerns with soy specifically. Although, soy products tend to be high in sodium, so I would be careful about how much soy is consumed in that sense. 

Q: How much is too much processed foods? 

A: The least amount of processed foods you consume the better, and that is for omnivores to vegans alike. Processed foods, you never really know what you’re getting. There are so many additives to keep products “fresh”, whether the product is organic or not. IF you can keep your packaged foods to a minimum the better, and which packaged foods makes a difference as well. Although stores like Trader Joe’s makes great ready made dinners, those have a lot of sodium, so taking the time to make some of those dinners yourself, could make all the difference, and you can control the ingredients, for example adding more veggies and less sauce. 

Q: Should a woman who is pregnant and vegan add something to her diet for the safety of the baby?

A: Women vegan or not, while pregnant should be getting a lot of folate, once they are of child bearing age. Thankfully, folate is found in a lot of plant sources, that should be highly consumed in a vegan individual’s diet. Folate/folic acid supplementation may also be needed, but she should speak with her physician to have a blood test done to see here RBC levels. It is important to have enough folate in the system prior to pregnancy to avoid birth defects like spina bifida, neurological disorders, etc. 

Q: Are there skin benefits that come with a vegan diet?

A: There have not been any RCT (randomized clinical trials) that highly support that. But having a clean healthy diet over all will eliminate the amount of impurities in your body, thus aiding in your skin complexion/ condition as well as other attributes. 

Q: Is there one magic food that people should at least eat once a day?

A: ABSOLUTELY NOT. I personally hate the term super foods, it is a marketing ploy. If you eat tons of products with matcha but still have a crap diet, that matcha isn’t going to be doing too much for you. Again, sorry I sound so repetitive, but changing and enhancing your over all diet is what will make all the difference. 

Q: Out of all the dairy-free milks, is there one that is the better for you?

A: There isn’t one that is best for you, but there is one that is not that great for you, and that is coconut milk. Coconut milk like the oil was labeled a super food (honestly is was America finally getting on the band wagon of what so many other countries and cultures knew forever, but don’t even get me started on that lol). Coconut products oil and milk are high in fat! For almond milk almost 95% of the calories comes from fat. When you drink almond milk, you should essentially not have any more fat consumed for the day, but how realistic is that. If you are going to use almond milk, I would dilute it with another dairy free milk like oat milk (water is good too, but the taste is bleh).