Vegan nutrition requires more attention than most diets. Without any animal products, you need to be intentional about protein combining, B12, iron, and omega-3s. Calorix's AI understands plant-based eating and helps you track the nutrients that matter most.
What is a vegan diet?
A vegan diet excludes all animal products: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and often honey. It relies entirely on plant-based foods—vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Modern vegan eating also includes a growing range of plant-based alternatives for milk, cheese, yogurt, and meat.
When properly planned, vegan diets offer significant health benefits including lower cholesterol, reduced blood pressure, and decreased risk of certain cancers. The challenge lies in the "properly planned" part—certain nutrients require conscious effort to obtain from plants alone.
How Calorix adapts to vegan meals
Setting your diet to vegan in Calorix triggers several AI behavior changes. The nutrition coach only suggests plant-based meals and recipes. It actively monitors your protein intake across the day and flags when incomplete amino acid profiles might be an issue. Suggestions include complementary protein pairings like rice and beans or hummus and pita.
Photo recognition handles vegan meals with high accuracy—the AI distinguishes between oat milk and dairy milk lattes, identifies tempeh versus tofu, and correctly estimates calories for plant-based meat alternatives that can vary wildly between brands.
Typical macro targets for vegans
Vegan macro distributions tend to be higher in carbohydrates due to the reliance on grains and legumes. Hitting protein targets requires deliberate food choices:
- Protein: 15–25% of calories — combine legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, nuts, and seeds to reach 0.8–1.2g per kg body weight
- Carbohydrates: 45–60% of calories — whole grains, legumes, fruits, and starchy vegetables form the energy base
- Fat: 25–35% of calories — nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, and plant oils provide essential fatty acids
Calorix tracks complete amino acid coverage across your daily meals and suggests adjustments when certain amino acids are underrepresented.
Example meals the AI recognizes
The AI handles a wide range of vegan dishes from simple to complex:
- Overnight oats with almond milk, banana, and chia seeds
- Buddha bowl with quinoa, chickpeas, roasted sweet potato, and tahini
- Vegan pad Thai with tofu and peanuts
- Black bean and avocado burrito
- Lentil soup with crusty sourdough
- Plant-based burger with sweet potato fries
- Smoothie bowl with acai, granola, and mixed berries
- Jackfruit tacos with mango salsa
Tips for tracking vegan meals with AI
Vegan calorie tracking has unique challenges. Here's how to get the most accurate results:
- Name your milk alternative. Oat milk has twice the calories of almond milk. Always specify which plant milk you're using when logging coffee or cereal
- Track protein at every meal. Unlike omnivore diets where protein usually takes care of itself, vegans need to actively plan protein into each meal. Calorix shows your running protein total
- Mention brand names for meat alternatives. A Beyond Burger and a homemade black bean burger have very different nutrition profiles. Be specific when logging
- Don't overlook healthy fats. Nut butters, avocado, and seeds are nutritious but calorie-dense. A tablespoon of peanut butter is about 95 calories
- Ask the coach about nutrient gaps. Calorix can identify when you might be low on B12, iron, or omega-3s and suggest food sources to help