AS keen bakers and cake lovers will know, the new series of Bake Off starts tonight. For the first time ever, this series includes a week of vegan baking challenges. Veganism has become much more mainstream recently, with people switching to a vegan lifestyle for several reasons: health, the environment, and animal welfare to name a few.

When done properly, a vegan diet poses no problems for health, but takes just as much effort as any other healthy way of eating, involving careful consideration of what to eat, preparing food from scratch, and including as much variety as possible. Don’t fall into the trap of relying on processed pre-prepared vegan foods; these can be just as high in salt and additives as regular processed junk!

A healthy vegan diet focuses on grains, beans, pulses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and can be amazingly varied.

This variety is key to ensure there is enough protein available. Combining plant proteins such as nuts, seeds, beans, and pulses with grains like brown rice provides a good mixture of amino acids, the tiny building blocks of protein structures in the body such as muscles and certain hormones.

Getting enough vitamin B12 can be problematic for vegans as meat, fish, dairy and eggs are the main sources. Trace amounts of B12 can be found in some fermented soya products and sea vegetables but this isn’t easily utilised by humans. Most vegans rely on fortified plant milks and cereals for their B12 or take a supplement.

Omega-3 oils also need attention. Oily fish contain two types of omega-3 called EPA and DHA which the body uses to make anti-inflammatory compounds, and support brain, skin, and heart health. Both EPA and DHA can be made from the type of omega-3 found in some nuts and seeds but this conversion process requires many other nutrients and a regular supply of plant-based omega-3 oils. Using flax, hemp, chia, or pumpkin seed oils daily is crucial for healthy fat balance.

Lower levels of certain cancers, improved blood pressure, more variety of beneficial gut microbes – these are some of the health benefits highlighted by studies of vegetarian and vegan diets. And what better place to start than with a vegan Bake Off cake.

Sally Duffin is a Registered Nutritionist (MBANT). Find her online at nutritioninyork.co.uk or join the Facebook group Nutrition in York.