Vegan Nutrition with Jill Nussinow, MS, RD

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen.

What is the recommended range for the BUN number? I am a vegan. I had a tumor removed on my ankle after a fracture. The dietitian said my BUN number was 4 at that time (3 weeks ago). She was giving me a hard time with answering me. She said I have to increase my protein intake and that drinking one cup of soy milk a day should do it. I asked her about nut milk she said there is not enough protein in nut milk. I don't understand.

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The recommended range for BUN is 7 to 20. BUN measures how much protein is being cleared through your body. Sometimes when the number is low, it means that you need more protein which is why the dietitian recommended soy milk. She is correct that nut milk has lower amounts of protein but maybe you could drink nut milk and include at least 1/2 cup more of beans or lentils every day, or eat quinoa, which is a high-protein grain. Without knowing what you eat know, it's hard for me to offer suggestions but possibly incorporating more protein in your diet will raise your BUN level. Have your BUN rechecked to be sure that medically everything is OK.

Jill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian, culinary educator, cookbook author, speaker and consultant and all around proponent of a plant-based diet. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking at Santa Rosa Junior College in California and other places around the US. She has a son who is almost 15. One of her greatest joys is sharing her enthusiasm for vegetables and pressure cooking with anyone who will listen. Her cookbook The Veggie Queen: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment and her new DVD, Pressure Cooking: A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes are both available on her website www.theveggiequeen.com.

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Visit Jill's website TheVeggieQueen.com and her blog theveggiequeen.blogspot.com.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.
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