Keen on becoming a vegan but worried how your body will cope? Dr Naras Lapsys, consultant and accredited practising dietitian, answers some commonly asked questions about the vegan diet.

Q Is a vegan diet healthier than a meat-based diet?

A A vegan diet can be healthy, but it needs to be a well-planned plant-based diet. You could be a vegan and still not be eating healthily at all, such as eating foods that are high in sugar and salt, or low in nutrition.

The key is to adopt a diet made up of predominantly unprocessed whole plant foods.

Q If I don't eat meat, where do I get protein?

A Most people who eat a meat-based diet are getting proteins not only from meat but from other plant foods as well.

There is an abundance of plant-based protein options, such as beans, chickpeas, edamame, soy, nuts and seeds. Even carbohydrates such as whole grain rye, wheat and barley, in their unprocessed forms, contain a reasonable amount of protein.

Q What about vitamin B12 which is found only in meat?

A You can get a vitamin B12 supplement made from nutritional yeast. Most packaged food is also supplemented with B12.

Q Will I tire more easily if I cut meat out of my diet?

A Meat is mainly protein and some fats. The protein part of meat does not provide a lot of fuel; our body tends to use carbohydrates as fuel. Thinking of meat as your source of energy is not exactly correct.

However, meat contains iron which is linked to our energy levels. So you could be experiencing a drop in energy due to a lack of iron.

To keep from being deficient in iron, include iron-rich plant sources in your diet: beans, tofu, tempeh, sunflower seeds, seaweed and cashew nuts are all good sources of iron.

To ensure that iron from plant-based foods is well absorbed by the body, high-iron foods should be eaten with foods rich in vitamin C, such as leafy greens, citrus fruits or tomatoes.

Q I'm an athlete. What should I look out for as a vegan?

A A vegan athlete will need to eat plant-based foods that are higher in caloric content.

When people transition to a plant-based diet, they tend to eat whole plant foods with lots of vegetables. Because these foods are high in fibre, they feel full and satisfied faster even though they are consuming fewer calories.

Depending on the sport, vegan athletes might need to consume more brown rice, quinoa, whole grain bread and sweet potatoes to increase their calorie intake.