There are all kinds of diets out there to choose from and they all have their ways to keep you living happy and healthy. One of the most popular one is the vegan diet.
In a vegan diet, you structure your food choices around vegetables, fruits, and mainly grains. Although non-meat foods do contain countless vitamins and minerals, just like any other diet, the vegan diet does have some aspects that need to be adjusted to obtain optimum health.
There are vitamins and minerals that the body can’t readily absorb from plants. The lack of these nutrients can lead to serious medical conditions. This doesn’t mean you have to stray away from your vegan diet. Here are 5 nutrients you might be lacking in your diet and ways you can maintain them.
VITAMIN B12
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that plays an important role in developing red blood cells. It also maintains the nerves and proper brain function.
It’s a water soluble nutrient and is exclusively found in animal-based foods. Vegans are very likely to have a deficiency in this nutrient.
ISSUES
Lack of Vitamin B12 can lead to numerous temporary health problems like fatigue, constipation, and anemia. It also has irreversible effects like numbness of hands and feet, lack of balance, dementia, and even blindness.
SOLUTION
To keep yourself nourished in Vitamin B12, you can take specially formulated supplements. If you prefer a more natural option, mushroom caps, soy products, and fortified breakfast cereals are all great options.
CREATINE
Creatine is a nutrient that’s only in animals. It doesn’t need to be consumed since it’s produced by the liver and stored in the brain and muscles.
Creatine’s main function is to give strength and endurance to muscle cells by acting as a source of easily accessible energy.
Researching the amount of creatine in the body, scientists concluded that vegetarians had a very low amount of creatine present in their muscles.
ISSUES
A study of people that were placed on a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet showed a significant decline in creatine levels in their muscles. Low creatine levels tend to lead to a hindrance in a persons’ physical and mental performance.
SOLUTION
Creatine is in meat and animal products so vegans can only get it from supplements.
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is available in both plants and animals but in they aren’t the same types. The one found in animal-based foods is Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and the one in plants it’s Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D3 is more efficiently absorbed in the blood than D2.
ISSUES
A deficiency of Vitamin D in your body can lead to various life threatening conditions such as: osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, depression, and impaired brain function.
SOLUTION
Vitamin D3 is only in animal-based foods so vegans can only obtain it from supplements.
OMEGA-3s
The most important and effective nutrient for brain growth is Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); an essential omega-3 fatty acid.
It’s mainly in fish but can be made from the omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which is found in walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds. The issue is that ALA absorption is an inefficient process and can lead to deficiency.
ISSUES
Lack of DHA in your body will lead to dire effects in your overall brain health and has more harmful effects in pregnant women.
SOLUTION
A proper alternative for vegans is to attain this fatty acid by taking the supplements derived from microaglae.
IRON
Iron comes in two types: heme and non-heme. Heme is in animal-based foods and non-heme in plants.
Heme is easier for you to absorb than non-heme. Additionally, there are chemicals (like phytic acid) in vegetables that inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron.
ISSUES
The lack of iron in your body can lead to anemia and feeling lethargic.
SOLUTION
To combat this, vegans should take a proper amount of non-heme iron supplements. Otherwise, relying on vegetables for iron will lead to health issues.
