One of the first things I learned as a vegan and one of the common arguments against veganism is that only eating vegetables doesn’t give you all the nutrients your body needs. The common ones that you miss include vitamin B12, calcium, and zinc.
When I first started veganism, I looked into the health side because I wanted to ensure that it would keep me healthy. What I learned is that while it changes how you get some nutrients, you can still meet your daily nutritional needs. You do need to be more aware because veganism can lead to possible nutrients deficiencies if you're not careful.
Key Takeaways
Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies in Vegans
You will hear people say that a vegan diet lacks nutrients, and that can be true because if you don’t do it right, you may find yourself short of nutrients.
What they don’t say is that even with a traditional Western diet with milk and dairy, 42% of Americans don’t get enough calcium, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. You need to eat a well-balanced diet no matter what foods you eat.
With that in mind, let’s cover some of the most common nutrients that vegans lack. I highlight this information so that you know how to avoid nutrient deficiencies as a vegan.
Some of the most common nutrient deficiencies in vegans include:
Vitamin B12
Signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency include headaches, fatigue, depression, difficulty concentrating, and gastrointestinal issues. Getting vitamin B12 as a vegan can prove difficult because of the lack of reliable sources. You can get it by drinking plant-based milk and through soy products like tofu.
Calcium
You know you have a calcium deficiency when you experience muscle cramps, dental problems, seizures, coarse hair, muscle spasms, or numbness and tingling in the hands.
Our bodies cannot produce our own calcium, so this one matters big time. To get your calcium as a vegan, you have a few good options.
You can eat broccoli, okra, cabbage. You can also get calcium from spinach, beans, and sesame seeds, but they don’t get as well absorbed to meet your daily requirements.
One of the ways to meet this requirement is to remember to eat two calcium-rich foods daily.
Iodine
When iodine deficient, you may experience symptoms like puffy face, depression, slowed heart rate, weight gain, fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold, and elevated cholesterol levels.
To get your iodine, you might consume iodized salt or seaweed like kombu kelp, nori, or wakame. Seaweed, in fact, is one of the best natural sources of iodine as long as you eat the right type.
Iron
Red meats will give you iron, but if vegan, that cuts out your chances of getting your iron from that source. When you have a deficiency, you might experience fatigue, rapid heartbeat, yellow or sallow skin, shortness of breath, or pounding in the ears.
Wholegrain wheat bread proves one of the best sources of iron. You can also get your iron from dried fruits and green, leafy vegetables.
Zinc
Not getting enough zinc can lead to problems like hair loss, reduced sense of smell, diarrhea, loss of appetite, sores on the skin, and wounds that won’t heal. You can get zinc from a couple of different sources like quinoa, tofu, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, and tahini.
Creatine
Finally, the last common nutrient deficiency that we’ll cover here is creatine. Keep in mind, these aren’t the only ones, but it helps to give you an idea.
Many get creatine deficiency because you usually get this nutrient from meats. Much creatine gets stored in your muscles, but even more is stored in the human brain.
Because the liver can produce creatine, you don’t need to worry too much, but it can become an issue with a severe deficiency because you can wind up with seizures or cognitive disorders.
How to Fill in Your Most Common Nutrient Gaps with Supplements
To make sure you fill in your most common nutrient gaps, you may want to visit a healthcare provider for a blood test.
Obviously, you don’t have to, but it can help you spot the weaknesses in your diet, which can be helpful when knowing what supplements to take for vitamins and minerals.
You do face a higher risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies when vegan or vegetarian, so you want to be able to fill in the gaps.
Once you see where you’re deficient, you could try to eat more foods with that nutrient, but in many cases, supplements will prove your best friend.
Supplements will help you correct deficiencies and ensure that you receive what you need daily.
Remember to store them in a dry and cool location away from sunlight and humidity to prevent them from degrading and losing effectiveness.
Why It’s More About Watching “What” You Eat
An estimated 31% of the US population was at risk of at least one vitamin deficiency, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
If you don’t watch what nutrients you put in your body, you could have a deficiency even without being vegan. Many people are nutrient deficient, and they don’t even realize it. Eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is important for everyone from the vegans to the meat-eating population.
FINAL THOUGHTS
To sum it up, veganism isn’t the only diet with the potential for nutrient deficiencies, but it does come with risks due to it being more restrictive. You still need to eat healthy watching your nutrients and veganism is no exception. There are junk foods in veganism that aren't healthy.
Like other diets, it has its weaknesses, but you can beat this by being aware of where the potential deficiencies come in. You can also take a blood test to check your nutrient levels and see where supplements might help.
These nutrient gaps can be addressed so that you will feel your healthiest.
