There are great vegan sources of most vitamins and all the minerals, but some nutrients are difficult to get enough of.
People eating a standard diet often have too much protein in some meals and not enough in others. We need at least 20% at every meal. Plant-based sources of protein come in many forms: beans and pulses, tofu and tempeh, mushrooms, hemp seeds, spirulina, quinoa and amaranth, oats, grains, seeds and nuts and mycoprotein to name just a few.
While there are plenty of options, the real difficulty comes when trying to fit a range of these protein sources in every meal to provide you with all the amino acids you’ll need.
Protein is tricky but healthy fats are even harder. 15% of our daily food intake should be a healthy fat source. Nuts and seeds, cold pressed oils like olive oil, avocado, coconut and virgin coconut oil – omega 3: flax, chia, avocado, walnuts, nuts and seeds. These are all sources of healthy fats, but they can also be quite expensive and a challenge to accommodate into a daily diet.
All of this means you’ll need to plan your meals a lot more carefully and consider including some high-quality supplements in your diet to boost your nutrient intake.
Vitamin B12 is such an important nutrient that can only be found naturally in meat. It’s essential for healthy red blood cells and maintaining a healthy nervous system. Fortified foods like marmite, alternative milks and nutritional yeast will provide a source of this nutrient.
There isn’t much iodine found in common vegetables. You’ll need iodine in your diet for good thyroid health. By far the best sources are sea-derived vegetables like seaweed, kelp or dulse. You can also try using Celtic sea salt in your everyday cooking.
The theme of this blog has been variety, and that’s the key to a healthy vegan diet. Choosing the same things too often will lead to nutrient depletion.
These are the nutrients you need for a healthy vegan diet. Everyone could do with a bit of extra diet support, not just vegans! Unless you’re eating super clean all the time, we can all feel a bit sluggish and need a bit of extra help. A really good supplement can support your gut to break down food well and get the best nutrition out of it. Try our 100% natural Adapt To You formula, it combines the power of several active herbs in one convenient capsule.