To Vegan or Not to Vegan?
Lifestyle changes made with intention, built on small foundational steps, and with the guidance of a professional, tend to stay. While many people look at January 1st as the start of a new healthy habit, most will quit by week 3 because they weren’t prepared, didn’t do the work to discover their WHY, and thought that following someone else’s lifestyle instead of doing what was right for themselves, was a good idea. Becoming a vegan, or plant-based, is high up on many people’s lists this year. But, is this the right choice for you?
As a National Board Certified Health & Wellness coach, it is not my position to tell you to eat a specific diet. My role as your partner on your health journey is to support you and help you discover your optimal health equation. That includes sharing resources and information with you that will enhance your health and guide you toward successfully reaching your wellness goals. For my vegan clients, that means bringing awareness to them about vital nutrients that they will be missing from their diet.
Nutrients Missing on a Vegan Diet
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that’s almost exclusively found in animal foods, such as dairy, eggs, meat, and fish. Some plant-based options include tempeh, nori seaweed, shiitake mushrooms, and spirulina. However, vegans will not get enough of this nutrient since these options have trace amounts of B12 and spirulina isn’t in the bio-available form our body requires.
Vitamin B12, also called cobalamin, is one of the 8 B vitamins, water-soluble, and essential for producing red blood cells, maintaining nerve and normal brain function, and supporting DNA synthesis.
Symptoms of a B12 deficiency include:
weakness, fatigue
impaired brain function
neurological disorders
psychiatric disorders
neurological disorders in babies of breastfeeding mothers
megaloblastic anemia
possible links to Alzheimer’s disease
possible links to heart disease
Vitamin B12 boosts energy, reduces anxiety and depression, and curbs sugar cravings. For vegans to get sufficient amounts of vitamin B12, they must supplement or eat food that has been fortified with this nutrient.
Best Food Sources for Vitamin B12
beef liver, sardines, mackerel, lamb, wild-caught salmon,
nutritional yeast (vegan), grass-fed beef, eggs
Creatine is a molecule found in animal foods. It’s a small peptide that’s made up of the amino acids, glycine, arginine, and methionine. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein so you can see why this is very important to our health. Our body makes creatine in our liver, kidneys, and pancreas and most is stored in our muscles and brain. It’s an accessible energy reserve for muscle cells, giving them greater strength and endurance, that’s why you see people taking it as a supplement to bulk up. Studies show that creatine supplements can increase both muscle mass and strength, change body composition, and support brain health.
Vegans looking to increase their creatine intake may supplement with creatine monohydrate, an inexpensive, powdered form that is well tolerated by most people. There is a very specific protocol to follow. I suggest you work with a trained professional.
Creatine benefits include:
improvements in physical performance
stimulates protein synthesis, or muscle growth
improvements in brain function, such as memory
Best Food Sources for Creatine
beef, poultry, fish, eggs, bone broth, organ meats, dairy
Carnosine is an antioxidant that’s concentrated in the muscles and brains of humans and animals. It’s very important for muscle function, and high levels of carnosine in muscles are linked to reduced muscle fatigue and improved performance. Carnosine is only found in animal-based foods. It’s also nonessential since your body can form it from two amino acids: histidine and beta-alanine. Carnosine helps prevent damage that’s caused by too much sugar in the body, such as glucose and fructose, which can bind to proteins. This binding damages the protein and stimulates inflammation in the body and oxidative stress occurs. Oxidative stress leads to faster aging.
Carnosine benefits include:
· may improve insulin resistance and lower glucose levels
· may decrease amyloid beta buildup in the brain, which is the main component of plaque in Alzheimer’s patients
· may support healthy skin
Vegans may need to supplement with beta-alanine.
Best Food Sources for Carnosine
grass-fed, pasture-raised beef is the best resource
Vitamin D3 is an essential nutrient, fat-soluble, and serves many important functions. Our skin can produce vitamin D when it’s exposed to sunlight. However, if your sunlight exposure is limited or you live far from the equator, you must get it from food or supplements. There are two types of dietary vitamin D:
- (D2), found in plants
- (D3), found in animal-based foods
Of the two types, (D3) is the bio-available form and the conversion process from D2 to D3 is not efficient and may leave vegans deficient in D3. The best sources of vitamin D3 are fatty fish and egg yolks. Other sources include supplements, cod liver oil, or enriched foods like milk or cereals.
Vitamin D deficiency may include:
osteoporosis, with an increased risk of fractures in older adults
cancer
hair loss
heart disease
multiple sclerosis
depression
impaired brain function
muscle wasting and reduced strength, especially in older adults
Vitamin D benefits:
· supports calcium absorption in your bones
· supports the immune system
· helps to manage blood glucose levels
· helps to maintain normal blood pressure levels
· helps regulate mood
· supports heart and brain health
Vegans are more at risk of having a deficiency and will most likely need to supplement.
Best Food Sources for Vitamin D
cod liver oil, halibut, mackerel, eel, wild-caught salmon
sardines, pastured eggs, beef liver, raw milk, caviar
vegan options: fortified milk alternatives
DHA, or Docosahexaenoic Acid, is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that’s important for normal brain development and function. A deficiency in DHA can have negative effects on mental health and brain function, especially in children because their brains are still developing. In addition, inadequate DHA intake in pregnant women may adversely affect fetal brain development. In your body, DHA can also be made from the omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which is found in high amounts in flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. However, the conversion of ALA to DHA is very poor, resulting in less than a 10% conversion rate. Vegans can get this important fatty acid by taking supplements in the form of algal oil, which is made from certain microalgae.
DHA benefits include:
reduces cardiovascular disease
hair growth and scalp health
reduce ADHD symptoms
supports eye health
supports brain function
supports blood flow and circulation
helps reduce mood disorders
Best Food Sources for DHA
Cold water fatty fish, fish oil, microalgae (vegan option), grass-fed beef, pasture-raised egg yolks
Heme Iron is a Bottom of Form type of iron found only in meat, especially red meat. It’s much better absorbed by the human body than non-heme iron, which is commonly found in plant foods. Non-heme iron is poorly absorbed and is further limited by anti-nutrients present in plant foods, such as phytic acid, oxalates, and lectins. Vegans are more prone to anemia, or a lack of red blood cells being produced, because of an iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency symptoms:
anemia
fatigue, or chronic low energy
mood swings
poor sleep
weakened nails
poor immune system
headaches
hair loss
Best Foods for Heme Iron
Meat, poultry, fish
Vegans must supplement.
Taurine is a sulfur compound, an essential amino acid, made in the body and found in various body tissues, including your brain, heart, and kidneys, and plays a role in muscle function, bile salt formation, and antioxidant defenses. Taurine is found only in animal-sourced foods, such as fish, seafood, meat, poultry, and dairy products.
Taurine benefits include:
· reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
· reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome
· acts as an antioxidant, therefore, can help fight off free radicals and prevent oxidative stress
Best Foods for Taurine
Beef, poultry, seafood, milk, breast milk
Vegans must supplement.
In summary, deciding to start your health journey as a vegan may not be for you. If it is for you, then be sure to talk with your primary care physician about supplementation, doses, and your long-term health goals. As you can see, many vital nutrients are missing from a vegan, or plant-based, diet that must be incorporated for you to stay healthy and support your overall wellness.
This blog is not to be used as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your physician for any medical issues that you may be having.