It’s often assumed that vegans generally survive off a varied cocktail of supplements and super foods in order to be truly healthy.
True, any form of plant based eating needs a level of awareness to ensure you get everything you need for a balanced diet; but generally this is no different for meat, egg or dairy eaters too!
In fact, some studies have found that whilst vegans may be prone to B12, Calcium and Iodine deficiencies; an average non vegetarian diet is not only deficient in calcium and iodine, but vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, folate, and magnesium as well! So vitamin deficiencies aren’t always just a veggie problem.
That said, when choosing to cut down – or out – animal products for a healthier lifestyle, there are still a few key things worth keeping an eye on; and they really don’t need to involve supplements. In fact, as a lazy (and very forgetful) vegan, I’m terrible at remembering to take supplements at all, and am proof that you can live a healthy vegan lifestyle without popping the pills!
B12
This is an obvious one for most veggies and vegans as it simply doesn’t occur in the plant world like it does in animal products. The highest sources of B12, in fact, are things like shellfish, eggs and Beef livers!
B12 deficiency can cause some pretty nasty side effects such as anaemia, nerve damage, heart disease or pregnancy complications; so it’s really important to get the required 3 micrograms each day.
Though you could pop a supplement every day, I prefer to eat my way to B12 heaven by enjoying these delicious foods:
- Yeast Extract – adding a tablespoon to pasta sources, warm crusty toast, soups or directly into your gob is a delicious way to add flavour to food and stock up on B12!
- Nutritional yeast (the B12 fortified version) – is yummy sprinkled into salads or onto chilli’s and pasta; and can be ground with cashew nuts for a vegan version of parmesan. 1 tablespoon covers your daily allowance too so a great lazy way to get that box ticked!
- Nut and soy milks – these days most of these are boosted with B12 too. So in many ways that morning coffee is kind of healthy….
- Fortified Tofu – yes, yes most people think tofu is a bit weirdy beardy; but it’s so versatile you can make anything from burgers and stir-fry’s, to tiramisu and smoothies.
Calcium
The natural world has so many sources of calcium we really don’t need to consume dairy to get our fix. We need between 1000 and 1200 milligrams of calcium per day and I fill that need quite quickly by munching on a selection of the following:
- Kale (1 cup contains 180 mg)
- Collard Greens(1 cup contains over 350 mg)
- Tempeh (1 cup contains 215 mg)
- Hemp milk (1 cup contains 460 mg)
- Tahini (2 tablespoons contains 130 mg)
- Almond butter (2 tablespoons contains 85 mg)
- Broccoli (1 cup contains 95 mg)
- Raw fennel (1 medium bulb contains 115 mg)
- Black Currants (1 cup contains 62 mg)
- Oranges (1 orange contains between 50 and 60 mg)
- Figs (1/2 cup contains 120 mg)
Iron
While lots of plant based foods contain iron, your body absorbs the iron they supply less efficiently than iron from meat. Consuming foods high in vitamin C, however, increases iron absorption. Beans, Quinoa, Pumpkin seeds, lentils and green vegetables – such as spinach and kale – are all good sources of the approx 1.5 mg iron we need; and can easily be added to most veggie meals.
How do you pack in your vitamins? Do you find it easier to pop a pill or eat your way to health?
Trudi Holden from Lazy Girl Goes Green. Trudi is a green living geek from the craggy Cornish coast of England with a passion for the wilderness, yoga and vegan chocolate. She is the founder of green living blog A Lazy Girl Goes Green; a welcoming space to share easy vegan recipes, green living ideas and fact busting articles to help others live a lazy green lifestyle.
The natural world has so many sources of calcium we really don’t need to consume dairy to get our fix…
