Important Nutrients for Vegan Health

It's always get as a vegan to audit your diet once in a while to make sure you're getting the proper nutrition.  Even vegans can succumb to the lures of junk food, especially with so many new food products on the market.  It's definitely happened to me before.  However, with a well balance plant-based diet, you can get almost all of the nutrients you need except for B12.

This article provides a nice summary of five key nutrients needed and how to get them including protein, omega-3s, calcium, iron, and vitamin B12.  Lately my source for B12 has been nutritional yeast blended into a morning smoothie.  In the past, it has come from fortified soy-milk.

My protein requirement comes from tofu, lentils, black beans, quinoa, and mushrooms.  I also eat plenty of nuts such as pistachios and almonds.  For omega-3s, I add oils to my smoothies such as flaxseed oil and hemp oil and I also put in chia seeds which I buy in bulk from the supermarket.  I get iron from a variety of foods but a lot from lentils and leafy greens.  Lastly, my calcium comes from fortified tofu, leafy greens, and coconut milk.

It's important to eat a wide variety of plant-based foods since they will all contribute in some way to a balanced and healthy body.