Essential Vitamins for Vegetarians and Vegans

Okay my plant based friends - I see you trying to get healthy and live sustainably ✌🏽🌱🙌🏾 but the truth is - you may be missing specific vital nutrients that are critical for optimal health

Let’s back up: I was a vegan for almost a decade of my life. I thought I was the “healthiest vegan I knew,” 😂but that doesn’t mean I was doing it right (ps - more coming on my dietary journey later)

You could be eating the most colorful, nutrient dense diet and STILL be missing out on essential nutrients that are only found / are more bioavailable in animal products. It wasn’t until I had blood work ran that my eyes opened to how much my body was lacking

Here are the supplements that I wish I would have taken when I was a vegan:

B12

•Supports energy levels

•Nourishes the nervous system

•Critical for methylation and metabolism

•low levels may lead to anemia and neurological symptoms

•this vitamin is made by bacteria that live within the soil and are then ingested by animals 🐮 we don’t eat enough dirt to make it ourselves

EPA/DHA

•Your brain is fat!

•Supports a healthy❤️ & healthy triglyceride levels

•Inflammation and cancer fighting

•While these Omega-3 fats are abundant in fish, many companies have made vegan friendly options from ALGAE

VITAMIN D & FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS

•Even if you live in sunny SoCal like me, you are probably deficient in Vitamin D

•Immune health

•Cancer fighting

•Hormone balancing

•Bone support

•Gastrointestinal health

•Prevent heart disease

IRON

•Essential for red blood cell production and oxygen delivery

•Needed to create energy

•Neurotransmitter synthesis

•❗️While there are veggies with iron - it is non-heme iron which is more difficult to absorb than heme iron found in animals

•Low levels may lead to anemia, fatigue and changes in mood

ZINC

•❗️Limited absorption from plants because of their phytate content

•Needed for immune function and cellular growth/repair

•Smell and taste

•low levels may lead to hair loss, decreased immunity & delayed wound healing

🚫NOTE: This is NOT medical advise. I would ALWAYS recommend targeted supplementation based off of a medical evaluation and blood work