What to look out for when I want to be vegan?

The vegan diet is still a somewhat controversial topic in today's society. Whether you are a die-hard carnivore, who finds the elimination of animal products from your diet creepy or notor a purely plant-based diet is a daily routine for you, there is one thing that vegetarians and vegans cannot be denied and cannot be doubted. They need to watch their diet composition and know what they are eating! So, in today's article, we will look at 4 important things that every vegan should keep a close eye on.

Vitamins and minerals

One of the biggest pitfalls of a vegan diet is just ensuring optimal intake of certain vitamins and minerals. While for athletes without any dietary restrictions some nutrients can be excessive, for vegans they can be extremely deficient. A great example would be calcium, which is usually found in allin all dairy products (be it yoghurt, kefir, cheese, or otherproducts), in whey protein and in many similar foods, as a vegan you can be at serious risk of deficiency (but of course you don't necessarily have to be). And what nutrients are good to take from my point of view?

1. Vitamin B12

Cobalamin, better known as vitamin B12, is a water-soluble vitamin that ensures proper memory and concentration, as well asIt is also a great prevention of cardiovascular disorders and is commonly used to treat diseases related to the liver or digestive system.

The main and most important sources are clearly animal, especially meat, eggs and dairy products.It is already clear that vegans, who are the focus of our article, will be most at risk of deficiency. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to recommend the right supplement in this case, because this vitamin tends to be inadequate when using tablets. according to many expert sources. is very difficult to absorb from the digestive tract. Personally, I would recommend an injectable form (which your doctor/specialist should be able to administer), a tablet under the tongue, or a spray supplement.

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a liposoluble vitamin that plays an indispensable role in bone mineralisation, muscle contraction and the proper functioning of the immune system. Again, the main sources of this extremely important nutrient are predominantly animalorigin - this time it is mainly fatty fish, eggs, butter and some offal. Those who follow a plant-based diet are therefore particularly at risk of deficiency. Unfortunately, however, vitamin D supplementation also has some complications.

You know for sure that there are two basic forms of vitamin D - cholecalciferol (D3) and ergocalciferol (D2). In fact, most supplements contain cholecalciferol, which has the ability to raise 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.than ergocalciferol, but is produced from animal sources (this is stated, for example, by VeganSociety) and is therefore unsuitable for vegans. You are therefore left with two options - buy vitamin D3 derived from foxesand therefore 100% vegan, or settle for low-quality ergocalciferol, which is derived from yeast.

3. Selenium, iron, iodine and calcium

I decided to combine this group of nutrients into one paragraph, even though they don't really have anything to do with each other. That is, except for one thing - they are not deficient if your diet is sufficiently balanced. A good example is calcium, which I mentioned above.For example, poppy seed milk, kale, broccoli and many other vegetables are great sources of calcium.It is important to keep an eye on the oxalate content of these vegetables, as they interfere with calcium absorption).

There should be no problem in your calcium intake if you are as concerned about your diet as you should be. But if your diet is not very balanced, you should definitely consider a supplement. And the same goes for the other nutrients mentioned here.

Omega 3 unsaturated fatty acids

Although in general Omega 3 fatty acids are divided into two basic types, EPA and DHA, there are basically three. The third is ALA, alpha-lipoic acid, which must first be converted by the body into the aforementioned EPA and DHA before it can be used. Well, the slight problem is that this conversion is very wasteful. Vegetarian and vegan diets are certainly not poor in omega 3, these vitalThese vital acids can be found, for example, in various seeds (hemp, chia, flax, etc.).), but also in coconut oil or mung beans.

It is therefore not necessary to supplement omega 3, but it is more than advisable to focus on their abundance in the diet. In fact, regular intake of these acids improves metabolism, increases the functioning of immune system and insulin resistance, positively influences memory and thinking and much more.

Protein and amino acids

Protein intake for vegetarians and vegans is often debatedm topic, on which experts' opinions vary considerably from time to time. From my point of view, the most important criterion is the balance in protein sources, as these do not always contain the complete amino acid spectrum.A great example of this is soya, which does contain the full spectrum, but some amino acids, namely tryptophan, are are very deficient. If you were to base your diet, for example, on drinks containing only soy protein, you would suffer a long-term deficiency of this amino acid.

In this case, it is useful to consider Rubner's law of limiting essential amino acids, which statesthat amino acid utilization from ingested protein depends on the content of the least abundant essential amino acid. This means that only as much protein will be made from amino acids as the amount of the least abundant amino acid (in this case, tryptophan). If you're going to be vegan, I definitely recommend variety and combining multiple sources of protein, because the only is the only way to provide your body with the most diverse spectrum of amino acids and other health benefits.

Antinutrients

The last item on our list of things to watch for as a vegan is antinutrient intake. These are substances that can impair digestive function and therefore limit the absorption ofmicronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements) from the digestive tract. Unfortunately, the vegan diet is very rich in these substances, which are found in legumes andnuts, corn, vegetable oils and even wholemeal bread. But this is certainly no reason to exclude these foods from the diet altogether.Only the aforementioned wholemeal bread is rich in iron and zinc, nutrients that are very deficient for vegans. It is just very important to have a balanced diet and not to overdo it with these foods, but also not to avoid them unnecessarily.

Finally, I can only say that although I myself have never followed a vegan diet for a long time I must admit that it is necessary to watch much more things than if you are an omnivore. Personally, I'm always looking for the middle ground, nor am I an advocate of carnivores who don't understand that the diet needs to be balanced and eat a kilo of meat a day is nonsense, nor the orthodox vegans who can't tolerate a teaspoon of honey in their tea because poor bees were forced to pollinate flowers.

If you have any questions about today's topic, feel free to ask in the comments, we'd love to hear from you.We'll be happy to answer you, and you can also post your observations about vegan diets or your personal experiences!