7 Nutrients Vegans May Be Missing From Their Diets

You get a thumbs-up for your plant-based diet — it's good for your health, and it's beneficial to the environment. But if you had a dollar for every time someone asked "Are you getting enough protein?", you'd be able to buy a lifetime supply of tofu! While there's no question that a vegan diet is definitely chock-full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, if you're not careful, you might be missing out on these seven key nutrients.

Vitamin B12
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Vitamin B12

Why it's important: Essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and healthy blood cells

Signs of a deficiency: Weakness, fatigue, pale skin, sore tongue, easy bruising or bleeding, diarrhea, constipation

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 2.4 mcg

Vegan sources:

  • 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast: 3.1 mcg (sprinkle some on popcorn)
  • 1 cup unsweetened soy milk: 1.2 mcg
  • 1 cup Cheerios: 0.6 mcg
Calcium
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Calcium

Why it's important: Needed for building strong bones until you reach your mid-20s, and after that, it helps keep your bones healthy and slows down bone density loss to prevent osteoporosis later in life; may reduce PMS symptoms; may prevent certain cancers

Signs of a deficiency: Numbness or tingling of the fingers, muscle cramps, fatigue, poor appetite, osteoporosis

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 1,000 mg

Vegan sources:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk: 450 mg
  • 2 cups raw spinach: 59.4 mg
  • 1 cup raw broccoli: 41.1 mg
  • 1/5 block extrafirm tofu: 60 mg
  • Orange juice with added calcium: 350 mg
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds: 89 mg
  • 1 ounce raw almonds: 70.3 mg
  • 1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein): 80 mg
Iron
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Iron

Why it's important: Needed to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen

Signs of a deficiency: Fatigue, headaches, pale skin, brittle nails, inability to focus, difficulty maintaining body temperature, decreased immune function, anemia (low levels of healthy red blood cells)

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 18 mg

Vegan sources:

  • 1 cup rolled oats: 3.4 mg
  • 1/2 cup lentils: 3.3 mg
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds: 5.2 mg
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa: 2.8 mg
  • 3/4 cup Wheat Chex: 13.5 mg
  • 1 cup cooked barley: 2.1 mg
Vitamin D
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Vitamin D

Why it's important: Essential for bone health and calcium absorption and boosts immune system

Signs of a deficiency: Fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 600 IU (15 mcg)

Vegan sources:

Protein
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Protein

Why it's important: Helps repair muscle tissue, used to replace the proteins that make up every cell in the body; regulates appetite to help with weight loss

Signs of a deficiency: Fogginess, weakness, thinning hair, increased susceptibility to illness, increased sugar cravings

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories: about 40 to 100 grams, depending on weight and activity level

Vegan sources:

Zinc
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Zinc

Why it's important: Supports a healthy immune system, stimulates almost 100 enzymes, needed for wound healing, helps maintain sense of taste and smell

Signs of a deficiency: Weak immune system, increased susceptibility to illness, impaired wound healing, fatigue

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 8 mg

Vegan sources:

Omega-3s
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Omega-3s

Why it's important: Reduces inflammation, may protect against Alzheimer's disease, improves heart health

Signs of a deficiency: Poor memory, fatigue, weak immune system, dry skin, hair loss, mood swings, reproductive issues, poor circulation

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 1.1 grams (1,100 mg)

Vegan sources: