Have you started eating mostly plant-based? Here are 7 must know nutrients when eating mainly plant derived foods.
Plant-based is an eating style with an emphasis on eating primarily legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains, whether you include a variety of animal derived foods or completely abstaining from animal derived foods altogether will affect your overall nutrition needs and nutrient recommendations.
With careful attention and planning, plant based eating can offer nearly all the essential nutrients. Identified below are 7 must know nutrients for those who are consuming little to no animal based foods…
1. Protein in Plant-Based Eating
Protein is the essential macronutrients for optimal muscle repair and providing structure for hair, skin and nails. Protein can also function as digestive enzymes, hormones, and assist with regulating fluid balance and transporting nutrients. Relative to carbohydrates and fat we typically need lesser amounts of protein daily, although this can vary depending on activity level, age and current state of health. Complete sources of protein can come from animal and plant sources while it is less likely to find complete sources of plant-based proteins, they do exist. When chicken, beef, pork, fish, eggs and dairy foods like yogurt, cheese are not eaten regularly it is important to take into consideration your daily sources of protein. It is possible to meet 100% of protein needs with a variety of plant foods including tofu, tempeh, peanuts, beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains too.
2. Calcium
An essential nutrient for muscle contract, nerve impulse transmission, blood clotting, and of course maintaining healthy bones. Although dairy is an excellent source of calcium, you can still meet your daily recommended intake without milk, yogurt or cheese and with thoughtful planning. Plant-based foods including beans, soy, broccoli, kale, molasses, are good sources of calcium. Nuts and seeds especially tahini, almonds, chia and flax are also quality sources of calcium.
3. Iron
Each tiny cell of the body needs iron in order to make hemoglobin, a molecule which carries oxygen in the blood and delivers to the cells for energy. There are two forms of iron– heme iron, found in animal derived foods and non-heme iron, found in animal derived and plant based foods. Heme iron is easily absorbed but non-heme is less bioavailability, since the ease of absorption is based on the individuals current iron stores, presence of inhibitors and enhancers. Non-heme iron from tofu, tempeh, lentils or white beans are better absorbed in the presence of vitamin C found in bell peppers, broccoli, lemons and oranges.
4. Vitamin B12
Find it rare to obtain this nutrient from plant foods, which is why it may be necessary to supplement with vitamin B12, if you are not consuming any animal based foods- eggs, cheese, yogurt, poultry, red meat, fish or not regularly you will want to ask your doctor or dietitian about supplementation. There are technically no plant based sources of B12 but the plant foods that do contain vitamin B12, mostly nutritional yeast and breakfast cereals have been fortified meaning vitamin B12 is added in the processing of the product. If using nutritional yeast to meet vitamin B12 needs be sure to choose a brand that fortifies the yeast with vitamin B12 and consume daily.
5. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
While it’s true fatty fish are a good source of the 3 essential fatty acids- ALA, EPA and DHA; salmon, tuna and mackerel acquire their stellar fatty acid profile from eating the seaweed, sea algae and small fish that are rich in essential fatty acids. So why not eat right from the source? Edible microalgaes like spirulina, chlorella and seaweed like nori, dulses and kombu provide essential fatty acids EPA and DHA. Since most plant foods offer only ALA, the essential fatty acids needs to be converted to EPA and DHA before it can be utilized aim to incorporate plenty of plant sources of ALA from chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds regularly and sea plants too.
6. Vitamin D
This nutrient isn’t just a reach nutrient for plant eaters! Certain foods like salmon and wild mushrooms contain the ‘sunshine’ vitamin, known for its role in bone health and cholesterol synthesis. However most people are falling short on meeting the recommended intake for vitamin D, likely because of insufficient sun exposure, limited vitamin D containing food sources, malabsorption and age. Be sure to check with your doctor or dietitian before starting any supplements.
7. Zinc
Essential nutrient for keeping major metabolism processes running smoothly, it also plays an important part in immune function and regulating gene expression. Plant sources of zinc contain phytates, which are inhibitors to the absorption of zinc. Despite this chemistry, research shows there is little difference between blood levels of zinc in vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian. Rolled oats, brown rice, tofu, tempeh, edamame, almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds are good sources of the mineral.
Do eat mostly plant-based foods? Have low or irregular intakes of animal derived foods? Consider consulting with your doctor and dietitian, a simple blood test may be recommended to assess your body’s nutrient status.
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Resources:
Calcium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
Janet R Hunt, Bioavailability of iron, zinc, and other trace minerals from vegetarian diets, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 78, Issue 3, September 2003. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/78.3.633S
Angela V Saunders, Winston J Craig and Surinder K Baines. Zinc and Vegetarian Diet. Med J Aust 2013. doi:10.5694/mja11.11493
Wells ML, Potin P, Craigie JS, et al. Algae as nutritional and functional food sources: revisiting our understanding. J Appl Phycol. 2017. doi:10.1007/s10811-016-0974-5
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