Should you go vegan this January? Part 2

As it’s Veganuary, which is where people try being vegan for the month of January, I thought I’d do some posts about the vegan diet. This is part 2 of my earlier post where I spoke about some of the positives of following a vegan diet. I’m focussing purely on the dietary aspect of veganism and this post will look at some of the short falls of a vegan diet.

It can lead to some nutrient deficiencies:

A vegan diet can lead to deficiencies in nutrients like vitamin B12, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids and iron. This is due to the types of foods a vegan diet excludes and the poor absorption of certain nutrients from plant sources.

Vitamin B12:

Vitamin B12 is essential for the nervous system, red blood cell formation and DNA synthesis. As vitamin B12 is only found in animal products, this is an obvious shortfall of the vegan diet. Sources of B12 in a vegan diet would be from fortified foods, this is where B12 is added to the food product. Things like breakfast cereals, non-dairy milks, and nutritional yeast are normally fortified with B12.

It’s also worth noting that if you buy organic food products then they won't be fortified as the nutrients that would normally be added aren’t from an organic origin.

Calcium:

Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth and is associated with dairy products like milk. It’s also found in green vegetables, soybeans, and nuts. Plant based sources of calcium often have lower amounts of it. Also, plants contain antinutrients which prevent the absorption of calcium in the body, so a plant based diet could lead to deficiencies.

Iron:

Iron is needed for the formation of red blood cells and enables them to carry oxygen around the body. There are 2 types of iron: haem and non-haem iron. Haem iron comes from meat like beef and is really well absorbed by the body. Non-haem iron comes from plants like beans and pulses and isn’t as well absorbed due to antinutrients which can stop the body from digesting it. 

However, iron and calcium are added to wheat flour in the UK so this can be a major source of these nutrients for vegans.

Omega 3 fatty acids:

Omega 3 fatty acids are found in oily fish like mackerel, and in nuts and seeds. They're essential for brain development and form cell membranes. There are a few types of omega 3s, but docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid mainly come from fish/seafood so a vegan dieter would likely need to supplement these.

Protein:

Another point to consider is that plant based milks, apart from soy, aren’t high in protein. And while you don’t need animal products to get enough protein, it’s something to keep in mind if you usually consume a lot of milk and then change to a vegan diet.

These are just some of the nutrients that a vegan diet can lead to deficiencies in, other nutrients to keep in mind are iodine, and zinc. If your vegan diet is well planned out, you can have a good intake of these nutrients. But it’s also worth considering a multivitamin supplement to cover your bases.

It doesn’t guarantee you’ll be ‘healthy’:

In my previous post, I wrote about how vegans are more likely to have a higher intake of fruit, veg and wholegrains. But this isn’t always the case, you can follow a vegan diet and still eat ‘junk’ foods.

A lot of the vegan meat alternatives, think Quorn or a Beyond burger, are ultra-processed. Ultra-processed foods are often high in sugar and salt, and these vegan meat alternatives aren’t exempt. A high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with obesity and heart disease. So just because you’re vegan it doesn’t mean everything you eat is healthy.

Also, French fries, Oreo biscuits, and skittles are all vegan. While there’s nothing wrong with consuming these foods, they might not have the halo of health you’d expected from following a vegan diet. I’ll link in the references section more of the surprising vegan snack foods.

All this aside, following a vegan diet doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically be healthier. Research has found that people who follow a vegan diet more likely to have other positive health behaviours like doing more physical activity and not smoking. So some of the health benefits will also be down to this.

A vegan diet alone isn’t the key to health, there are other lifestyle factors that need to be considered.

Key points:

• Following a vegan diet, if not properly planned, can mean you're deficient in nutrients like: vitamin B12, calcium, omega 3 fatty acids, iron, iodine and zinc.
• Being vegan doesn’t automatically mean your diet is healthy, there are lots of ultra-processed vegan ‘junk’ foods too.

 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post; I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Bye for now! 👋

References:

Surprising vegan snack foods: https://www.peta.org.uk/blog/44-accidentally-vegan-snack-foods/

Vegan diet and nutrient deficiency: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19279075/

Vegans have positive health behaviours: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4191896/

Vegan ultra-processed foods aren’t healthy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32692345/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29071481/

Vitamin B12: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17959839/ and https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

Iron absorption: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6940487/

Omega 3s: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/  and https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/