Health and Nutrition
Six Important Nutrients We Can’t Get from Vegetables or Fruits Adequately
Why do they matter, and how can we address nutritional deficiency
Food is a critical part of our lives. Usually, plant-based diets, including vegetables and fruits, are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
However, plants do not include certain nutrients as they are only found in animal products. Thus, some restricted diets might cause nutritional deficiencies.
In this post, based on my research and experience, I briefly introduce six crucial nutrients that might be lacking in strict plant-based diets.
They are in no particular order. I provide a concise explanation of the importance of these nutrients for our physical and mental health.
To keep the article in a suitable size, I link my previous articles and provide a few links to scientific papers to make researching these nutrients easy for my readers.
I give three customizable diet forms for herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores, focusing on ketosis for health improvement.
The key point about food is nutritional biochemistry rather than diet.
1 — Creatine
As one of the most researched molecules, I have been interested in creatine since the early 1990s. My interest is caused by the cognitive effects of creatine on the brain.
Numerous studies highlighted the benefits of creatine on neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s Disease, and other neurological disorders such as spinal cord injuries, epilepsy, and ischemic stroke.
I introduce the compelling benefits of creatine in this article titled Five Remarkable Health Benefits of the Most Researched Fitness Supplement, linking to scientific papers.
The key points I introduced were brain and mental health, muscle building and maintenance, blood sugar management for diabetes, increasing energy and reducing fatigue, and increasing exercise performance.
Creatine is not considered “an essential nutrient” since the liver and kidneys can produce it. However, people who solely depend on only plant-based food might have lower amounts of creatine in their muscles.
2 — Vitamin D3
As I highlighted in a previous article, Vitamin D, as a Steroid Hormone, is not Just Another Supplement. In that article, I provide essential facts about the importance of Vitamin D and recommendations by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS).
This article by ODS includes 174 scientific citations, food sources, and other professional guidance.
As Vitamin D is critical for our health, I posted another article titled Why Vitamin D Is Vital for Immunity & Promising for Covid. The article highlights that researchers recommend “raising vitamin D levels to above 50 ng/ml to prevent new outbreaks due to escape mutations or decreasing antibody activity.”
When I was solely on plant-based diets, not consuming animal-based food, not getting enough sunlight, and not supplementing it, I had a severe shortage of Vitamin D in my younger years. It adversely affected my physical and mental health.
Therefore, I raise awareness of the importance of this nutrient. For example, the musculoskeletal consequences of inadequate vitamin D have been well documented in the body of knowledge. You may check more research-based information compiled in my article.
3 — Vitamin B12
Similar to Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 is also a critical nutrient. Unfortunately, I had a severe shortage of Vitamin B12 on plant-based diets. The deficiency caused me anemia. In addition, one of my family members experienced a neurological disorder due to Vitamin B12 deficiency.
This vitamin is essential as the body cannot make it from other molecules. Therefore, we need to obtain it from food or supplements. Vitamin B12 is vital for our various systems, such as red blood cells, the nervous system, and DNA.
The body cannot make red blood cells without Vitamin B12, so the deficiency might impair oxygen delivery. Thus, Vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the causes of anemia and other blood diseases, as documented in the medical literature.
Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products such as poultry, red meat, organ meats, eggs, and dairy. A few plant sources, such as fortified grains, might have it in negligible amounts. Therefore, it might not be possible to get it from plant sources. Thus, supplementation of Vitamin B12 is suggested by healthcare professionals.
For severe deficiency, Vitamin B12 injection is used as a treatment method. I provided details on my research and experience in this article titled Why Vitamin B12 Matters for Health & How to Address Deficiency.
4 — Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
As pointed out in this scientific paper,
“Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants. DHA is also required for the maintenance of normal brain function in adults. The inclusion of plentiful DHA in the diet improves learning ability, whereas deficiencies of DHA are associated with deficits in learning.”
My interest in DHA was related to its effect on the brain and its association with neurodegenerative diseases.
As highlighted in the same paper, “decreases in DHA in the brain are associated with cognitive decline during aging and with the onset of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease.
The leading cause of death in western nations is cardiovascular disease. Epidemiological studies have shown a strong correlation between fish consumption and reduction in sudden death from myocardial infarction.”
DHA is mainly found in fatty fish like salmon, trout, tuna and seafood such as oysters, mussels, clams, and cod. It also exists in fish eggs.
I supplement with high-quality fish oil rich in DHA and EPA for brain health and reduction of inflammation, as recommended by my family physician and functional medicine doctor. I also consume salmon two to three times a week.
I introduce the importance and health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, DHA, and EPA) in this article.
5 — Taurine
Several body organs include taurine, an important amino acid containing sulfur and a constituent of bile acids for various organs. Taurine is necessary for our organs, including our nervous and immune systems, to function.
Taurine is also important for fat digestion. I plan to review taurine in an article as I have experience supplementing it for various reasons. However, the body can produce it, so it is not as critical as Vitamin D or 12.
This scientific review addressed “the functions of taurine such as regulation of antioxidation, energy metabolism, gene expression, ER stress, neuromodulation, quality control and calcium homeostasis underlying these therapeutic actions.”
The review summarizes “studies supporting taurine's role in treating diseases of muscle, the central nervous system, and the cardiovascular system.
In addition, taurine is extremely effective in the treatment of mitochondrial disease, mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) and offers a new approach for the treatment of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis.”
6 — L-Carnosine
Carnosine is an amino acid made up of binding alanine and histidine. This amino acid is mainly found in muscles, the heart, and the brain. It is believed to create antioxidant and anti-glycosylation effects in the brain.
There are numerous ongoing yet inconclusive studies on the benefits of supplementing carnosine for diabetes, autism, depression, and heart failure. Therefore, I don’t supplement with carnosine as my diet includes an adequate amount, as confirmed by my health consultants.
As pointed out in this scientific paper, “in people with diabetes, carnosine levels are lower than in people without diabetes, perhaps because it gets used up in its role of binding to excess glucose in the blood. Strict vegetarians, who do not consume much carnosine in their diet, tend to have higher levels of glycosylated proteins in their bodies than do people who eat meat.”
Addendum
In addition, heme-iron is frequently mentioned in the literature as one of the nutrients that might be missing in plant-based diets.
The emphasis is on women.
However, as the research is murky and conflicting, I excluded it from my review. Here are two scientific papers to get started for those interested in this nutrient: Paper 1, and Paper 2.
Conclusions and Takeaways
Since I reviewed the literature and experienced these nutrients in my health and fitness journey, I aim to raise awareness of their importance.
Deficiencies of these nutrients might create health risks. Therefore, getting them checked by medical tests and obtaining support from qualified healthcare professionals can be valuable.
As mentioned in this scientific paper on BMC:
“While little data could be found in the sports nutrition literature specifically, it was revealed elsewhere that veganism creates challenges that need to be accounted for when designing a nutritious diet. This included the sufficiency of energy and protein; the adequacy of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, and vitamin D; and the lack of the long-chain fatty acids EPA and DHA in most plant-based sources. However, via the strategic management of food and appropriate supplementation, it is the contention of this article that a nutritive vegan diet can be designed to achieve the dietary needs of most athletes satisfactorily.”
Getting nutrients from food is the preferred approach, as advised by healthcare professionals. However, for severe deficiencies, there are supplementary solutions.
In my case, I had to supplement both vitamin B12 and vitamin D when my diet was solely plant-based. However, in ketogenic diets with less plant food, I also needed to supplement with magnesium, a critical mineral involved in many metabolic activities.
So my point is not all diets include all essential nutrients. Thus, we need to monitor deficiencies and take corrective actions with the help of qualified healthcare professionals. To conclude, balancing nutrients is vital for the body’s homeostasis. Let’s keep in mind that, like anything in life, too much or too little nutrients can be problematic for our health.
Customizing our diet looks like a wise choice to me. By trial and error, I personalized my diet and created a lifestyle out of it. Help from qualified healthcare professionals specializing in nutrition and diet can be a great investment in our health and well-being.
Here are three types of customizable diets for herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores.
How to Benefit from Ketosis in a Keto-Vegan Diet
How to Enter Ketosis in a Keto-Omnivore Diet Safely and Quickly
How to Benefit from Ketosis in a Keto-Carnivore Diet
Diet is a personal matter. It is not an ethical or spiritual one, in my opinion.
A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
Here’s How Amy Entered Ketosis without Following a Ketogenic Diet.
Here’s How I Got Healthier and Smoother Skin via 5 Lifestyle and Holistic Health Methods.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
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