Living a Vegan Lifestyle: Combating Nutritional Deficiencies
A vegan lifestyle is an admirable one, but one that takes significant commitment. One of the trickier aspects to navigate, especially for those who have recently chosen a vegan diet, is nutrition. While plant-based diets are arguably healthier than their counterparts, there are often a few key nutrients that vegans need to be sure to incorporate into their meal planning so that they can reap the full benefits of a plant-based diet. Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and iron are all common nutritional deficiencies that vegans can experience – but luckily, they are all found in plant-based whole foods too, if you know where to look. No supplements required!
At Leo Foods we stock a full array of healthy foods, including specialty vegan foods that contain the nutrients you’re after, often in unexpected places. So next time you’re shopping with us, consider adding some of these pantry staples to your shopping basket and reap the full range of benefits that come with your vegan lifestyle:
- Vitamin B12: Because this vitamin comes from a bacteria found in animal-based products and cannot be produced in the human body, it’s easy for vegans to suffer from a Vitamin B12 deficiency, which can leave you feeling weak, tired or depressed as well as create heart palpitations, nerve damage, vision loss and more. Make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin B12 by adding some fortified plant-based sources into your daily diet, easily found in some milk alternatives or nutritional yeast. At Leo Foods, we stock Mari Gold Yeast Flakes, which contain twice the daily recommended intake of vitamin B12 in just one tablespoon!
- Vitamin D: It is estimated that nearly half of the world’s population, including otherwise healthy adults, have Vitamin D deficiency, a leading cause of brittle bones. Daily sun exposure boosts Vitamin D production in the body (one more reason to love Marbella!), but even with our gorgeous climate, that’s often not enough to rebuild the deficiency our bodies have produced over time. So whether you are vegan or not, adding some Vitamin D rich foods into your diet is always a good idea! Bionsan Soya Milk is a great option, as are shiitake mushrooms, which provide 18 IU per 100 gram serving – available dehydrated from Leo Foods so you can keep them in your pantry without fear of them not being fresh whenever you want to cook with them.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Well-known to exist in fish like tuna and salmon, vegans can easily get their daily recommended intake of 3000 – 5000mg with foods like Eco Basics chickpeas, Suma organic black beans or Biona chilli black beans and whole, skin-on salted almonds – all found at the Leo Foods cash and carry warehouse in Marbella. Omega 3s are essential nutrients to preventing heart disease and high blood pressure and it’s difficult to have too much in your diet, so enjoy these delicious and nutritious options as much as you like!
- Protein: Unlike commonly believed by non-vegans, meat is not the only way to get the protein your body needs. Tofu, chickpeas, beans, spelt, lentils, nuts and more are all amazing sources of almost-complete proteins, necessary for muscle growth and cellular repair and are generally a major staple in a vegan diet, so boosting your intake to the needed 50grams on average that a non-athletic adult needs is fairly straightforward. If you are actively building muscle or have a naturally active lifestyle, you’ll need to increase this even more, so next time you’re shopping at Leo Foods, grab some delicious Tender Jack meat alternatives to add to your next meal, or invest in a pack of Naturya organic spirulina or wheatgrass powder, Pulsin Simply whey powder, or Raw protein isolate to mix into a morning smoothie, breakfast bowl, baked treat and more.
- Iron: Animal proteins contain plenty of iron, but so do plants. The only difference being non-heme iron (found only in plants) is more difficult for the body to absorb, which means that vegans should strive for 1.8 times the recommended iron intake of 8mg for adult men or 18mg for women (and significantly more if you are pregnant). Peas are a great source of iron and Peas of Heaven vegan ‘meats’ -made from pea protein, are now available from Leo Foods so amongst other iron-rich foods like legumes, seeds and quinoa, you have plenty of ways to get this nutrient into your diet and avoid iron-deficient anemia. Iron is best absorbed when combined with Vitamin C, so make sure you get some citrus on your plate too!
Choosing a vegan lifestyle is a nutritious and delicious one, especially when you’ve got Leo Foods right here in Marbella carrying some of the very best healthy, organic, vegan, vegetarian and international food options! Browse our e-catalogue online at www.interleo.com or pop in and see us anytime in Nueva Campana and see all we have to offer!
