APPLICABLE NUTRITION
5 Essential Things you are missing on a Plant Based Diet
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1. Complete Amino Acids from Protein
Amino acids are crucial for holding onto lean muscle mass while in a weight loss phase (caloric deficit).
A diet lacking in amino acids causes everything from general fatigue to a decline in muscle mass.
Animal protein are complete amino acids containing all amino acids.
With Plant based diets it’s possible to get the complete amino acids but what you have to pay attention to is the amount of carbs and calories that it takes to get the same amount of protein that you would form an animal protein based diet.
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Supplementing with Plant based protein powders that are high in leucine is a great addition as well as foods higher in protein like soybean, tofu and tempeh.
When these are mixed in with other food sources like lentils, peanut butter or grains, they will then give you the complete amino acid profile, so be mindful.
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2. Vitamin B 12
This particular vitamin is created by a bacteria and found primarily in animal products such as dairy, meat and eggs.
Nutritional yeast and some plant based milks will supplement this B12 but supplementing with a B12 vitamin is highly suggested
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3. Omega 3
This essential fatty acid is very important for maintaining heart and joint health
Fish and Eggs are rich sources of Omega 3
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You can get your omega-3s from chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, and hempseeds but supplementing with Omega 3s is highly suggested.
4. Zinc and Iron
Zinc is a key nutrient for immune system.
Meat and shellfish are great sources for zinc.
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Zinc can be found in beans, legumes and grains, but because of the phytic acid in these sources, they hinder zinc absorption.
Supplementing zinc is highly suggested.
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Iron is a key nutrient when it comes to your energy levels.
Red meat has the highest profile of iron.
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When it comes to iron absorption from plants iron is not great. You can find iron in leafy green vegetables, whole grains, lentils, peas, and dried fruits (be careful with these extremely high calorie)
Adding foods rich in vitamin C will also help iron absorption.
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5. Calcium
Calcium is a key nutrient to build and maintain bone health. This mineral is also important for muscle contraction and blood pressure regulation.
Calcium typically comes from dairy which is not found in a plant based diet.
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Soybeans and lentils are two key food groups that contain a good amount of calcium or you can supplement with calcium which is highly recommended.
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