7 Nutrients Vegans May Be Missing From Their Diets

Why it's important: Essential for maintaining a healthy nervous system and healthy blood cells

Signs of a deficiency: Weakness, fatigue, pale skin, sore tongue, easy bruising or bleeding, diarrhea, constipation

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 2.4 mcg

Vegan sources:

• 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast: 3.1 mcg (sprinkle some on popcorn)
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk: 1.2 mcg
• 1 cup Cheerios: 0.6 mcg

Why it's important: Needed for building strong bones until you reach your mid-20s, and after that, it helps keep your bones healthy and slows down bone density loss to prevent osteoporosis later in life; may reduce PMS symptoms; may prevent certain cancers

Signs of a deficiency: Numbness or tingling of the fingers, muscle cramps, fatigue, poor appetite, osteoporosis

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 1,000 mg

Vegan sources:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk: 450 mg
• 2 cups raw spinach: 59.4 mg
• 1 cup raw broccoli: 41.1 mg
• 1/5 block extrafirm tofu: 60 mg
• Orange juice with added calcium: 350 mg
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds: 89 mg
• 1 ounce raw almonds: 70.3 mg
• 1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein): 80 mg

Why it's important: Needed to make hemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen

Signs of a deficiency: Fatigue, headaches, pale skin, brittle nails, inability to focus, difficulty maintaining body temperature, decreased immune function, anemia (low levels of healthy red blood cells)

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 18 mg

Vegan sources:

• 1 cup rolled oats: 3.4 mg
• 1/2 cup lentils: 3.3 mg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds: 5.2 mg
• 1 cup cooked quinoa: 2.8 mg
• 3/4 cup Wheat Chex: 13.5 mg
• 1 cup cooked barley: 2.1 mg

Why it's important: Essential for bone health and calcium absorption and boosts immune system

Signs of a deficiency: Fatigue, bone pain, muscle weakness

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 600 IU (15 mcg)

Vegan sources:

• Sunshine: 10 minutes a day
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk: 180 IU
• 1 cup orange juice fortified with calcium and vitamin D: 150 IU

Why it's important: Helps repair muscle tissue, used to replace the proteins that make up every cell in the body; regulates appetite to help with weight loss

Signs of a deficiency: Fogginess, weakness, thinning hair, increased susceptibility to illness, increased sugar cravings

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories: about 40 to 100 grams, depending on weight and activity level

Vegan sources:

• 1/2 cup kidney beans: 8 grams
• 1/2 cup shelled edamame: 8 grams
• 1/5 block of extrafirm tofu: 8 grams
• 4 ounces tempeh: 22 grams
• 3 ounces seitan: 18 grams
• 1 cup cooked quinoa: 8.1 grams
• 1/4 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein): 12 grams
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk: 7 grams
• Plant-based protein powder: 10-26 grams, depending on brand

Why it's important: Supports a healthy immune system, stimulates almost 100 enzymes, needed for wound healing, helps maintain sense of taste and smell

Signs of a deficiency: Weak immune system, increased susceptibility to illness, impaired wound healing, fatigue

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 8 mg

Vegan sources:

• 1/4 cup peanuts: 1.2 mg
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds: 2.6 mg
• 1 cup brown rice: 1.2 mg
• 1/2 cup chickpeas: 1.3 mg
• 1 medium baked potato with skin: 0.6 mg
• 1 cup Cheerios: 2 mg

Why it's important: Reduces inflammation, may protect against Alzheimer's disease, improves heart health

Signs of a deficiency: Poor memory, fatigue, weak immune system, dry skin, hair loss, mood swings, reproductive issues, poor circulation

Recommended daily intake (RDI): 1.1 grams (1,100 mg)

Vegan sources:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil: 0.8 grams
• 1/4 cup walnuts: 0.63 grams
• 1.5 tablespoons flaxseed: 2.9 grams
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil: 7.4 grams
• 1/2 cup edamame: 0.28 grams
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds: 2.4 grams