Hi everyone, my name is Delilah Bisase
and I'm a registered dietician
and energy healer based in Los Angeles, California.
And on this episode of LIVEKINDLY With Me
we're going to discuss some nutrients in the vegan diet
that people are most often worried about
and why you don't need to worry about it.
So as a mind, body and spirit dietician
my focus isn't just on the physical,
because I really want my clients
to have a healthy relationship with food
and in turn healthy relationship with themselves.
One of the biggest questions I get
is whether or not a vegan diet
can provide all of the nutrients our body needs,
and I walk my clients through that.
Now before I get into it
keep in mind that this video
is for educational purposes only
and I highly encourage you to work one-on-one
with a healthcare practitioner.
Iron is a mineral
and one of its key functions
is allowing our red blood cells
to transport oxygen throughout our body
and it also plays a really key role
in cognitive development,
so that's why it's really important in pregnancy
and early childhood development.
So there are two types of iron
that you'll find in foods.
One is heme and the other is non-heme.
And to keep it simple,
heme is the type of iron
that you'll find in animal-based foods
and non-heme is a type of iron
that you'll find in plant based foods.
I pointed that out
because our body absorbs each type of iron differently.
Our body is very efficient at absorbing heme iron
and our body is a little bit less efficient
at absorbing non-heme iron.
Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing
and here is why.
Even though our body is very efficient
at absorbing heme iron,
is not so great at excreting it.
And iron is one of those things
where our body needs just a right amount.
We can't have too much
and we also can't have too little.
When we have too much iron
it actually acts
as what is called a prooxidant in the body
and a prooxidant is just a complete opposite
of an antioxidant.
So that means it causes stress
and inflammation in our body.
And those are things that make us more susceptible
to developing things like type two diabetes,
heart disease, stroke
and even certain cancers like liver
and ovarian cancer.
There are things that we can do
to increase our absorption of non-heme iron.
Here are some tips,
when you cook beans or lentils
you can either soak them, sprout them
or ferment them,
that will reduce the phytic content.
So when you're cooking your beans
and lentils, soak them.
Or an example of fermented beans would be tempeh
because tempeh is fermented soy bean.
Secondly, try to include a food source of vitamin C
whenever you're eating your iron rich foods
because vitamin C increases iron absorption.
The next time you have a green smoothie
throw some mangoes in there.
The next time you're cooking your beans
cook them in a tomato sauce.
And thirdly, when you're drinking your tea
such as green tea or black tea,
try to drink it separate from your meal
because tea has natural compounds called tannins
which can decrease iron absorption.
People often associate dairy
as being the one and only food source of calcium.
However, there are plants that provide calcium as well
a cross sectional study that looked at adults
who are either vegan, vegetarian or omnivores
looked at their bone mineral density
and noticed that there was no significant difference
in their bone mineral density across the different diets.
When a person follows a whole food well-balanced vegan diet
they are more likely to consume larger amounts of foods
that contain antioxidants
and other phytonutrients
that are very protective to bone health.
Such as vitamin C, flavonoids, carotenoids
and vital estrogens.
Some examples of plant-based sources of calcium
are dark green leafy vegetables
such as collard greens, kale and spinach.
And keep in mind that these foods
have more calcium and iron when they are cooked
versus when they are raw.
Tofu is also a good source of calcium,
particularly tofu that's prepared in calcium sulfate
and it will say that on the package.
Fortified non-dairy drinks
are a good source of calcium.
And when you are picking a non-dairy milk
that's fortified with calcium,
try to choose one that has at least 20% daily value
of calcium per serving.
And lastly, chia seeds also contain some calcium as well.
So not only does a vegan diet
provide adequate calcium to support bone health,
some research suggests
that there might even be other elements of the vegan diet
that confer protective benefits for bone health.
Omega-3 fats
play a big role in cell structure and function,
most notably in the brain
which is why they are so crucial
to brain function and development.
Also Omega-3 fats are referred to as essential
because our body is not able to make them,
so we must get them through our diet.
There are three main types of Omega-3 fats
that is ALA,
EPA and DHA.
DHA is really important for brain health.
So the types of Omega-3 fats
that you're gonna find in plant based foods
are in the ALA form.
And our body will convert the ALA
to EPA and then DHA.
However, the conversion rate is pretty low,
some research suggests that it's less than 15%.
And on that note
there is still no clear clinical guideline
as to exactly how much
ALA Omega-3 fats a person should consume
in order to ensure adequate conversion to DHA.
So until that guideline comes out,
for right now the best practice
is to supplement with a vegan algae based DHA supplement.
Circling back to food
some vegan sources of Omega-3s are chia seeds,
hemp seeds, flax seeds and walnuts.
So bottom line with the Omega-3s
I recommend to incorporate plant-based sources
of Omega-3s in your diet
and supplement with a vegan algae DHA supplement.
B12 is a vitamin that's really important
for red blood cell function, DNA synthesis
and nervous system function.
Certain populations that need to pay close attention
to this vitamin would be the elderly,
because as we age it gets more difficult
for our body to properly absorb vitamin B12.
And pregnant people
because B12 needs are increased during pregnancy.
Traditionally eating meat has been a source of B12,
so humans would get B12 by eating animals
and the animals would get B12
by eating the bacteria
and the minerals in their environment.
However, the environment
and the animal's diet has changed.
There's less of the B12 forming bacteria in the soil
and less of the necessary minerals in the soil
for the animals to make B12 in their body.
So nowadays the livestock feed
is often supplemented with either B12
or the necessary minerals
in order for the animal to be able
to create B12 in their body.
So if the animals are being supplemented
we might as well supplement too
and just spare their livelihoods.
Now, there are different types
of B12 supplements on the market, different forms
and different dosages.
And I recommend for you to first consult with your doctors
so that they can check your levels
and advise what would be the best form and dosage for you.
So overall, whether you are vegan or not
a B12 supplement may be beneficial
because some research suggests
that even omnivores may need supplementation.
Vitamin D does a few things,
it supports our bone health, supports our immune system
and it helps our gut absorb calcium.
It's known as the sunshine vitamin
because it's synthesized in our skin
via exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin D supplementation is advisable for most people
because it's not uncommon for people
to have inadequate intake of vitamin D
or even be deficient.
And there are different factors
that can contribute to having low vitamin D status,
such as inadequate exposure to sunlight,
having dark chocolate skin, like myself.
The elderly, being an infant
or having gastric bypass surgery.
Side note the notion about dark skinned people
or black people being vitamin D deficient
still is under review
because there is some research that suggests
that current testing standards
may not be the best fitting assessment for black people.
And it's not yet 100% clear
if or how low vitamin D status
has significant health consequences for black people.
As far as food sources,
there aren't really that many natural food sources
of vitamin D.
The main ones really are cod liver oil
and fatty fish like salmon and trout
and mushrooms that have been treated with UV light.
So really your best bet
is to get it via supplementation and fortified foods.
For fortified foods
it'd be mainly fortified non-dairy milks.
And when you are choosing a non-dairy milk
that's fortified with vitamin D,
I recommend to choose one
that has at least 20% daily value of vitamin D per serving.
And secondly, there are some breakfast cereals
that are fortified with vitamin D.
When it comes to supplementing with vitamin D
I recommend to first check with your doctor
to check your levels
and advise proper dosage.
Because on the market you will find vitamin D
in different forms and dosage
ranging from 500 IUs
to 5,000 IUs.
And lastly, most commercial forms of vitamin D supplements
are made from lanolin,
which comes from sheep's wool.
So you want to be sure
that you get a vegan vitamin D supplement.
Iodine is a key component in thyroid hormones
which play a major role
in different processes like metabolism, protein creation
and enzyme function.
Iodine deficiency leads to hypothyroidism
which is an underactive thyroid.
As far as food sources of iodine,
seaweeds are the most dense sources.
So some examples would be kelp, nori and sea moss.
However, the iodine content
in the seaweeds can vary depending upon the type of seaweed.
The next runners up
would be seafood and dairy
and last but not least iodized salt
is also a source of iodine too,
and that's basically table salt.
Now, I know you might be thinking you that's gross,
who uses table salt?
Huh, but consider this
one quarter teaspoon of iodized salt
contains 75 times more iodine than sea salt.
Now of course, salt is still salt no matter what.
So you do wanna use it sparingly
because too much salt in your diet
will lead to hypertension.
And I know you might be also thinking
about ultra processed foods or frozen foods
because those do contain a lot of salt too.
But interestingly enough
the salt in those ultra processed foods
is typically not iodized.
Bottom line it's worthwhile
to incorporate iodized salt occasionally,
especially if you are a vegan person
who does not frequently eat seaweeds
or sea moss.
Animal protein is typically referred
to as high quality or complete proteins
because it contains high amounts
of all of the essential amino acids
and it's also considered to be more digestible.
Plant-based protein is not considered complete
because it doesn't contain high amounts
of all of the essential amino acids.
And it's also considered to be a little bit less digestible
due to a difference in the structure.
The difference between animal and plant-based protein
is not a reason to dismiss the vegan diet.
When you are following a vegan diet
best practice is to consume a wide variety
of different types of plant-based proteins each day
in order to ensure that you are getting
all the essential amino acids that you need.
And you don't necessarily need to track
the grams of protein you are eating every day,
because if you are eating enough food
and eating a balanced diet
that will be enough to make sure
that you are eating enough protein
and getting all the essential amino acids.
Some food examples to plant-based proteins are beans,
lentils, nuts, seeds
and whole grains.
Although whole grains
aren't necessarily as dense of protein sources
compared to beans and lentils,
they still do contribute to overall protein intake
and the different essential amino acids
that you'll be getting.
So as far as physical health
plant-based proteins are adequate enough
to support increased muscle mass and strength.
So overall plant-based protein is an ideal choice
because it supports muscle mass and strength,
it's better at preserving muscle mass
and it's also less taxing to our kidneys.
This is Delilah for LIVEKINDLY.
Thank you so much for watching,
I hope you are ready to take some important information away
and learn that
there really is no nutrient to be super concerned about
when you are following a vegan diet.
The best is to put your focus
on eating a wide variety of foods from each food group
so that you can get all the nutrients that your body needs,
and that in addition to some of the supplements I mentioned
and your body should be all good.
If there are any questions we didn't get to,
anything else on your mind,
let us know in the comments below.
But other than that don't forget to subscribe
and hit the notification bell.
And again, thank you so much for watching
and I'll see you next time.