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If you're considering going vegan, you might be asking yourself, "Can I get the nutrients I need from a vegan diet?" When you first start considering a vegan diet, everything can seem confusing and overwhelming. People often worry about missing out on important nutrients. Protein is one of the biggest concerns for most people, but they also worry about other nutrients like protein, calcium, iron, essential fatty acids, and vitamin B12.
The truth is, you don't have to worry. There are plenty of healthy vegan options. By filling your plate with a variety of whole plant foods (like fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds) at every meal instead of meat, dairy, and eggs, you're likely to get more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Plant-based foods are incredibly beautiful, and as long as we consume enough energy from a variety of healthy, whole plant foods, we'll get everything our bodies need to thrive.

protein
Protein is a major concern for most people. Some vegetarian foods contain only 18 of the 20 amino acids, while soybeans only contain 15. Amino acids (and amino acid foods) are essential for muscle building, hormone production, and enzymes, all of which are derived from protein. Therefore, protein is extremely important. In Eastern countries, protein intake comes primarily from wheat gluten, dried tofu, and other foods, but these foods lack complete protein. Therefore, vegetarians should consider a variety of legumes. Key sources of protein include various beans, bean sprouts, fruits and vegetables, wheat, nuts, and seeds.
The recommended daily intake is 38 grams for adult men and 29 grams for adult women.

calcium
We've all been taught to believe that we need to drink milk to have strong, healthy bones. While it's true that we do need calcium for bone health, we don't need to get it from milk. Plant foods can provide all the calcium we need. The main sources of calcium are:
Vegetables: celery, rapeseed, carrots, cabbage, watercress, coriander, black fungus, seaweed, mushrooms, etc.
Fruits and dried fruits: lemon, loquat, apple, black dates, apricots, tangerine cakes, peaches, almonds, hawthorn, raisins, walnuts, watermelon seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried mulberries, peanuts, lotus seeds, sesame seeds, etc.
Beans and soy products: soybeans, edamame, lentils, broad beans, tofu, dried tofu, tofu skin, fermented tofu, etc.
The recommended daily intake is 1000 mg for adults aged 19 to 50 and 1200 mg for adults aged 51 and above.
 
iron
Many people believe that vegetarians must avoid iron because they don't eat meat. However, the difference in iron deficiency rates between vegetarians and non-vegetarians is minimal, and humans are fully capable of absorbing and utilizing plant-derived iron. Iron-rich plant foods include whole grains, beans (especially black beans), dark leafy vegetables, seaweed (kelp), tofu, and pumpkin seeds.
The recommended daily intake is 10 mg for adult men and 15 mg for adult women.

Essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6)
We often hear omega-3s referred to as "good" fatty acids that we need more of, while omega-6s are seen as something we should consume less. However, both fatty acids are essential for human health. The question isn't just about balance, but about good versus bad. Ideally, we should have a 1:1 or, at most, 3:1 balance of omega-6 to omega-3. Typically, in our Western diet, the balance ranges from 16:1 to 50:1. A high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been linked to a variety of conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, depression, heart disease, stroke, and even cancer. Achieving this balance can be achieved in two ways: by reducing omega-6s or increasing omega-3s. Cutting back on omega-6s is easy by reducing your intake of processed foods, processed vegetable oils, and animal products. If you need to supplement with omega-3s, you can find algae oils, whole plant sources, including flaxseed, walnuts, and canola oil.
Vitamin B12
This is a vitamin that plant-based dieters will find difficult to obtain, so it should be supplemented. If you can't eat eggs, you can get it from soy milk with added cereal. Nowadays, soy milk and soy milk are also fortified with vitamin B12, and kelp also has vitamin B12.
In addition, vegetarians should also pay attention to:

1. Supplement more vitamin C in the diet to promote iron absorption, such as green peppers, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, etc.

2. When cooking, try to use an iron pan and season with more vinegar and lemon to help dissolve and absorb the iron;

3. Eat more fruits rich in vitamin C, such as dates, citrus, etc.

4. To get enough zinc, you need to eat some nuts and oilseed foods regularly, such as sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, black sesame seeds, etc.

5. Vitamin B12 can be supplied through fungal foods and fermented soy products, including various mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, fungus, etc., as well as bean paste, fermented tofu, fermented black beans, fermented glutinous rice, etc.

6. Eating more soy products, various nuts and green leafy vegetables is a good way to get antioxidants.

Eat less sweets, cook light meals, and try to replace refined white rice and flour with a variety of whole grains to promote health and maintain a suitable weight.