- Protein You need to eat a variety of foods that contain different amino acids in order to make complete proteins. You want to eat things like grains and beans or pasta and beans, because the combination of the two foods has all the amino acids to make a complete protein. Here's a list of stuff you should be eating regularly: green leafy vegetables, grains, beans, tofu, nuts, nutritional yeast, seeds, legumes, organ meats.
- Calcium The average teen needs about 1200 milligrams of calcium per day, and adults need about 800 milligrams per day. We recommend a calcium supplement. You should note that calcium is listed on supplement bottles in two ways, and one way can be rather deceptive. If you see that your supplement contains 650 mg of calcium carbonate, that means that you are getting 650 mg of the source material, namely carbonate, which might contain only 200 mg of pure calcium. If, however, the label says that it contains 500 mg of calcium (carbonate), that means it really does contain 500 mg of calcium, and the source is merely mentioned in brackets. Look for the brackets.
- Vitamin B12 There are very few non-animal sources of this essential vitamin. You only need about 3 micrograms per day, so any multivitamin will probably supply you with enough, but there are other options as well. Vitamin B12 is available in fortified soy milks, nutritional yeasts, and in vitamin supplements. The best kind of supplements are called sub-lingual, so called because they are to be dissolved under the tongue instead of swallowed, so the vitamin goes directly into your bloodstream.
- Iron Most vegans do not have a problem with iron, contrary to popular belief. Green, leafy vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains all contain iron, so if you're eating the stuff we told you to eat to get your protein, you should be doing OK on the iron front.
SoYouWanna know more? Check out our full-length article SYW be a vegan?
