A vegetarian and especially a vegan diet can leave some gaping holes in your nutrient consumption. Luckily in today’s world we can eschew animal foods completely while still being able to supplement those missing nutrients back in.
In case you missed Part 1 in this series, it’s here. It covers the most well-known and the most important nutrient deficiencies that can occur on a vegan or vegetarian diet, including
1. Vitamin B-12
2. Vitamin D3
3. Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA
4. Pre-formed, true Vitamin A
But we still have a few more to go, and these nutrients can make a huge difference in how you feel.
Carni-nutrients – As the name implies, these are compounds that are only found in animal foods, namely creatine, taurine, carnosine and carnitine. The healthy body does synthesize these compounds in small amounts, but tissue levels tend to be lower in vegans and vegetarians than in omnivores.
Creatine – Creatine is an amino-acid like compound synthesized by the human body. It helps create and recycle ATP, the energy molecule used by our cells, and I think we all can agree more energy is a good thing.
One study states – “A battery of cognitive tests were performed by the women, both before and after the five days of study, with results showing that memory improved by about 40 percent in the vegetarians consuming the creatine supplements, compared with placebo.” 40% improvement in just 5 days of using creatine?
And another – “However, in vegetarians rather than in those who consume meat, creatine supplementation resulted in better memory.”
Because creatine supplementation didn’t seem to improve cognitive effects in omnivores as stated in the last study, it seems to show that vegans and vegetarians are experiencing a deficiency in the nutrient, as opposed to something like caffeine, which would show a boost in performance across the board. Most creatine supplements are vegan-friendly these days, and it’s dirt cheap and flavorless. Your dose need not be more than 3 grams a day, and no loading phase is necessary as some companies would have you believe. It’s also one of the few proven and safe athletic performance enhancers, so it will help all you athletes out there.
Taurine is another amino-acid like compound that is only found in animal foods, and one that is crucial for heart health. Here is a very in-depth article on taurine for anyone who’d like to do some further digging. Taken straight from the article – “Taurine promotes cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, electrolyte balance, hearing function, and immune modulation. In animal research, taurine protected against heart failure, reducing mortality by nearly 80%.” (bold and italics my addition) Yeah, 80%, that’s huge.
Taurine does not come from bull urine as some people believe, although it was first discovered in bull bile. Most all of the taurine on the market today is synthesized in labs and is therefore vegan. This is the product I use and it will last you quite a while, or you can save a few dollars by buying this product, which combines creatine and taurine as well as glutamine, an immune boosting, gut-healing amino acid.
Carnosine is a crucial nutrient that prevents glycation within the body. From the LEF website – “A fascinating paper recently published in the journal Mechanisms of Aging and Development presents an entirely new theory to explain why vegetarians do not live longer. It turns out that those who avoid eating beef suffer a deficiency of a nutrient (carnosine) that is critical to preventing lethal glycation reactions in the body.
For the benefit of new members, glycation can be defined as the toxic binding of glucose to the body’s proteins. Glycation alters the body’s proteins and renders them non-functional. While wrinkled skin is the first outward appearance of glycation, most degenerative diseases are affected in one way or another by pathological glycation reactions.” (bold my addition)
These Advanced Glycation End products, aptly called AGEs, are a major contributing factor to aging, disease states and yes, the dreaded wrinkly skin. Without nature’s most potent anti-glycation agent, carnosine, AGEs can potentially build up fast, especially if the diet is high in sugar or other fast digesting carbs, or in rancid vegetable oils. To increase your body’s levels of carnosine without consuming meat, you can supplement with Beta-alanine, which is a rate-limiting factor for the production of carnosine. Just 3 grams a day is plenty, although for fair warning, some people may notice a “flush”, where your skin gets tingly. I am one of those people, but usually I barely notice it. This is a normal side effect of consuming beta-alanine, known as parasthesia, and is in no way harmful.
Carnitine is yet another nutrient that is plentiful in animal foods that exerts beneficial effects in the human body. Carnitine is a key player in the breakdown and utilization of fat for energy, helping you to lose weight and increase energy levels; it is a powerful antioxidant, and improves bone and heart health. This study shows a reduction in fat and an increase in muscle mass, as well as a reduction in fatigue and increase in cognitive function through supplemental carnitine. Acetyl L-cartinine is a form that provides the biggest boost to your brain, improving memory, mood, and motivation, and is the kind I personally use, and it’s quite cheap; doses range from 500 to 2000 mg.
CoQ-10 is one more nutrient which may be lacking on a vegetarian and vegan diet. While some plants do contain Coenzyme Q-10, it is found much more abundantly in animal foods. In one study, a third of patients had CoQ-10 levels below what they should be, and this wasn’t even in vegan or vegetarians. CoQ-10 is used by every cell in your body to produce energy; it’s a potent antioxidant and boosts the immune system, but our bodies start producing less as we age. Our hearts contain the highest amount of CoQ-10 in our bodies and this should come as no surprise – the constant pumping of blood obviously requires a lot of energy, and CoQ-10 is vital for energy production. Further, anyone taking statins to lower their cholesterol should be required to take supplemental CoQ-10, as statins inhibit your body’s production of this essential nutrient. Pretty ironic, considering people are prescribed statins to protect their heart, while actually depriving their heart of this key nutrient. Here is a very well priced, vegan CoQ-10, using the form of this coenzyme that is most bioavailable. At 100 mg per pill, you wouldn’t have to take one each and every day – maybe twice a week for readers below 40, every other day for those over 40-50, and once daily for readers above 50, those on statins or anyone doing lots of marathon, triathlon, or Iron Man training, as these have been shown to have deleterious effects on the heart.
Finally, vegans and vegetarians may be deficient in zinc and other minerals as well. Whereas our bodies can produce the other nutrients listed in this post if given the right raw materials, minerals must be obtained from the diet. Plants are abundant in certain minerals like magnesium, while other minerals such as zinc are much better obtained from animal sources.
Another confounding factor is that many grains, nuts, seeds and beans, which can make up the majority of a vegan/vegetarian diet, contain antinutrients such as phytic acid, glucosinolates, lectin and oxalic acid, which actually inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients. Phytic acid in particular binds with minerals in your digestive system, rendering them unable to be absorbed. Maintaining proper mineral levels is beyond crucial for preventing disease states, achieving optimal health and feeling generally badass – the difference in how you feel when you get adequate magnesium and iodine, for example, is pretty profound.
These antinutrients can be reduced by soaking and sprouting your seeds, nuts and grains before consuming them, a process that does takes some time and foresight, but many companies are now selling pre-sprouted grain and nut products, eliminating the need to do so yourself. This product is a nice blend of minerals, and all of them are actually in highly absorbable forms, which is a rare find.
Sound like a lot to keep up with? It kind of is, but try some of these supplements and notice the difference in energy levels, immunity, improved mood and the improved quality of your hair, skin and nails. I don’t think every single vegetarian needs to use all of these supplements, but I wanted to provide this information for those who are interested or for those who may notice less energy after giving up animal products. These supplements are more important for vegans, who abstain from all animal based products, and for the aging or extreme exercising vegetarians.
These nutrients are so important that I supplement with all of them from time to time and I’m not even a vegan or vegetarian. You don’t have to break the bank all at once either; go buy some creatine, it’s dirt cheap, and play around with that for a while. Then try out carnitine and notice how your energy levels go up and cognition improves. Pay attention to how your mood gets lifted and stabilizes after using the Country Life Mineral Blend, and how your skin becomes clear and hair becomes lustrous after getting adequate Omega 3s.
The nutrients listed in the first post are likely more pressing, along with getting adequate minerals, so if you’re tight on cash and can only afford a few items, stick to those.
