have you ever felt a little overwhelmed with knowing that you're getting all of the nutrients that you need when you're eating more plant-based foods so for example one of the most common questions that i get asked about plant-based foods and nutrients is how do i get enough protein it's really common knowledge that things like chicken beef eggs provide you with protein and some key nutrients but when you're not eating these things or when you're not eating them as frequently how do you know that you're getting enough protein and also enough of these other common nutrients that are found in some of these animal-based sources great question when switching to a plant-based lifestyle or even if you've been following a plant-based lifestyle for a while you want to pay extra attention to a few key nutrients that could potentially be missed in your diet especially if you're not fully aware of how to get them through plants or plant-based foods so i'm going to walk you through exactly what you need to know what you need to be a little bit more cautious of and conscious of from your protein intake to zinc and i'll also share how you can get them plentiful when eating plant-based i'd love to know where you are right now with plant-based eating are you simply looking for more plant-based foods in your diet right now or are you completely transitioning to eating a fully plant-based diet or have you already been practicing a vegetarian or a vegan diet let me know below [Music] if you're just finding my page for the first time hey i'm michael cowinga registered dietitian founder of nutrition stripped and creator of the method membership and i'm here to help you eat more plant-based whole foods in a really easy mindful and enjoyable way plants can provide us with an abundance and they do provide us with an abundance of nutrients vitamins minerals macronutrients and eating more plants regardless of whether or not you choose to practice a vegetarian or a vegan diet can be so beneficial to your overall well-being with that being said there are a few key nutrients that you just want to make sure that you're getting enough of that are commonly coming from most of your animal-based sources and animal-based proteins so as you're eating more plant-based you just want to make sure that you're being mindful so that you're getting enough of these to feel your best every day and giving your body what it needs so before i jump in i want you to know that if you're interested in eating more plant-based foods you can download my free guide where i take you through the entire process of what you need to know to create healthy eating habits by just eating more plant-based whole foods every single day i also include how you can build a really great delicious well-balanced meal in 15 minutes using my most popular recipes so be sure to grab that after you watch this video the first nutrient i want to address is protein i mentioned earlier that the most common question i get from the entire nutrition stripped global community when it comes to plant-based eating is am i getting enough protein even my clients who do consume animal proteins ask me this you need protein every single day to function it helps maintain bone skin muscle health it's also especially important for people looking to build muscle or again plant-based eaters who are also really active if you're not getting enough protein in your day-to-day diet you may notice that you might feel a little bit lethargic have low energy have increased hunger overall appetite is increased your hair and skin and nails may become really dry and brittle you may also be retaining a little bit more water than usual you might have slow wound healing from any cuts or scrapes you might be getting infections or you might be getting sick more often now while you don't need to eat meat to get enough protein since there are great sources of plant-based proteins available to you you do have to make sure that you are aiming for quality plant-based sources or enough of them throughout the day there used to be a push towards combining foods to make sure that you're getting all of the essential amino acids at every single meal amino acids are the building blocks of protein but research has shown that that's pretty much old news and what's more important is eating a variety of foods every single day try to eat a variety of foods every single week that have those different amino acids that our bodies will use so just keep that in mind as you eat of diverse range of starchy carbohydrates proteins healthy fats non-starchy carbohydrates if you do that you're likely to meet your needs and when in doubt always speak with a registered dietitian who can give you a full dietary assessment and support your individual needs that's what we're here for so some of the top and most popular plant-based proteins include tofu tempeh or organic varieties of those beans lentils nuts seeds and i have a video that you can check out on my website or on my youtube channel after this called 10 plant-based proteins that you should try where i break down each one how to use it some recipe ideas so definitely search for that after watching this if you're worried about your protein intake the second nutrient to know is iron your body needs iron to make hemoglobin which carries oxygen throughout the body now if you're not getting enough iron signs and symptoms will kind of vary in range but in general you might feel really low in energy have shortness of breath you might find that your skin tone is paler than your usual skin tone you might have changes in your menstrual cycle you might have headaches or lightheadedness heart palpitations you might have really dry and brittle hair and skin and nails or restless legs your nails might become spoon-shaped you might have really strange cravings for like chalk and ice you might feel really cold or have increases in anxiety the tricky thing about this nutrient and plant-based eating is that it's sometimes hard to absorb or harder to absorb and some foods can actually block your body's absorption so these foods include some polyphenols which are called tannins and these are found most often in coffee and tea and then also phytates which are found in whole grains and legumes so the trick is to eat iron rich foods like your whole grains your nuts your seeds some of your dark leafy greens fortified foods along with some vitamin c these are found in red bell peppers oranges grapefruit most of your fruits and vegetables because vitamin c helps your body absorb plant-based sources of iron and because the possibility of malabsorption is a possibility it's best to get lots of your iron from many sources and also remember not to take any calcium supplement around the time of an iron-rich meal because calcium competes with iron and it can hinder your body's way of absorbing it so spinach is a great source of iron and vitamin c and you can pair it with black beans which is also a great source of iron and protein another nutrient to be sure you're getting enough of is zinc zinc is a mineral and it helps your cells grow repair it plays a role in your thyroid health skin health aids in protein metabolism so basically you need it for everyday function and it's really important that you consume enough of it it also helps with immune function wound healing and dna synthesis now you may notice that you don't heal from your wounds like scrapes as quickly as you used to if you have a zinc deficiency you may see changes in your menstrual cycle you may experience weight loss or notice white spots on your nails loss of appetite and your sense of smell and taste are not as strong as if they were when you were getting enough zinc in your daily diet so like iron the body can have some trouble absorbing zinc so particularly in a plant-based diet or if you have unique digestive issues that make it a little bit more challenging for your body to absorb and utilize zinc it's really important and especially true when you're eating certain legumes and whole grains which contain phytates that block the absorption of zinc from your body this is especially true when eating legumes and whole grains which contain phytates that block the absorption found in a single meal where it's present not necessarily the entire intake of your day so cooking and preparation methods like soaking sprouting or even fermentation can help high phytate foods reduce the amount of phytic acid that they have which can really support your body in absorbing these key minerals baked beans cashews chickpeas hemp seeds pumpkin seeds and oats are great options for adding iron into your diet next up is vitamin d you need vitamin d in order to absorb calcium and therefore promote bone health it also plays a role in immune health cardiovascular health as well as many health systems including the pancreas muscles brain and cell cycles now according to the national health and nutrition examination survey about 42 percent of the population has a vitamin d deficiency so it's crucial to pay attention to how much you're getting in from your food and also how you're feeling if you have a vitamin d deficiency you may notice you're feeling really low in energy really tired most of the time getting sick more often having mood swings bone pain changes in your menstrual cycle depression anxiety and also hair loss most vitamin d sources come from animals namely fish but you can find it in fortified cereals and also in plant-based milk there are a few forms of vitamin d another nutrient to make sure that you're getting in your plant-based meals is calcium you might already know that calcium helps protect your bones as we just shared but it also helps with nerve and cell signaling it also helps with the dilation of blood vessels and muscle function overall now unlike other mineral or vitamin nutrient deficiencies a calcium deficiency isn't as noticeable so over time it can lead to bone loss it can lower bone density so that's why it's really important to be more proactive about your calcium intake than reactive you probably also remember hearing that you need to drink your milk or you need to drink your cow's milk right to help protect your bones which is partially true because calcium is important however you can still get calcium from plant-based foods by being really mindful of the intake and also enjoying fortified foods that contain calcium now keep in mind many plant-based foods contain calcium including really popular greens like collard greens or tahini sesame seeds bok choy and kale another good calcium-rich food to enjoy is organic tofu or tempeh for example when it's made with calcium sulfate it can contain up to 250 milligrams of calcium and one serving and the final vitamin that you need to know that you're getting enough of in your diet is b12 vitamin b12 is so important for producing dna and it's essential for red blood cell formation and cell metabolism however it can be tricky to get this vitamin if you do consume an animal free diet in fact one study found that about half of vegans are b12 deficient so like calcium it's really important to be very proactive with consuming enough vitamin b12 since it has long lasting effects if you do have a deficiency so you may be deficient if you feel lethargic which is a really common symptom of all of these have depression increases anxiety mood swings poor sleep paler skin than usual feeling of pens and needles throughout your body mouth ulcers or cuts and blurry vision now that doesn't mean that it's impossible to get enough of the nutrient though one of my favorite plant-based ingredients with b12 along with several other b vitamins is nutritional yeast and it is fortified with all of these b vitamins it's a really great cheesy flavor you can add it on top of any foundational five nourish meal that you have and in so many recipes now if you want the recipe ideas head over to nutritionstrip.com and simply search nutritional yeast and you'll find so many ideas including my chickpea burgers which are so great perfect for a plant-based meal and also my cheesy dust recipe also most almond milk or non-dairy milks like yogurts and cereals are fortified to include b12 calcium and vitamin d so most of the time when i have a client who's practicing a vegan lifestyle in particular i first recommend a dedicated b12 supplement to ensure the maintenance and also ensure that there's a high quality source present since it's so difficult to get enough being fully vegan and in addition some of my clients just depending on their lifestyle depending on their diet choices can also benefit from taking a multivitamin or specific vitamins to meet their dietary needs so if you're wondering about that just be sure to supplement smart and work with a registered dietitian like one of our ns wellness coaches at nutrition strip we're happy to help so wow we just covered a ton of information on what you should be eating to nourish yourself well also making sure that you're meeting your nutrient requirements but that's only part of the equation be sure to download my free guide where i share several other factors that play a key role in creating healthy plant-based eating habits for life and also maintaining them in your day-to-day life so stay tuned for a few other videos and resources that i think you will love if you'd like more support with plant-based eating then be sure to check out all my recipes and nutrition tips that i've linked here that i think you're really going to enjoy and as always if you like this video be sure to subscribe and hit the bell to be notified when i share more videos like this every single week i hope that you have a really beautiful day and remember health is a daily practice