Selenium is crucially important for proper thyroid function and the metabolism of thyroid hormones. Selenium also is important for reproduction and helps to make DNA and protect against cell damage and infections.⁽¹⁾

Symptoms of selenium deficiency include nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, lethargy, seizures, and male infertility.⁽¹⁾

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for selenium and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Selenium:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for selenium is 400 mcg per day for teens and adults.⁽¹⁾

Symptoms of selenium toxicity include a garlic odor in the breath, metallic taste in the mouth, hair loss, brittle nails, tremors, lightheadedness, kidney failure, and even death.⁽¹⁾

How to Absorb More Selenium on a Vegan Diet

Selenium and iodine work together to keep your thyroid gland healthy. Too much of one can cause a deficiency in the other.

By maintaining recommended intakes for each of these minerals, you likely won’t have to worry about a deficiency of either one.

Best Vegan Sources of Selenium

The amount of selenium in foods depends on the amount of selenium present in the soil they’re grown in. The amount of selenium in soil varies by geographical region, which means it can be more difficult for people living in certain regions to get enough selenium from their diet.^{(1, 2)}

Generally, people living in the United States and Canada have a lower risk of selenium deficiency because the selenium content of the soil in these regions tends to be higher. Areas of the world with generally low levels of selenium include New Zealand and certain regions in China and Europe.^{(1, 2)}

Fortunately, many low-selenium regions import food from higher-selenium regions or add selenium to fertilizers. Many foods are fortified with selenium as well.⁽¹⁾

The best vegan selenium source is hands down the Brazil nut.

Top vegan sources of selenium are:

• Brazil nuts
• Couscous
• Whole wheat pasta
• Sunflower seeds
• Chia seeds
• Soybeans
• Oatmeal
• Firm tofu
• Whole wheat bread

Keep in mind, the selenium content of these foods depend on where they were grown, but generally the vegan selenium sources listed here are higher in selenium than other sources.

Vegans & Selenium Supplements

Because of the import and export of foods from different regions, it’s not always easy to tell whether you’re getting too little or too much selenium.

Most vegans in the U.S. and other high-selenium areas that eat a variety of foods like whole grains and beans are likely to get enough selenium through their diet and don’t need to supplement.^{(1, 2)}

Vegans in low-selenium areas may benefit from incorporating Brazil nuts into their diet or using a supplement with a moderate dose of selenium.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Iodine Sources
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World

The post Vegan Selenium Sources: The Essential Guide appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

Iodine is crucially important for maintaining a healthy thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism. It’s also important for a properly functioning immune system.^{(1, 2)}

Iodine deficiency or excess can result in hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, fetal and childhood developmental disorders, goiter, and problems with metabolism.^{(1, 2)}

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for iodine and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Iodine:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for iodine is 1,100 mcg for adults.⁽¹⁾

How to Absorb More Iodine on a Vegan Diet

Certain foods, called goitrogens, make iodine more difficult for your body to absorb.⁽³⁾ These foods include soy; flax seeds; and raw cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

If you’re iodine deficient, eating a diet that’s high in goitrogens can make an iodine deficiency worse and could lead to the development of a goiter (enlarged thyroid gland).⁽³⁾

You can reduce the harmful effects of goitrogens by cooking them.⁽³⁾

Iodine works with selenium to keep your thyroid gland healthy. Too much of one can cause a deficiency in the other.

Best Vegan Sources of Iodine

In nature, iodine almost always occurs as salt rather than as simply the element itself, which is why it’s often referred to as iodide instead of iodine.⁽³⁾

Foods from the ocean are naturally highest in iodine, though the iodine content of those foods varies and is therefore unreliable. It’s easy to get too little or too much iodine from oceanic sources of iodine.

On land, the amount of iodine in plants depends on the amount of iodine in the soil in which they’re grown. Soil iodine content varies by geographical region.⁽²⁾ Plants grown near the ocean tend to be higher in iodine than plants grown farther from the ocean.

In over 70 countries including the United States and Canada, iodine is added to table salt at a rate of about 47 mcg per 1/8–1/4 teaspoon of salt. Be sure to look for salt that says on the package that it is “iodized.” Sodium in packaged foods is usually not iodized. Sea salt usually isn’t iodized.

The best vegan sources of iodine include:

• Seaweed (kelp, nori, kombu, wakame, etc.)
• Iodized table salt
• Iodine-fortified non-dairy milk
• Soy sauce
• Enriched bread
• Enriched pasta

Check nutrition labels for the iodine content of fortified and enriched foods — these tend to be reliable.

The nutrition labels for iodine content of seaweed products cannot be relied upon for accuracy.

It’s generally not a good idea to rely only on iodized salt to meet your iodine requirements because you can wind up getting too much sodium. One 1/4 teaspoon of salt contains 580 grams of sodium (which is about 1/3 of the RDA for sodium for adults).

Vegans & Iodine Supplements

Most people don’t need to take iodine supplements because they get enough iodine from their diet. Over-supplementing iodine can have serious negative health effects similar to those associated with iodine deficiency.⁽²⁾

People who may benefit from iodine supplements include vegans who are pregnant or lactating; people who restrict salt intake; people living in regions with iodine-deficient soil; and people who don’t use iodized salt.⁽²⁾

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Selenium Sources
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World

The post Vegan Iodine Sources: The Essential Guide appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

Your body uses zinc for normal growth, DNA and protein synthesis, proper immune system function, and wound healing. It’s also important for proper sense of taste and smell.⁽¹⁾ If you’re someone who catches colds easily, getting more zinc in your diet could help solve that problem.

Symptoms of zinc deficiency are serious and include delayed growth and delayed sexual maturation in kids, poor wound healing, hair loss, impaired immune function, and dermatitis.

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for zinc and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Zinc:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for zinc is 40 mg for adults.

Symptoms of zinc toxicity include loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, reduced immune function, nausea, vomiting, decreased “good” HDL cholesterol levels, and deficiencies in other nutrients such as copper and iron.⁽²⁾

How to Absorb More Zinc on a Vegan Diet

Unlike some other vitamins and minerals, your body has no way to store zinc, so it’s important to get enough zinc in your diet on a daily basis.

Ways to increase the amount of zinc your body absorbs from food include:

Protein: Eat foods that are high in protein, such as legumes and nuts.

Phytates: Eat foods that are low in phytates and avoid eating foods that are high in phytates, which decrease zinc absorption. Unfortunately, most plants can be rather high in phytates, which bind to zinc, making it difficult for your body to absorb.

Sprouted foods: Sprouted legumes, grains, and seeds can help break phytate binds, making the zinc in these foods easier to absorb. You can sprout these foods yourself by soaking them in water for several hours and then letting them sit out and form sprouts.

Leavening: The leavening in many baked goods also helps breaks down phytate. Leavening is a substance used in baking that helps dough to rise (such as yeast or baking powder).

Fermented foods: The fermenting process for certain soy foods such as miso and tempeh also helps break down phytate, making the zinc in these foods easier for your body to absorb.

Best Vegan Sources of Zinc

There are a lot of plant foods that contain zinc, so vegans have plenty of options when it comes to finding reliable sources of zinc on a daily basis.

Top vegan sources of zinc are:

• Oatmeal
• Tofu
• Cashews
• Sunflower seeds
• Chickpeas
• Lentils
• Almonds
• Pecans
• Tempeh
• Kidney beans
• Peas
• Chia seeds
• Walnuts
• Peanut butter

Vegan sources of both zinc and protein are:

• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Grains

Many zinc sources are already high in protein, which means as a vegan it’s not difficult to absorb adequate amounts of zinc.

Vegans & Zinc Supplements

Most people don’t need to take zinc supplements because they get enough zinc from their diet.

People who could benefit from zinc supplements are people who are pregnant or lactating, alcoholics, and people with certain diseases such as sickle cell and gastrointestinal diseases. 

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Meat Brands
• Vegan Protein Sources
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World

The post Vegan Zinc Sources: The Essential Guide appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

Calcium is best known for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Less famously, calcium assists in muscle function, blood vessel contraction, and blood clotting.⁽¹⁾

Calcium deficiency can cause a condition called hypocalcemia. Symptoms of calcium deficiency include weak nails, slow hair growth, fragile skin, seizures, memory loss, hallucinations, numbness and tingling.⁽¹⁾

Effects of long-term calcium deficiency include eye damage, abnormal heartbeat, osteoporosis, increased risk of bone fracture, and even death.⁽¹⁾

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for calcium and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Calcium:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The daily tolerable upper intake levels for calcium are 3,000 mg for adolescents, 2,500 mg for adults, and 2,000 mg for adults over 50.

Calcium toxicity from food is rare and is more often found in excessive intakes of calcium from supplements.

Symptoms of calcium toxicity include constipation, calcium buildup in soft tissues, kidney stones, hypercalcemia, stomach pain, nausea, and depression.

How to Absorb More Calcium on a Vegan Diet

You can absorb more calcium by eating a little at a time throughout the day rather than trying to consume it all in one sitting. This is because more calcium is absorbed when your body’s calcium reserves are short and less is absorbed when your reserves are full.

Calcium absorption is highest in doses under 500 mg.

Calcium & Oxalates

Oxalates are naturally occurring compounds that bind to calcium, making some of it unavailable to your body. Unfortunately for vegans, pretty much all plant foods contain oxalates.

Some high-calcium foods like spinach and almonds are high in oxalates as well, which means that despite those foods being high in calcium, your body isn’t able to actually use most of it.

Some other high-oxalate foods are tea, beer, chocolate, Swiss chard, beets, peanuts, and cashews.

Don’t worry, there are still plenty of low-oxalate foods for vegans to choose from.

Calcium & Vitamin D

You can also increase your calcium absorption by getting enough vitamin D. You can do this by making sure you get at least 15 minutes of sun exposure every day and by consuming foods fortified with vitamin D.

Contrary to what many people believe, dairy doesn’t naturally contain significant amounts of vitamin D. Dairy products that contain vitamin D have been fortified, which means that vitamin D was added to those products.⁽²⁾ The vitamin D used in fortified non-dairy products is just as good as the vitamin D used to fortify dairy products.

There are different types of vitamin D and not all of them are vegan. I recommend reading my page on vitamin D to find out everything you need to know about the different types of vitamin D how to get enough of it on a vegan diet.

Best Vegan Sources of Calcium

Oxalates are abundant in plant foods, but there are some low-oxalate sources of calcium available to vegans.

Top vegan sources of low-oxalate, high-calcium foods:

• Fortified non-dairy products
• Tofu (calcium-set)
• Kale
• Bok choy
• Mustard greens
• Turnip greens
• Watercress
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Collards
• Chia seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Edamame
• Kidney beans
• Chickpeas

Fortified foods are the only vegan foods that contain significant amounts of both calcium and vitamin D. They often have the same amount of calcium and vitamin D as fortified dairy products, sometimes more.

Vegan foods high in both calcium and vitamin D are:

• Calcium-set tofu
• Fortified non-dairy milk
• Fortified non-dairy yogurt

Vegans & Calcium Supplements

Mild to moderate calcium deficiencies are common among both vegans and non-vegans. Most people should consider taking at least a low-dose calcium supplement in addition to calcium from their diet.

People who may benefit from a regular calcium supplement include people with a high protein diet; people with a high sodium diet; people with a digestive disorder that interferes with their body’s absorption of calcium; people who are being treated with corticosteroids over a long period of time; and people with osteoporosis.

Calcium is best absorbed a little at a time, so splitting a calcium supplement in half and taking the first half in the morning and the second half at night will result in your body absorbing more of it than taking the whole tablet at one time.

Types of Calcium Supplements

The two most common forms of calcium in supplements are calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.⁽³⁾

Calcium carbonate is more common and relatively inexpensive compared to calcium citrate and can cause gastrointestinal side effects in some people, including gas, bloating, and constipation. It’s better absorbed when taken with food.

Calcium citrate is generally superior to calcium carbonate because it doesn’t rely on stomach acid for absorption, which means it’s easily absorbed with or without food and is less likely to cause the gastrointestinal side effects associated with calcium carbonate.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Vitamin D Sources
• Vegan Phosphorus Sources (Coming soon!)
• Vegan Vitamin B12 Sources
• Vegan Protein Sources
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World

The post Vegan Calcium Sources: The Essential Guide appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.

Iron is best known as an essential component of hemoglobin in your red blood cells, which helps transport oxygen throughout your circulatory system.⁽¹⁾

Less famously, iron supports healthy muscle metabolism and healthy connective tissue and is necessary for physical growth, neurological development, cellular functioning, and synthesis of some hormones.⁽¹⁾

Iron deficiency is common around the world and is especially common in young kids, women of reproductive age, and people living in developing countries.⁽¹⁾

Not getting enough iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which is characterized by weakness; fatigue; and impaired cognitive function, immune function, and body temperature regulation.⁽¹⁾

Types of Iron

There are two types of iron: heme and non-heme.⁽¹⁾

Both help your body perform the same tasks, but they differ in a few key ways:

Heme Iron

• Found in animals (meat, dairy, eggs)
• Easily absorbed
• Not well-regulated by the body

Non-Heme Iron

• Found in plants
• Not easily absorbed (on its own)
• Well-regulated by the body

Heme vs. Non-Heme

Heme iron is more easily absorbed by your body than non-heme iron⁽²⁾ — which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

The structure of heme iron is tighter than non-heme iron, making it more sturdy against outside factors like tannins and phytates, which decrease absorption of non-heme iron. But this isn’t the only reason your body absorbs heme iron more efficiently.

Your body’s iron-absorption gatekeeper is a protein called hepcidin, which is responsible for keeping your iron stores in balance.⁽³⁾ Hepcidin is good at suppressing absorption of excess non-heme iron, but may be less successful at suppressing absorption of excess heme iron.⁽⁴⁾

Negative Health Effects of Long-Term Excess Iron

While your body needs some iron to be healthy, too much iron can have serious negative health effects.

Many meat-eaters consume meat and other animal products at every meal, which is way too much iron.

To put this in perspective, just two servings of red meat per week is generally enough to supply an adult man or post-menopausal woman with enough iron; women of child-bearing age need about double that. Everything above that is too much (which is why the better-regulated, non-heme iron found in plants is preferable).

When your body has excess iron and needs somewhere to put it, the excess iron gets stored in your organs, potentially leading to a multitude of health issues like gallstones, weakened immune system, and heart disease.

Iron is a pro-oxidant — the opposite of an antioxidant.⁽⁵⁾ High levels of “free” iron in your body causes oxidative stress (free radicals) which can cause DNA damage and the development of certain cancers including colon cancer.^{(6, 7)}

Daily Recommendations

Nutritional recommendations for iron and other nutrients are developed by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) to plan and assess the nutrient intakes of healthy people.

Because non-heme iron is absorbed at a lower rate than heme iron, daily recommendations for non-heme iron for vegans are 1.8 times higher than for non-vegans to account for this difference.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for Non-Heme Iron for Vegans:

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily intake of a nutrient that’s sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
Adequate Intake (AI): approximate intake assumed to be nutritionally adequate based on limited research, though still not enough evidence to develop an RDA.
Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake that’s unlikely to cause adverse health effects.

The daily Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for iron is 45 mg for teens and adults.

Taking too much iron at a time (above the UL) can lead to upset stomach, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and fainting.

Extremely high one-time ingestions are almost always from supplements and can result in overdoses of iron causing multi system organ failure, coma, convulsions, and even death.

Symptoms of acute toxicity occur at iron intakes of 20–60 mg/kg of body weight and death occurs at about 200–250 mg/kg.

How to Absorb More Iron on a Vegan Diet

Split it up: You can absorb more non-heme iron by eating a little at a time throughout the day rather than trying to consume it all in one sitting. This is because your body absorbs more iron when it needs it and less when it doesn’t.

Cast iron cookware: The iron your body needs is the same as the iron in a cast iron skillet. Every time you use cast iron cookware, some of the iron from the cookware is imparted into the food you’re cooking.

Food pairing: Pairing iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C and eating foods that naturally contain both iron and vitamin C can increase non-heme iron absorption by up to 300%.

Avoid certain foods: Avoid pairing iron-rich foods with coffee, tea, and calcium-rich foods, as these can actually decrease iron absorption.

Best Vegan Sources of Iron

Vegans can find relatively high amounts of iron in these foods:

• Vegetables: broccoli, potatoes, tomato sauce, Swiss chard, collard greens
• Nuts and seeds: pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, cashews, unhulled sesame seeds
• Legumes: lentils, soybeans, lima beans, black beans, chickpeas
• Grains: quinoa, fortified cereals, brown rice, oatmeal
• Other: tofu, tempeh, blackstrap molasses, prune juice, dark chocolate (45-69% cacao)

Vegetables are the only foods that naturally contain significant amounts of both iron and vitamin C.

Vegan foods high in both iron and vitamin C are:

• Broccoli
• Potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Bok choy
• Bell peppers
• Asparagus
• Tomato sauce

Food pairing is already happening without you even noticing. It’s actually pretty common for iron-rich foods to be served alongside foods high in vitamin C. Examples of this are pairing beans and rice with salsa, hummus with lemon juice, or falafel with tomatoes.

Vegans & Iron Supplements

Iron supplements aren’t necessary for everyone, but people at risk of developing a deficiency might want to consider them.

At particular risk are women who are pregnant, women who have heavy menstrual bleeding, frequent blood donors, people with cancer, people with gastrointestinal disorders, people with celiac disease, and people with heart failure.

Too much iron causes oxidative stress,⁽⁵⁾ which can lead to a multitude of health problems, so it’s best to only take an iron supplement if you absolutely need to and only take as much as you absolutely need.

Disclaimer: The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. To make sure your diet is providing you with the correct amount of nutrients your body needs, be sure to consult a nutrition specialist (ie: registered dietitian) with expertise in vegan diets.

Related:

• Vegan Nutrition 101
• Vegan Sources of Vitamin C (Coming soon!)
• Vegan Sources of Protein
• Vegan Sources of Zinc
• Vegan-Friendly Food From Around the World

The post Vegan Iron Sources: Heme vs. Non-Heme appeared first on Vegan Rabbit.