7 Nutrients You Can't Get from Plants

Dieting on plant-based foods alone may skip out on some important nutrients like vitamins B12 and D3. Supplementing these in your diet will ensure you’re getting everything your body needs to maintain health.
Vegan and vegetarian diets are both very healthy ways of eating.
They’ve been linked to multiple health benefits and a lower risk of excess weight, heart disease, and even some types of cancer.
However, a few nutrients are either difficult or impossible to get in adequate amounts from plant foods alone. That’s why it’s very important to be aware them and supplement your diet to maintain health or physical performance.
Some of these effects are stronger in people on a vegetarian diet than in meat eaters. For instance, vegetarians taking creatine supplements may experience significant improvements in brain function while people who eat meat see no difference (31).
This may be attributed to the meat eaters already having higher levels of creatine in their muscles as a result of their diet.
You can purchase vegan-friendly creatine supplements locally or online.
Summary
Creatine is a bioactive compound that’s lacking in plant-based diets. It plays an important role in brain and muscle function.
Vegan vitamin D3 supplements made from lichen are also available (61).
Summary
Cholecalciferol (D3) is a type of vitamin D found in animal-sourced foods, especially fatty fish, and it’s more effective at raising blood levels of vitamin D than the plant form of vitamin D (D2). Vegan vitamin D3 supplements can be purchased online.
DHA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that’s important for normal brain development and function (62).
Deficiency in DHA can have adverse effects on mental health and brain function, especially in children (63, 64). In addition, inadequate DHA intake in pregnant women may adversely affect fetal brain development (65).
It’s mainly found in fatty fish, fish oil, and certain types of microalgae.
In your body, DHA can also be made from the omega-3 fatty acid ALA, which is found in high amounts in flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts (66, 67, 68).
However, the conversion of ALA to DHA is very inefficient and may not increase blood levels of DHA sufficiently (69, 70). For this reason, vegetarians and vegans often have lower levels of DHA than meat eaters (71, 72, 73).
Vegans can get this important fatty acid by taking supplements in the form of algal oil, which is made from certain microalgae (74, 75, 76).