Sometimes it isn’t enough to eat a balanced variety of real, unprocessed foods in order to be a healthy vegan. Follow these 10 steps and you are definitely on your path to optimal vegan health.
iron
Best Vegetarian Sources of Iron and Bioavailability
There are plenty of foods which are high in iron. However, just because you are eating iron foods, it doesn’t mean your body is absorbing all the iron. Bioavailability refers to how well our body is able to absorb a certain nutrient. Many iron foods have a low bioavailability, but there are simple tricks you can do to increase iron absorption.
Iron Nutrient Guide for Vegetarians and Vegans
Iron is one of the most abundant minerals on the earth and is found in all living organisms. The mineral has been used in manufacturing as far back as 3500BC. It is possible that the name iron comes from the words meaning “holy metal” because iron was used to make swords during the Crusades.
Vegan Sources of Zinc
After iron, zinc is the most abundant mineral in our bodies. It is found in literally ever part of the body but has the biggest concentrations in the eyes and prostate. Which is why zinc deficiency can cause vision problems and (in men) fertility problems. Symptoms of zinc deficiency include fatigue, mental lethargy, diarrhea, skin lesions, white spots on nails, and slow wound healing. There are many vegan sources of zinc. However, these vegan zinc sources also contain high levels of antinutrients which block zinc absorption. So, some of those zinc foods might not be such good sources of zinc after all.