A vegan diet can become a great contributor to your overall health condition. Eating too much meat can raise your cholesterol and lead to obesity. While a vegan diet can have a lot of health benefits. Studies show that a plant-based diet full of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals can lower your risk of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers. This type of diet usually has less saturated fat and cholesterol, and more fiber, which helps with healthy digestion and weight management. However, there are some risks associated with a vegan diet. Humans are used to eating meat, which is also biologically justifiable. That’s why it’s important for vegans to get regular check-ups. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the important blood tests and exams you should get if you’re on a plant-based diet. Also, if you want to have access to all your medical records, you need to get into the idea of what is virtual phone number by eSimPlus. They’re the best virtual phone number provider, so you can stay connected to the internet anywhere.
Tests for Vegans
There’s a list of things vegans should get checked out once or twice a year, at the very least.
1. General blood test
This is a basic test that can help you see if there’s anything wrong with your body. Even if you’re not on any special diet or following any specific guidelines, it’s still worth getting it done.
2. Protein
So, if you’re not eating enough protein, or your diet is wrong, that could also affect your total protein levels. If you don’t get enough protein from animal sources, like meat and dairy, you can try adding more plant-based options like soybeans and legumes. And you can also check your amino acid levels, which are the building blocks of protein.
Include the veggie protein sources, such as well as fortified veggie milk, soy foods, quinoa, chia and hemp seeds, and nutritional yeast.
3. Iodine
Iodine is crucial for the thyroid and metabolism, but vegans might have a problem with it because they don’t eat iodized food. Seaweed and seafood are good sources of iodine, but if you don’t include those in your diet and live somewhere with low iodine levels, you could get deficient.
4. Zinc
Zinc is mainly found in animal products and is essential for metabolism, the immune system, and cell repair. It has the same absorption mechanism as iron. It’s not well absorbed from plant-based foods, so vegans and vegetarians are at risk of zinc deficiency.
5. Iron and Ferritin
A lot of vegans and vegetarians have a common problem, which is iron deficiency. It happens in 90% of cases. The best way to get this element is through heme iron, which is found in meat and liver. 60% of women have a latent iron deficiency, while 10% have an obvious one, leading to iron deficiency known as anemia.
Eat lots of iron-rich foods like beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Dark leafy greens and fortified breakfast cereals are also good. To help your body absorb more iron, try combining these foods with vitamin C-rich foods, like citrus fruits and bell peppers.
6. B12
Vegans and vegetarians are more likely to be deficient in this vitamin because it’s mainly found in animal products. Include foods that are fortified with B12, like veggie milk, cereals, and nutritional yeast. Also, make sure to take supplements or eat fortified B12 foods on a regular basis.
7. Calcium
Calcium is a mineral that’s important for strong bones and teeth. If you don’t get enough of it, it can cause problems like brittle bones or tooth decay. The most common reason for calcium deficiency is not eating enough dairy products. Choose plant-based milks like soy, almond or oats, which are all fortified with calcium. You can also go for calcium-fortified tofu and orange juice. Tahini, almonds and leafy greens like cabbage and kale are good sources of calcium too.
8. Omega-3
Omega-3 is something that vegans and vegetarians need to be careful about. If you’re on a strict diet and don’t eat meat, fish or dairy, you might be low on omega-3s. Usually, vegans have lower levels of omega-3 than non-vegans. If you really want to avoid supplements, that’s fine, but you should know that omega-3 comes from Antarctic krill, so it’s only in fish. A lot of vegans don’t want to take supplements made from fish. If you look at plant-based sources of omega fats, they have more omega-6s and omega-9s. So, the balance will be off.
Try to include plant-based sources of omega-3s like flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and algae supplements.
If you plan your diet well, being vegan can be a great option if you want to help yourself and the environment. But it’s a big change that requires some sacrifices. That’s why it’s important to be aware of your health and get regular check-ups.
