Plant-based nutrition: the nutrients worth watching
A well-planned plant-based diet is healthy at every life stage, but a handful of nutrients need attention: vitamin B12, iron, omega-3, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, iodine, selenium, protein and choline. Most are easy to cover with the right foods; B12, and often vitamin D and iodine, are best secured with a supplement.
See what your diet might be missing. Free, in 60 seconds →The point of eating more plants isn't to worry about nutrition. It's to make it simple. This guide covers the ten nutrients a UK plant-based diet most often runs low on, why each one matters, and the everyday foods that cover it. Every figure here uses UK reference intakes (NHS and SACN), because fortification rules and products differ from the US.
You don't need to track any of this. Tell our free tool how you eat and it will show you your own short watch-list in about a minute.
The ten nutrients to watch
- Vitamin B12It comes from bacteria, not the plant itself, so plant foods rarely carry it unless they are fortified.
- IronPlant (non-haem) iron is absorbed less easily than the iron in meat.
- Omega-3Plant omega-3 (ALA) converts poorly into the active forms your body uses, EPA and DHA.
- Vitamin DVery little comes from food. Most is made from sunlight on your skin, and plant sources are largely fortified ones.
- CalciumWithout dairy it takes a bit of planning: calcium-set tofu, fortified plant milks and certain greens do the work.
- ZincPlant zinc is bound up with phytates in wholegrains and legumes, which lowers how much you absorb.
- IodineOften low without dairy or fish, and plant levels depend on the soil the food was grown in.
- SeleniumPlant levels swing with the soil, so intake can be low or erratic on a plant-based diet in the UK.
- ProteinVery achievable on plants, but it helps to include a good source at each meal and vary them across the day.
- CholineRichest in animal foods, so plant-based diets tend to run lower and it is easy to overlook.
Common questions
Is a plant-based diet healthy?
Yes. UK and international dietetic bodies agree that a well-planned vegan or vegetarian diet is suitable for all ages, including pregnancy. "Well-planned" mainly means covering the handful of nutrients on this page, above all vitamin B12.
What is the one supplement every vegan should take?
Vitamin B12. It is not reliably found in plants, and a daily supplement (or reliably fortified foods) is the dependable route. Many people also benefit from vitamin D in winter and, on a plant-based diet, an algae-based omega-3.
Do I need to track my food to eat well?
No. Logging every meal is tedious and most people give up. Plentish takes the opposite approach: it derives a short watch-list from how you eat and shows you the easiest foods to cover it.