Hello, I study nutrition and would love to share some light on recommendations for a healthy diet.

First as a disclaimer, I do not encourage people to look for specific micronutrients in their foods unless they find joy in doing so. Food and diet anxiety are huge issues and have created a dangerous diet culture which can cause people to quit diets or splurge on expensive supplements.

A Balanced Diet (easy mode)

My general recommendation for people looking to go vegan is to consume 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables every day, several (1-4) servings of whole grains and legumes, some omega-3 rich oil or seed (1-3 tbsp), and if you want more calories, throw in a fatty nut or nut butter like peanuts/peanut bytter. Here’s an example:

Serving of legumes: ~1/5 block of tofu, 1/2 cup side of green peas, 1/2 cup of navy beans in a stew/chili

Serving of whole grains: 1 slice of 100% whole grain bread, ~60g of whole wheat pasta, 1/2 cup of rolled/steal cut oats

Serving of fruit: 1 orange/apple/banana, 1/2 cup of berries, 3-5 strawberries,

Serving of vegetables: 1 carrot (5-6 baby carrots), 1/2 cup of broccoli, 1/2 cup of spinach or other leafy greens (e.g., 1-2 outer leaves of a green lettuce head)

Serving of seed/oil: 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp of flax meal, 2 tbsp of hemp seeds, 1-2 tbsp of canola oil

If you do that every day with the addition of daily fortified foods like 1.5 - 2.5 cups of soy, almond, or milk, you’ll be perfectly suited to a sustainable healthy diet.

However, I know many people have trouble completing these goals every day since we are suited to processed diets, so just shoot to hit most of these goals and then throw a multivitamin in which might target

Targets

Generally, I see vegans miss out on a few nutrients as a whole such as Vit. D, B12, Omega 3s, and Zinc. However, nutritional deficiencies are usually found to be specific to the person. For example, if you eat beans regularly as a part of your diet, zinc is probably not an issue. If you cook with canola oil and eat flax meal with food every day, omega 3s are not a concern.

For that, this resource is very helpful! For those that worry about inadequacies, these individuals can find options from your list and add them to their diet as they try them out in recipes.

Resources

1. This post: sources of various vitamins, minerals, lipids, etc
2. NIH Nutrient Fact Sheet: in depth information for physicians and normal people alike
3. Cronometer: track every nutrient imaginable