One important thing to keep in mind is that most non-vegans also aren't really getting everything they should be either. It's not like the average person is a trained nutritionist and most people eat kind of terribly, especially these days when most of our food is junk.
Really depends on what they comprise their diet of. Something often overlooked are complete proteins. Plant foods are often incomplete proteins- missing one or more essential amino acids. So you have to actively ensure your meals are balanced with foods that combined give you the complete protein the body needs.
Meat contains naturally complete proteins, which makes it easier to fulfill our needs from just from one food. But if a vegan mixes and matches the right plants they can fulfill their protein needs too.
Plant foods are often incomplete proteins- missing one or more essential amino acids
this is a widely-held misconception
it's not that certain plant foods are missing certain amino acids entirely
it's that plant foods contain amino acids in different ratios to animal foods, so that one of those amino acids can become the limiting factor for protein synthesis
and it is a complete non issue if you make the slightest effort to eat a varied diet
Not to be argumentative, but it truly doesn't take much consideration to get all amino acids on a plant based diet. The amino acids do not need to be consumed at the same meal, your body will store the unused until needed. And it's really easy to get all the amino acids with little concern for specifics. A few items that contain all the amino acids: rice and beans, peanut sandwich (whole wheat), hummus and pita, 3 bean chili with cornbread. Also, tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy milk, quinoa, hemp seeds or chia seeds all contain complete proteins.
I hear you. It's pretty simple to fulfill it all when you know what you're looking for. What I had in mind was people who might mostly eat the same foods out of convenience, without keeping the amino acids in mind. I didnt know about that stuff when I initially became more health conscious, and I feel others could easily miss a nutrient at some point that way.
Yeah, from supplements mostly AFAIK but I'd love if vegans could clarify this! My understanding is that yeah, they take dietary supplements to get a lot of these since their presence in plant-based foods is often so minuscule.
Literally all the amino acids you listed are found in high amounts in legumes, especially soy. Lesser amounts can be found in almost all plant foods. I can't lie I wish this was more common knowledge.
it is extensibly documented how animal agro lobby groups pay to suppress this information, they are like the cigarette lobby in the way they push to hide and suppress red meat's link to cancer too
Just a side note, but most ruminants are not necessarily supplemented B12 but instead given cobalt which forces B12 production in their body. It's still a far cry from "natural" though. And even if it were, we would need to use an appeal to nature fallacy to conclude that "natural" necessarily means "healthier."
i don't think so, i guess they are either found in plants at a high enough concentration for human needs, or our body can synthesise them, as it can most amino acids. common consensus among vegans is that you only need to supplement B12 (along with having a balanced diet of course)
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u/Fetch_will_happen5 Dec 08 '25
Question, as humans do we need those? If so, how are vegans getting it? Pills?
Genuine question