How to avoid the hidden health pitfalls of cutting out meat and dairy (2024)

Eating a vegan diet could not only help you lose weight and eat more veggies — it could also reduce your biological age.

In a move that's likely to encourage people to make the switch, researchersat Stanford University in Californiafound volunteers who ate plant-based foods for just eight weekshad decreased signs of ageingcompared to those who stuck to their normal diet.

While there are plenty of benefits to eating more vegetables and cutting down on foods likered meat in general, going full vegan isn't without its potential health pitfalls.

Vegans can riskmissing out on multiple essential nutrients, such as calcium, iron and vitamin B12 that are plentiful in an omnivorous diet, when you go all in on plant-based foods, theNHSwarns.

Going without these can lead to problems likefatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations and even brittle bones.

Here, MailOnline details some of the potential hidden health costs of going vegan and what you can do to avoid them.

You could be limiting your vitamin B12...

A lack of B12 is one of the well-known pitfalls of going vegan.

Vitamin B12 is needed to maintain both healthy blood and a healthy nervous system.

It's plentiful in meat, fish and dairy products meaning most people don't need to worry about it, but vegans can be a risk of adeficiency.

People with a vitamin B12 or have underdeveloped red blood cells that are larger than normal. The medical term for this is megaloblastic anaemia, the NHS says.

This can make people feel weak or tired, cause shortness of breath, headaches, loss of appetite, vison problems and cognitive changes, such as memory problems.

Vegans are limited in options for sources of B12, but breakfast cereals and unsweetened soya drinks that have been fortified with the vitamin are a good source, the NHS says.

Eating Marmite or other yeast extracts andnutritional yeast flakes are also a good way of getting in some B12 as they are both fortified.

Vegan Omega-3 may not reduce heart disease...

Found in oily fish, like mackerel and salmon, omega-3 is known to maintain a healthy heart and reduce the risk of heart disease.

In fact, the NHS suggests we should eat at least one portion of oily fish a week, at about 140g per serving, to make sure to reap the benefits,

But on a vegan diet this can be much harder.

The NHS warns that plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids may not contain the same benefits in reducing the risk of heart disease as those in oily fish.

But there are a few vegan friendly sources of omega-3 which can contribute to a balanced diet.

Flaxseed and vegetable oil, chia seeds, shelled hemp seeds and walnuts are all sources of omega-3.

However, not eating too much salt and eating plenty of fruit and veg can also contribute to your overall heart health.

Make sure to eat your greens for healthy bones...

Eating a vegan diet means you will be forgoing milk, cheese and yoghurt, which are all good sources of calcium.

Vital for maintaining healthy bones and teeth, a lack of calcium could lead to rickets in children, which causes weak and soft bones, and osteoporosis in later life — a condition which causes fragile bones.

Adultsneed 700mg of calcium a day, according to the NHS— that's roughly the amount in 100g of cheddar cheese.

Usually, people get most of the calcium they need from dairy foods, but there are still good sources of calcium for vegans.

Leafy green vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, are a good source of calcium.

But you will have to eat a large amount to hit your daily intake as in 100g of broccoli there is only 47mg of calcium.

Other plant-based foods which are high in calcium includefortified unsweetened soya, pea and oat drinks and tofu— which contains 350mg per 100g.

The NHS also suggests vegans eat sesame seeds, tahini and pulses to boost your calcium intake.

Bread in the UK will also help you maintain healthy calcium levels as calcium is added to white and brown flour by law to boost the population's general intake.

Eating dried fruit, such as raisins, prunes, figs and dried apricots are not only one of your five a day but a great source of calcium.

But the NHS warns dried fruit should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact of sugar on teeth.

Plant-based iron to avoid anemia...

Iron is essential for the production of red blood cells.

Without eating enough iron you could be at risk ofanaemia.

Tiredness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, paler than usual skin and headaches are all tell-tale signs of an iron deficiency.

Although a vegan diet can be high in iron, the iron in plant-based food is not absorbed by the body as well as the iron found in meat, making it vital to eat the right food.

Vegans are advised by the British Dietician Association to consume food or drinks containing vitamin C which helps the body more readily absorb plant-based iron.

Examples of vitamin C rich foods include orange, both fresh and juiced, strawberries,peppers, brussels sprouts and potatoes.

Men aged 19 and women over 50 need 8.7mg of iron a day and women who have periods between the ages of 19 and 49 need about 14.8mg a day, according to the NHS.

For comparison, ground beef contains about 5.8mg per 160g serving and lentils contains 4.9mg per 125g serving.

Pulses, wholemeal bread, fortified breakfast cereal, leafy green vegetables, nuts and dried fruit are all good sources of iron, according to the NHS.

Meat free doesn't mean healthy...

Packed with fat, salt and laden with sugar ultra-processed-foods (UPF) have long been vilified for increasing heart attack and stroke risk.

And plant-based UPFs are not any better.

Vegan burgers, sausage rolls and breaded 'chicken', while they are good sources of protein, they are largely considered to be UPF.

By definition, UPFs are foods that have undergone various modifications to extend their shelf life or make them more appealing to the consumer, or sometimes both.

An easy sign a food could be a UPF is if it contains ingredients you wouldn't find in your kitchen cupboard, say critics of the products, such as unrecognisable colourings, sweeteners and preservatives.

Another clue is the amount of fat, salt and sugar lurking inside each pack, with UPFs often containing high amounts.

When choosing convenient vegan meals, it's best to avoid foods covered in pastry or breadcrumbs, which are often high in saturated fat.

For example, a Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll contains18g of fat, 8.7g of saturated fat and 1.8g of salt.

'I think most people assume that all plant-based food options are healthy but many can contain lots of salt, sugar and saturated fat in the same way as animal based products,'Dr Duane Mellor, dietitian and spokesperson for British Dietetic Association previously told MailOnline.

'You can also check the front of pack label to check how much salt, sugar and saturated fat is in the production to help you to make a healthy food choice,' he added.

Any food with more than 5g of heart-unhealthy saturated fat is considered 'high sat fat', so should be consumed in moderation.

That's because too much saturated fat in your diet can lead to heart disease.

The NHS advises men to not eat more than 30g of saturated fat a day and women should not have more than 20g.