Top 7 Drawbacks of a Vegan Diet

The vegan diet is one of the healthiest diets. It has many health benefits including the prevention of heart diseases and weight loss.
However, vegan is not the perfect diet and you need to be aware of that before going vegan.
Here are the top 7 drawbacks of going vegan.

7. It Isn’t Practical

The vegan diet is hard to sustain. In general, any major dietary change involving avoiding major food groups is not practical and difficult to sustain.
Before going vegan, see whether you will be able to stay vegan for a while or not.

6. Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 is found only in animal foods such as meat and eggs. Studies show that vegans are at high risk of vitamin B12 deficiency which has many terrible symptoms such as fatigue and anemia and can lead to many complications, especially neurological. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

5. Creatine Deficiency

Creatine is found only in animal foods. It can be produced by the liver but studies show that vegans have lower levels of creatine.
Creatine is essential for building muscles, keeping them strong, enhancing physical performance, and improving brain functions. (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)

4. Carnosine Deficiency

Carnosine is a powerful antioxidant found in the muscles of animals. It is essential for muscle function, fighting fatigue, and improving physical performance. Studies show that vegetarians have lower levels of carnosine than people eating meat, which may have negative impacts on their muscles. (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)

3. Vitamin D3 Deficiency

Vitamin D is essential for many functions in the body and it has two main types; vitamin D2, which is found in plants, and vitamin D3, which is found in animals.
Vitamin D3 deficiency is associated with many diseases including heart problems, osteoporosis, muscle wasting, depression, and impairments in brain functions. (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)

2. Heme Iron Deficiency

Heme iron is found only in red meat. It improves the absorption of non-heme iron from plants; that is why vegetarians are more likely to get anemia than meat-eaters, especially women due to regular blood loss. (37, 38)

1. Taurine Deficiency

Taurine is found in many animal parts including heart and kidney. It is a sulfur compound playing significant roles in muscle functions and antioxidant activities.
Studies show that vegetarians have lower levels of taurine than meat-eaters, which may impair muscle functions and lead to wasting. (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)