Can a Vegetarian Diet Meet All Nutritional Needs?

If you eat milk, yogurt, or cheese, you will have enough calcium. But if you follow a vegan diet, you have to consume other sources of calcium. These include fortified soy milk, almond milk, and orange juice, which contain small amounts of calcium in nuts, seeds, and some green vegetables.

People who don’t eat dairy products also miss out on vitamin D. Non-meat sources of vitamin D include fortified foods such as cereals, orange juice, and tofu made with calcium sulfate and fortified milk alternatives like almond and soy milk.

Milk, cheese, whole grain bread, nuts, soy foods, and legumes such as hummus are good sources of zinc. Hummus on a whole-grain pita is a snack that does the trick.

Red meat is not the only source of iron. If you eat cooked beans, leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals, or grains, you can get enough iron. Like Zinc, plant-based iron is not as fine absorbed as iron from meat. The point is to eat foods rich in iron regularly. To absorb the iron better, combine the food with a source of vitamin C like lemon or pepper. 

Omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA are good fats that help in decreasing blood pressure, improve heart health, and stave off age-related dementia. DHA is found in fish and fortified eggs. In case you don't consume any of these foods, you must want to consider a supplement. Pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flaxseeds, and canola oil are all the best sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid helpful for heart health. 

Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products, if you are vegan, you have to take supplements and make sure to eat fortified foods.