I see a few comments here on fortified foods. I think the vitamin D and iron is usually in less bioavailable forms (D2 and non-heme iron) in fortified plant-based foods than in animal products, and I don’t know if % daily value on labels account for that. I take a multivitamin with apparently 100% of the daily value for both, and it wasn’t enough based on my bloodwork and lightheadedness/blackouts (few of the other vegans I know got lightheaded; I had been giving blood every 2 months, but even after I stopped, the multivitamin alone didn’t seem to be enough), so I take separate supplements for each on top of the multivitamin. I was also eating nuts, legumes, and kale or spinach for iron most days.
Looking at my soy milk (Silk), per cup, the label says it has only 2 micrograms of vitamin D (D2) and 10% of the daily value. Some of my other vegan dairy products have no vitamin D. There’s no vitamin D in Beyond Burgers, but there is a decent amount of (non-heme) iron per patty (5.5 mg, 31% DV). Similarly for my Yves veggie chicken. I’d be surprised if most vegans not taking supplements with vitamin D even reach 100% DV according to the labels (whether they account for bioavailbility or not) through diet alone.
I live in Canada, though, so vitamin D is harder to get from the sun during the winter.
I see a few comments here on fortified foods. I think the vitamin D and iron is usually in less bioavailable forms (D2 and non-heme iron) in fortified plant-based foods than in animal products, and I don’t know if % daily value on labels account for that. I take a multivitamin with apparently 100% of the daily value for both, and it wasn’t enough based on my bloodwork and lightheadedness/blackouts (few of the other vegans I know got lightheaded; I had been giving blood every 2 months, but even after I stopped, the multivitamin alone didn’t seem to be enough), so I take separate supplements for each on top of the multivitamin. I was also eating nuts, legumes, and kale or spinach for iron most days.
Looking at my soy milk (Silk), per cup, the label says it has only 2 micrograms of vitamin D (D2) and 10% of the daily value. Some of my other vegan dairy products have no vitamin D. There’s no vitamin D in Beyond Burgers, but there is a decent amount of (non-heme) iron per patty (5.5 mg, 31% DV). Similarly for my Yves veggie chicken. I’d be surprised if most vegans not taking supplements with vitamin D even reach 100% DV according to the labels (whether they account for bioavailbility or not) through diet alone.
I live in Canada, though, so vitamin D is harder to get from the sun during the winter.