Vegetarianism

The goal of making a vegetarian diet work revolves around selecting foods that are naturally low in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), managing essential nutrients that may be limited in a plant-based approach, supporting thyroid function, and avoiding potential antinutrients and excessive estrogenic substances. This page provides a comprehensive overview of how to approach a high plant-based diet from a bioenergetic perspective.

Overview and principles

Vegetarian diets can support health when carefully constructed, but they require more attention than omnivorous diets due to several physiological realities:

• Plant proteins contain fewer essential amino acids and are less bioavailable than animal proteins
• Critical nutrients (B12, zinc, iron, iodine) are either absent or poorly absorbed from plant sources
• Many plant foods contain antinutrients that interfere with mineral absorption
• Legumes and soy introduce significant estrogenic compounds
• Vegetarians often default to seed oils, increasing PUFA burden

The lacto-ovo approach (including eggs and dairy) resolves most of these issues and represents the most sustainable form of vegetarianism from a bioenergetic standpoint.

The good and the bad

The good

Vegan and vegetarian diet can increase the survival rate in cancer patients

• Restricting protein intake
  • lower abundant aminos - histadine, methianine and tryptophan
• Lower and better iron from plants
• Ton of fruit and natural sugar
• Plant and dairy dominant cultures have longer lifespans
• Vegetarians had 29% lower ischemic heart disease mortality.

The bad

• B12 deficiency
• You need a ton of milk not to have calcium deficiency
  • Calcium to Phosphate ratio off the charts
    • Negative C:P ratio can result in degeneration and cause inflammatory reactions.
• High levels of beta-carotene in the diet can cause vitamin A issues and thyroid dysfunction,
• High PUFA load, mainly from fake meat products
• Very low protein absorption rate
  • Plant protein has up to 30% lower bioavailability and 40%–60% lower cellular uptake/utilization compared to animal protein.
• No source of gelatin
  • The vegetarian alternatives are often agar pectin or carageenan guar gum thickeners
    • See:The gelatin issue

Thyroid function and vegetarian diets

Thyroid health is particularly vulnerable in poorly designed vegetarian diets. Several mechanisms converge to suppress thyroid function:

Soy and goitrogens

Soy formula in infants provides a cautionary example:

"In the 1960s, when soy was introduced into infant formulas, it was shown that soy was goitrogenic... A retrospective epidemiological study by Fort et al. showed that teenage children with a diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease were significantly more likely to have received soy formula as infants (31% vs 12-13% in controls)."

The mechanism extends beyond iodine interference:

"The oil itself has a pro-estrogen effect, anti-thyroid effect apart from the isoflavones."

Even healthy adults show effects:

"When healthy individuals without any previous thyroid disease were fed 30 grams of pickled soybeans per day for one month, Ishizuki et al. reported goiter and elevated individual thyroid-stimulating hormone levels... One month after stopping soybean consumption, individual TSH values decreased to the original levels, and goiters were reduced in size."

Cruciferous vegetables

Brassica vegetables (kale, broccoli, cabbage, arugula) release thiocyanate ions that interfere with iodine uptake. When consuming these vegetables regularly, supplementing with iodine (such as kelp tablets) is recommended.

Russian kale (which has a purple stem) should be avoided because of high concentrations of progoitrin.

Supporting thyroid on a vegetarian diet

"The liver has to convert T4 to T3 for it to be effective. It needs glucose and selenium to make the conversion. Adequate protein, at least 80 grams per day, is necessary. Sea food, once a week will provide selenium, two quarts of milk and a quart of orange juice would provide many of the other essential nutrients." (Ray Peat, email)

Key supportive foods: milk, orange juice, coffee, adequate salt, and selenium-rich foods.

Essential nutrients often lacking

Vitamin B12

This is the single most critical deficiency concern for vegetarians and especially vegans.

"B12 is an absolutely essential vitamin. You can't get it at all from plants. So you have to either supplement or get it from animal source foods. A serious B12 deficiency results in neurological damage and brain damage. So it is extremely serious." (Jayne Buxton, "The Great Plant-Based Con")

The rates among those avoiding animal products are striking:

The rates of B12 deficiency among vegans and vegetarians is about 70 percent of vegetarians and over 90 percent of vegans if high-quality rigorous functional markers of B12 deficiency are used.

B12 has a long storage capacity, which can mask deficiency for years (up to 10)

Sources: Eggs and dairy provide B12 for lacto-ovo vegetarians. Strict vegans must supplement. Bacteria in the human colon produce B12, but absorption without intrinsic factor is questionable.

Zinc

Zinc and iron deficiencies are highly correlated in vegetarians due to overlapping absorption inhibitors:

A vegan likely needs twice as much zinc as an omnivore needs because of the inhibitory effect of phytate and the beneficial effect on zinc absorption by the amino acid composition of most animal proteins. And so vegan foods are arguably intrinsically inferior to animal proteins as sources of zinc.

"If someone's not getting enough zinc they're not getting enough iron and vice versa... A vegan diet is very high in iron absorption inhibitors, very high in zinc absorption inhibitors, very low in zinc." (Chris Masterjohn)

Vegetarians with confirmed low zinc should supplement with 15-30 mg zinc, taken with phytate-free meals.

Iron (heme vs non-heme)

Plant iron (non-heme) is fundamentally different from animal-source iron (heme):

"The biggest inhibitors of iron absorption are phytate and polyphenols and plant protein. And there are no plants that are high in iron that are not high in those factors... Generally, iron status is good when there's more animal foods and less plant foods in the diet." (Chris Masterjohn)

A practical example demonstrates the magnitude of this effect:

"My vegetables were giving me 45 milligrams of iron a day, and my steak was giving me eight milligrams of iron a day and yet, my blood results showed that my iron wasn't going up... the vegetables that had 45 milligrams of iron in them were stopping me from absorbing iron from the steak." (Chris Masterjohn)

Strategies:

• Coffee and tea with meals reduces iron absorption (useful if iron is high, problematic if deficient)
• Vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption
• Separate iron-rich meals from phytate-rich foods
• Egg yolks promote iron absorption; egg whites inhibit it

"Drinking coffee with meals will greatly reduce iron absorption." (Ray Peat, email)

Iodine

Daily consumption of leaves can supply calcium requirements, but when eating Brassica vegetables regularly, iodine supplementation becomes important to counteract goitrogenic effects.

Sources: Kelp tablets, iodized salt, seafood (for pescatarians).

Calcium

"Daily consumption of leaves can supply the RDA for calcium." (Original wiki content)

Milk remains the most bioavailable source. Two quarts of milk daily provides excellent calcium along with other protective factors.

Protein quality and amino acids

The quantity problem

Vegetarians tend to decrease both quantity and quality of protein simultaneously:

"The average American is eating 80 to 90 grams of protein per day... the average vegetarian is eating around 60. So they're decreasing the quantity and also the quality at the same time." (Dr. Don Layman)

The quality problem

"Animal proteins are about 50% essential amino acids, plant proteins are about 35%. Ranging from something like almonds, which is quite low and only about 26%, up to soy, which is high at about 40%." (Dr. Don Layman)

The practical implication:

"30 grams of protein from whey protein at a meal is very different than soy protein or wheat protein... plant proteins are 20-30% less effective... you'd have to be at 130-135 grams to be equal [to 100g of animal protein]." (Dr. Don Layman)

Leucine requirements

"People over the age of 40 need about three grams of leucine per meal to maintain muscle health... if you go to a plant-based diet especially one that's grain based... 80 percent of the plant-based protein in the world comes from wheat and wheat is extremely unhealthy in the sense of amino acids: lysine, methionine, leucine are all very low in wheat protein." (Dr. Don Layman)

Minimizing problematic amino acids

Certain plant-based diets are beneficial because they are inherently lower in amino acids like methionine, which has been associated with reduced longevity when consumed in excess.

Tryptophan intake should be considered, as high levels can raise brain serotonin. Tryptophan can be lowered by ensuring adequate intake of competing large neutral amino acids (LNAA). Casein and gelatin provide these competitive amino acids.

Protein from plant sources

Nitrogen balance has been shown around 35 grams of protein per day for a 70 kg person as a minimum, but this is far below optimal for muscle maintenance.

Plant sources that contribute protein:

• Coconut: 13g per coconut
• Pineapple: 5g per pineapple
• Leaves: abundant protein, chemically similar in nutritional value to milk protein
• Potatoes: a natural plant source of quality protein

"Potato protein slightly exceeds egg protein for quality... technically, in that sense of biological sufficiency." (Ray Peat)

The gelatin issue

Gelatin is not vegetarian

Gelatin comes exclusively from animal collagen (bones, skin, connective tissue), so strict vegetarians cannot consume it.

Here's what the research shows about alternatives and workarounds:

Option 1: Pure glycine supplementation

Gelatin's main benefits come from its glycine content. Vegetarians can supplement with glycine powder, which is synthetically produced and vegetarian-friendly.

Dosing:

• 3-5g glycine per meal for blood sugar stability
• 3g before bed for sleep
• Total therapeutic range: 3-20g daily

Note: Ray said that gelatin is digested and absorbed way better than isolated glycine, similarly he did not recommend supplementing aminoacid isolated directly.

Egg membrane collagen

Rich in glycine (~10-30%), proline (~11-12%), hydroxyproline, closer to true collagen/gelatin than plant proteins, helping balance high histidine/methionine/tryptophan. However less studied than bovine derived gelatin.

Option 2: Support endogenous glycine synthesis

The body can synthesize glycine from glucose, but this pathway requires specific nutrients:

"Glycine is synthesized primarily from glucose... NAD+ is needed to convert three phosphoglycerate from the glycolytic pathway to a precursor of glycine... vitamin B6 is needed to convert serine to glycine... tetrahydrofolate (the unmethylated form of folate) is needed to convert serine to glycine." (Chris Masterjohn)

Key nutrients for glycine synthesis:

• Adequate glucose/carbohydrates (the carbon source)
• Vitamin B6
• Folate (not just methylfolate)
• Niacin (for NAD+)
• Adequate B12 (deficiency traps folate as methylfolate, impairing glycine synthesis)

This is where vegetarians face a compounding problem: B12 deficiency (common in vegetarians) impairs glycine synthesis by trapping folate.

We do produce glycine endogenously, but the amounts are not significant, so supplementation or diet adjustment might be needed.

Option 3: Taurine as partial substitute

"Taurine has very similar effects so those who cannot tolerate gelatin/glycine can take taurine instead."

Taurine is also available as a synthetic supplement (vegetarian-friendly) and shares some of glycine's anti-inflammatory and calming properties.

Balancing tryptophan without gelatin

This is actually achievable for vegetarians through several mechanisms:

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)

BCAAs compete with tryptophan for brain uptake:

"Taking some extra branched chain amino acids also helps to limit the absorption of tryptophan. The amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine... compete with tryptophan in the intestine."

Vegetarian sources of BCAAs: eggs, dairy and macademia nuts.

High-carbohydrate meals with competing amino acids

Eating decent amount of protein that's relatively poor in tryptophan, is a great way to over time deplete the tryptophan stores.

Dairy protein (casein) is relatively lower in tryptophan compared to muscle meats.

Glycine supplementation (as above)

Glycine itself helps balance the amino acid profile:

Since vegetarians can't use collagen, pure glycine supplementation provides the same benefit.

Other tryptophan-lowering strategies

"Niacinamide helps to lower absorption of tryptophan, and even after tryptophan is absorbed it helps to steer tryptophan away from serotonin metabolism and towards the synthesis of NAD and niacin... aspirin which you may know also helps to inhibit the absorption of tryptophan." (Georgi Dinkov)

• Niacinamide: 100-500mg with meals
• Aspirin: small doses with meals
• Keeping free fatty acids low: avoiding PUFA, keeping stress low

Fixing gut permeability without gelatin

Several vegetarian-compatible approaches:

Glycine supplementation

Glycine supports gut lining repair. Vegetarians can use synthetic glycine powder.

Insoluble fiber (carrot salad, bamboo shoots)

"A daily raw carrot salad should keep the small intestine fairly sterile." (Ray Peat)

This reduces endotoxin load, decreasing the inflammatory assault on the gut barrier.

Reducing gut irritants

"People that have gone carnivore or super low carb and removed a lot of these irritants... all of a sudden their gut can kind of heal because it's not being constantly irritated." - Kate Deering

For vegetarians, this means:

• Avoiding poorly digested starches and legumes
• Minimizing raw cruciferous vegetables
• Emphasizing well-cooked, easily digestible foods
• Avoiding seed oils

Vitamin E

"Vitamin E... may prevent/treat [conditions] by improving the gut barrier... Reducing endotoxin production by consuming easily digestible foods, insoluble fiber, and substances with antibacterial effects (charcoal, saturated fats, etc.)." (Haidut)

Saturated fats

Coconut oil has antibacterial properties and supports gut barrier function. This is fully vegetarian-compatible.

Adequate thyroid function

Gut motility and barrier function depend heavily on thyroid status. Supporting thyroid (adequate iodine, selenium, avoiding goitrogens or compensating with iodine) helps maintain gut integrity.

Summary: vegetarian gelatin alternatives

Need	Animal source	Vegetarian alternative
Glycine	Gelatin, bone broth, collagen	Synthetic glycine powder (3-10g daily)
Tryptophan balance	Gelatin balances muscle meat amino acids	BCAAs, glycine, niacinamide, dairy protein (if lacto)
Gut barrier support	Bone broth	Glycine + insoluble fiber + vitamin E + coconut oil
Collagen synthesis	Collagen peptides	Egg membrane collgen / Glycine + vitamin C + copper + adequate protein

Vegetarians can get glycine's benefits through pure glycine supplementation, which is synthetically produced and does not require animal sources. This is one of the few cases where supplementation genuinely substitutes for a food-based nutrient that would otherwise be impossible to obtain on a vegetarian diet.

Antinutrients and absorption concerns

Phytates

Phytates (phytic acid) in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes bind minerals and prevent absorption. This is the primary reason vegetarians require higher intakes of zinc and iron.

"Zinc is much more specifically inhibited by phytate, whereas iron is just broadly inhibited by plants, like almost everything that's in plants inhibits iron absorption, except vitamin C and organic acids." (Chris Masterjohn)

Lectins

Modern wheat contains significantly more gluten (a type of lectin) than heritage varieties:

"The wheat that's grown now by big agribusiness since World War II, particularly in the '70s, '80s and '90s, has almost 90% more gluten... these lectins are a plant protein which protect the seed of the plant. They're a sticky protein and make up part of the plant's natural immune system." (KMUD caller, "Serotonin Endotoxins Stress")

"When they get in your body they don't know they're in your body, and they travel through your digestive tract, get into your bloodstream, and they're looking for a fight, because by nature they're designed to attach themselves to sugar molecules." (KMUD caller)

Protection: Ordinary sugars like sucrose have a protective effect against inflammation-producing factors from lectins and polyunsaturated fats.

"Sucrose is better than even well-cooked starch at protecting the immune system from these irritants and toxins." (Ray Peat, KMUD)

Goitrogens

Covered above in thyroid section. Key point: iodine supplementation when consuming Brassica vegetables regularly.

Hormonal considerations

Soy and phytoestrogens

The "weak estrogen is safe" argument does not hold up under scrutiny:

"Whether weak or strong, the estrogenic response of a chemical, if not overcome, will add extra estrogenic burden to the system... The potential of exposure for humans and animals to environmental estrogen-like chemicals is high."

"The estrogenic substances can be just as toxic whether or not they bind to the so-called estrogen receptor, because there are so many ways that estrogen has its effects, not just the classical so-called receptor... When you compare estriol and DES and the phytoestrogens, what they have in common is that they are toxic to the reproductive system, will cause miscarriages and abortions."

Traditional soy foods differ from modern processed soy:

"Japanese women's relative freedom from breast cancer is independent of soy products: traditional soy foods aren't the same as those so widely used in the US, for example, soy sauce doesn't contain the so-called soy estrogens."

Estrogen and progesterone balance

Estrogen promotes inflammation and interferes with thyroid function. Progesterone opposes estrogen's effects.

"Estrogen inhibits the release of active hormone, but it doesn't inhibit the creation of the protein called thyroglobulin, which leads to the active hormone. So a high estrogen person, late teens or around menopause, are the times that the estrogen can get out of balance."

Vegetarians consuming significant soy and legumes face an elevated estrogenic burden. This can be partially offset by:

• Adequate progesterone-supporting nutrition (vitamin A, thyroid support)
• Avoiding PUFA (which promotes estrogen synthesis)
• Raw carrot salad (binds and excretes estrogen via bile)

Effects on men

"Soy consumption in males has also been positively associated with things like gynecomastia which is another side effect of estrogen activity within males."

Digestive health

Fiber: soluble vs insoluble

Not all fiber is equal. Insoluble fiber is protective; soluble fiber can be problematic.

Insoluble fiber benefits:

"Insoluble fiber is what we need to consume... it both binds already present LPS and also has antibacterial effect against the microbiome. The latter effect helps reduce production of LPS, even when poorly digestible foods are consumed." - Haidut

Soluble fiber risks:

"Despite the reduction in weight seen in animals fed soluble fiber, at least 40% of them developed liver cancer (HCC). Even worse, when the soluble fiber was combined with high-fat diet, the HCC incidence rose to 65%." (Haidut, citing fiber/cancer research)

Problematic soluble fibers include: pectin, inulin, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), guar gum, psyllium.

Safe fibers

Raw carrots have unique antibacterial properties:

"Raw carrots... if you've noticed that many vegetables will spoil in the refrigerator while carrots still seem to be completely clean and unattacked by bacteria or molds. That's because there are chemicals that are defensive for those plants. When we eat them, they remain like antibiotics all the way through our intestines."

"It can also bind some of the toxins produced by bacteria so that rather than increasing the amount produced, it can actually bind it and carry it out, subtracting toxins. It's almost like the activated charcoal that's used for detoxifying ingested chemicals. Carrots are a natural way of doing that."

Recommended safe fibers:

• Raw carrots (daily carrot salad) - Recipe
• Cooked bamboo shoots - Recipe
• Cooked mushrooms
• Well-cooked white button mushrooms - Recipe

Endotoxin and bacterial fermentation

Indigestible starches and fermentable fibers feed bacteria that produce endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide):

"Indigestible fibrous materials, types of starch that can't be broken down by animal enzymes or human enzymes become good food for bacteria... About 30 years ago, some Australian studies saw that people who ate a lot of oat bran actually were increasing their risk for bowel cancer." (Ray Peat, KMUD "Endotoxins")

"Certain types of fiber cause such intense growth of bacteria that the bacteria produce many types of toxins, not just the fragment of the bacterial coat that's known as endotoxin, but they can produce modified proteins, modified fats and so on from indigestible food." (Ray Peat, KMUD)

Transit time matters:

"Because there was a lot of potato in the diet of the Africans and other fibrous foods, their transit time on average was about 12 hours from in to out. The average American at the time the study was done had a transit time of 72 hours." (Ray Peat, "How to Fix Your Digestion")

Physical activity supports intestinal motility:

"People who live in apartments have to take their dogs out for a walk every day because the digestive system tends to slow down when you aren't walking. There are reflexes between especially the legs and the intestine." (Ray Peat)

PUFA and fat considerations

The vegetarian PUFA problem

Vegetarians often default to seed oils for cooking, dramatically increasing PUFA intake. This creates multiple problems:

"PUFA (and linoleic acid in particular) as the cause of breast, colon, prostate and other cancers. It also provides evidence for greatly increased serum estrogen levels in organisms fed even normal-fat diet with a significant PUFA content." (Haidut, citing research)

"When the polyunsaturated fats in the diet are reduced, the amount of them stored in the tissues decreases for about four years, making it progressively easier to keep the metabolic rate up, and stress hormones down." (Ray Peat, email)

PUFA sources to avoid

• Soybean oil
• Corn oil
• Safflower oil
• Sunflower oil
• Cottonseed oil
• Most nut oils (except macadamia)
• Most nuts and seeds (high PUFA)

Safe fats for vegetarians

"Coconut (oil and whole) is highly favored for its high saturated fat content and low PUFA content (around 1-3%). Coconut is considered the premier tropical saturated-fat source." (Original wiki content)

Recommended fats:

• Coconut oil (1-2% PUFA)
• Butter
• Cocoa butter/chocolate fat (mostly stearic acid)
• Olive oil (~10% PUFA, mostly monounsaturated)
• Macadamia nuts (low PUFA for a nut)

"Monounsaturated fats are fine. They're a part of our nature. If we eat nothing but sugar, we'll make monounsaturated fats of our own. And those are the N-9 fats like in olive oil and butter." (Ray Peat, KMUD "Diagnosis")

Omega-9 production

When PUFA intake is minimized, the body produces its own beneficial omega-9 polyunsaturated fats (mead acid series) which have anti-inflammatory properties:

"From that N-9 series of fats, we produce our own polyunsaturated fats called the N-9 or the omega-9 series. And it's the lack of those partly which is the damage done when we eat things like soy oil and safflower seed oil... They inhibit our ability to produce our own polyunsaturated fats which are stable and beneficial." (Ray Peat, KMUD)

Making vegetarianism work

The critical role of eggs and dairy

Eggs and dairy resolve most of the nutritional challenges of vegetarian diets:

"I've changed my stance on dairy, I've changed my stance on eggs because I've realized... even the American Heart Association says if you're vegetarian you want to eat eggs that's actually really healthy, it's heart healthy." (Dr. Amy Shah)

Eggs:

"It's considered the highest quality protein of all." (Ray Peat)

Eggs from well-raised chickens (pastured, eating bugs and vegetables rather than corn and soy) are superior:

"When I'm in Mexico and know where the eggs come from, the chickens get tortillas and vegetables and lots of bugs and so on, then I'll eat four or five eggs a day and it's okay to eat more." (Ray Peat)

Timing consideration: Eggs can lower blood sugar, which may disrupt sleep if eaten at night without adequate carbohydrates:

"Eggs at night... tend to hold your blood sugar down all night... many people told me the same effect." (Ray Peat)

Solution: Combine evening eggs with adequate sugar (fruit, orange juice, or ice cream).

Egg whites vs yolks:

• Egg yolk protein promotes iron and zinc absorption
• Egg white protein inhibits iron absorption
• Egg whites contain avidin, which binds biotin
• For those eating many eggs daily, emphasizing yolks is preferable

Dairy:

"The calcium, accompanied by some saturated fat, is a major benefit of milk and cheese." (Ray Peat)

"I have averaged two quarts a day for a long time." (Ray Peat¨)

Milk provides: calcium, high-quality protein, B12, saturated fat, and thyroid-supporting factors.

A1 vs A2 milk: Some people react to A1 beta-casein in conventional cow dairy but tolerate goat, sheep, or A2 cow milk well.

Preferred foods and food selection

Fruits and tubers:

Good quality, consistently available fruits include:

• Pineapples (Del Monte being consistently good)
• Caribbean papaya (Asian papaya is considered "iffy")
• Oranges and orange juice
• Ripe tropical fruits

Leaves (greens):

Eating leaves is recommended, both raw and sometimes steamed. Raw kale, arugula, and spinach are specifically mentioned. A pound of raw kale alone contributes significantly to daily nutrition, including:

• Folate (easily exceeded by consuming leaves)
• Calcium (can supply RDA)
• Vitamin A as beta-carotene (conversion is tightly regulated to prevent toxicity)

Starch and carbohydrates:

It is important to minimize refined carbohydrates and poorly digestible starches. Raw starches found naturally in some fruits and roots are preferred over cooked starch from grains and beans.

"Things like fruit are so quickly digested by most people. The liquid parts, minerals and sugars can be largely absorbed before you get down to the bacterial area of the intestine." (Ray Peat, KMUD "Endotoxins")

Well-tolerated starches:

• Well-cooked potatoes
• Well-cooked white rice
• Masa (nixtamalized corn)

Problematic starches:

• Beans and legumes (contain resistant starches, lectins, and estrogenic compounds)
• Whole grains (phytates, lectins, difficult to digest)
• Undercooked potatoes

Safe carbohydrate sources

Fruits:

• Provide minerals that stabilize metabolism
• Sugar from fruit is turned into saturated fats by the body
• Fructose enhances glucose utilization

"Sugar, from whatever source, but especially from fruits because of the minerals that help to stabilize and organize the metabolism, sugar is naturally turned into saturated fats and we immediately create an omega-9 type of fat when we synthesize fat from sugar." (Ray Peat, KMUD)

Dairy sugars:

• Lactose in milk
• Ice cream (high-quality brands like Häagen-Dazs or DIY)

Simple sugars:

• Honey
• White sugar (in moderation, with adequate minerals)
• Orange juice

Supplementation strategy

Essential supplements for vegetarians:

Nutrient	Dose	Notes
Vitamin B12	1000-2000 mcg sublingual or 250 mcg daily oral	Non-negotiable for vegans; recommended for all vegetarians
Zinc	15-30 mg	Take with phytate-free meals
Iodine	150-300 mcg	Especially if consuming goitrogenic vegetables
Vitamin D	2000-5000 IU	If sun exposure is limited
Selenium	From food or 100-200 mcg	Supports T4 to T3 conversion

Conditional supplements:

Nutrient	When needed
Iron	Only if confirmed deficient; take with vitamin C, away from phytates
Vitamin K2	If not consuming fermented foods or animal fats
Gelatin/glycine	To balance amino acids, especially if eating muscle meat
Magnesium	If experiencing cramps or sleep issues

Daily carrot salad

A cornerstone practice for vegetarians to support hormonal balance and digestive health:

Recipe:

• 1 medium raw carrot, shredded lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of salt

Benefits:

• Binds endotoxin in the intestine
• Binds and helps excrete excess estrogen
• Provides antibacterial fiber
• Supports regular bowel movements

"A daily raw carrot salad should keep the small intestine fairly sterile." (Ray Peat, email)

Preparing food

Proper preparation can reduce antinutrient content:

For grains and legumes (if consumed):

• Soaking overnight reduces phytates
• Sprouting further reduces antinutrients
• Thorough cooking is essential
• Fermentation (as in traditional sourdough) reduces lectins and phytates

For vegetables:

• Cooking reduces goitrogen content in cruciferous vegetables
• Raw carrots retain their antibacterial properties
• Steaming preserves more nutrients than boiling

Link to recipe Ray Peat's leafy geens

For eggs:

• Light cooking is fine
• Excessive cooking (hard, rubbery texture) may increase oxidation
• Raw egg yolks are well-tolerated by many

Long-term health outcomes

Stroke risk

A large study found unexpected cardiovascular risks:

Vegans and vegetarians have a higher risk of stroke. The Oxford study, a major long-term research project looking at diet and health. Half of participants, recruited between 1993 and 2001, were meat-eaters, just over 16,000 vegetarian or vegan, with 7,500 who described themselves as pescatarian.

The elevated stroke risk likely relates to the increased estrogenic burden from plant-heavy diets and potential B12/homocysteine issues.

Longevity research

"Humans have evolved and thrived over millions of years because of their significant consumption of meat... It highlights that meat has its own components contributing to our overall health beyond just the number of calories consumed, and that without meat in our diet, we may not thrive." (University of Adelaide research, cited by Haidut)

Studies finding benefits from vegan diets often fail to account for socioeconomic factors:

"Educated, well-paid people in developed countries can spend time and money on finding plants that can somewhat mimic the composition and nutritional profile of meat, and thus have an overall beneficial effect on health. However, eating even those carefully chosen plant diets cannot match the full benefits meat eating has on health and lifespan." (Haidut summary of research)

Cognitive function

The brain has high energy demands and depends on adequate B12, zinc, iron, and cholesterol:

"The brain constitutes 2% of the body's weight, but 20% of its energy demand... Around two-thirds of that energy demand is to fuel the activities of neurons." (Chris Masterjohn)

Long-term vegetarians should monitor cognitive function and ensure adequate intake of brain-supporting nutrients.

Summary

Vegetarian diets can support health when constructed with awareness of their inherent limitations:

Non-negotiables:

• B12 supplementation (especially for vegans)
• Adequate zinc (supplement if needed)
• Attention to iron status
• Iodine if consuming goitrogens
• Avoiding seed oils and high-PUFA foods

Strongly recommended:

• Including eggs and dairy (lacto-ovo approach)
• Daily raw carrot salad
• Emphasizing fruits over grains and legumes
• Using coconut oil as primary cooking fat
• Minimizing soy consumption

Monitor:

• Thyroid function (temperature, pulse, TSH)
• B12 and homocysteine levels
• Iron and zinc status
• Cognitive function over time

For the ambitious vegetarian, eggs, dairy and B12 supplementation are not viewed as compromises, just biological necessities that make the diet sustainable long-term. Those who choose strict veganism should approach it as a temporary practice requiring careful supplementation rather than a permanent dietary framework.