Vitamin B12 is incredibly important for everyone who wishes to maintain a balanced vegan diet but it is also difficult for vegans to get adequate amounts of B12 because it almost exclusively occurs in animal products. Because of this most nutritionists will recommend that vegans take either a daily multivitamin or a specific B12 supplement to make sure their balanced vegan diet is provided for. Some fortified vegan foods do carry B12 however, and these foods include fortified soy products, nutritional yeast, and fortified plant-based beverages. Eating these foods is a good idea for vegans that would prefer not to take a supplement of a multivitamin.
Iron, another absolutely necessary nutrient, is needed in almost double the amount for a balanced vegan diet than standard meat-eating diet because plant-based iron is difficult for the body to absorb when compared to animal sourced iron. Despite this iron is often very easy for a vegan to get adequate amounts of because it is in many foods in high quantities. Foods with large amounts of iron include lentils, beans, breakfast, whole grains, tomato juice, citrus fruits, and dried fruits like prunes. Eat these foods regularly to help complete you balanced vegan diet.
Protein is one of the biggest nutrients that vegans regularly worry about getting enough of when considering their balanced vegan diet. This is because if a vegan gets too few calories their body will take protein away from muscle growth and repair to use as an energy source. This means that adequate calorie intake is very important for the balanced vegan diet as well. Foods like beans, lentils, tofu, soy, nuts, tempeh, and seitan (a protein from wheat) are full of protein.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important throughout the body as a building block and can be found in flax milk, flax oil, ground flaxseed, soybeans, walnuts, and soy beverages. Eat these foods to help maintain your balanced vegan diet.