7 Secret beauty tips for vegan women

Yes, a woman can be vegan and beautiful. But, there are some things that have to be seriously considered and proper planned. Here, we’d like to share some beauty tips with vegan women.

The woman’s desire for beauty and perfection is laid down by nature. Like a mirror, female physical appearance reflects her overall health and the skin, nails and hair are the first to signal problems in the body.

It is generally believed that the main enemies of female beauty are alcohol and cigarettes. However, much more serious harm to woman’s glory is caused by inadequate and unbalanced diet.

You might agree or not, but the fact is that the vegan diet is unbalanced by definition. Being a vegan usually leads to common nutrient deficiencies. That’s why vegan women have more troubles achieving protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, calcium and iron the body needs.

7 Secret beauty tips for vegan women

Tip # 1

Ensure an adequate intake of complete protein

Protein is the basis for building muscle, collagen and elastin, which are responsible for healthy skin, hair and nails. Protein rich foods provide the building blocks for that – both non-essential amino acids (which our body can produce on its own) and essential amino acids (which our body cannot produce and must be supplied with food).

Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, whereas incomplete proteins are missing one or more.

Protein is absorbed 2 times better from the animal origin foods, than from the ones of plant origin.

Vegans can maintain a high-protein diet. The only thing that they have to keep in mind it’s due to the lower protein density in plant-based foods they have to consume a larger absolute volume of food compared to a non-vegan diet.

Major protein sources of complete proteins for vegans are:

• Buckwheat
• Hummus and pita
• Soy, whether it’s in the form of tofu, tempeh, or edamame beans
• Pumpkin seeds
• Peanut butter
• Hemp
• Beans and rice
• Quinoa

As you see, there are many sources of complete protein for vegans, but pumpkin seeds are the best. Pumpkin seeds have almost the same amount of complete protein as beef – 100g of them contain 19g of protein and beef – 23g.

Tip # 2

Ensure an adequate intake of  Omega-3 fatty acids

Once a woman has all the essential nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, she won’t need any expensive cosmetic products for her glowing skin, hair and nails. Her beauty will come from within.

A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids:

• prevent or reduce the severity of acne
• moisturize the skin
• fight red, dry, or itchy skin
• reduce hair loss and boost hair growth
• nourishes hair at the follicles
• soothe and hydrate a dry and irritated scalp
• help to prevent flakiness and much more

Omega-3 fatty acids are subdivided into three types: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA comes from plant sources, and other two, EPA and DHA, come from animal sources. The beauty and health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are mostly linked to EPA and DHA.

It’s a scientifically proven fact that vegans have significantly lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) than meat eaters.

Vegans who are not supplementing have no intake of essential omega-3 EPA and DHA from their diet.

Tip # 3

Ensure an adequate intake of  vitamin B12

Lots of vegan women experience the hair loss. And if they consume enough of complete protein, iron, calcium, and zinc, then the culprit is deficiency of vitamin B12. Without vitamin B12 supplementation you can be bold (never mind other health problems). According to the doctors’ recommendations, all vegans should take 250 mcg per day of a B12 supplement.

Why it is so? Because vitamin B12 is a unique vitamin; no fungi, plants or animals are capable of producing it. It can be produced only by special bacteria and archaea that have the enzymes for its synthesis. Animals must obtain vitamin B12 directly or indirectly from bacteria. And we can obtain it from animals.

There are only two reliable sources of vitamin B12 for vegans: foods fortified with B12 and supplements. It is of utmost importance that every vegan woman ensures she has an adequate intake of B12. Do not be afraid of high amounts of B12 because our bodies remove what is not needed.

Tip # 4

Ensure an adequate intake of iron

Iron is involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin, which supplies every single cell of our body with everything it needs. With the peculiarities of the vegan diet and due to the female physiology (periods, pregnancies etc.), anemia can develop. It happens not out of the blue; iron deficiency increases slowly but surely.

Female appearance directly depends on iron – the beauty and youthfulness of her skin, the shine and elasticity of her hair, and the strength of her nails. As a result of a lack of iron, many bad things develop such as skin dryness and peeling, nail fragility, cracks in the corners of the mouth, and hair loss.

Vegan foods rich in iron are:

• Legumes. Please note that legumes contain a substance that impairs the absorption of iron by the body. Therefore, before cooking dishes from legumes, you should soak them for a few hours in warm water.
• Spinach. It has to be consumed not raw, but boiled or stewed with olive oil.
• Soy tofu is a great option.
• Berries. Currant, mulberry, and elderberry.
• Dark chocolate with at least 70% of cocoa.

It’s unlikely that vegans can get necessary amount of iron from their diet. Therefore, consulting with a doctor about iron supplementation is a good idea. Please remember that iron excess increases the risk of developing heart disease, and with age it can even lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

Tip # 5

Ensure an adequate intake of bioavailable calcium

In our body, calcium has many duties: it makes our bones strong, our heart beats, our nerves transmit signals, and our hormones create. Also, don’t forget that your beautiful posture depends of a healthy spine!

We need about 250-300mg of calcium per day. But our body cannot produce calcium; food is the only source. And one more “but” – but the food sources of calcium are not created equal. Not all calcium that we consumed with food is actually absorbed in our body. The best sources of bioavailable calcium are of the animal origin. Even if vegan foods have very high calcium content, it doesn’t mean that calcium is bioavailable due to high levels of oxalic acid and phytates, which bind calcium.

Let’s see which vegan foods are good in bioavailable calcium:

• Seaweed – 80% of bioavailable calcium
• Brassica vegetables – 50-70% of bioavailable calcium
• Radish – 75% of bioavailable calcium
• Rutabaga – 60% of bioavailable calcium
• Bok choy – 54% of bioavailable calcium
• Kale – 49% of bioavailable calcium

Usually, a vegan diet doesn’t match the recommended daily calcium intake. Contrary to what many calcium supplement manufacturers claim, the absorption of calcium from most commonly used dietary supplements is very similar.

Tip # 6

Try to include fruits and veggies of 5 different colors in every meal

In addition to giving many fruits and veggies their eye-catching hues, the color of them indicates what nutrients they can provide us with. It’s because they get their coloration from different beauty-friendly phytochemicals. The most vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables are the richest in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.

Tip # 7

Ensure a varied diet

The diet of meat eaters can be very simple: beef or chicken, eggs and cheese, pasta and rice, and a standard set of commonly consumed fruits and vegetables. Why vegan women have to have a much more varied diet to their natural glow? It’s because vegan women have more troubles achieving complete protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, calcium and iron the body needs.