If you follow a diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and other plant sources of nutrition, you should have a basic understanding of what nutrients you cannot get from plants. Let's cover them one at a time, starting with the ones that are impossible to get from any natural plant source.
LDL Cholesterol: Yes, your liver makes cholesterol, but it is not enough; you still must get it from your diet. Every single cell membrane and mitochondrial membrane is made from it. Your brain is made of it. Cortisol, pregnenolone, DHEA, estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, and others in the pathway are all made from LDL cholesterol. It is the starting point. Without a liver, plants simply cannot produce cholesterol. Without dietary cholesterol, you can expect to have very low LDL and very low hormone levels.
Omega-3 fatty acids: EPA, DHA: DHA, in particular, makes up most of your brain. Plants have only one omega-3, ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). The problem with ALA is that it is at the top of the pathway to create first EPA and then DHA and the body only converts about 10% of ALA to EPA and DHA, which is not enough. Omega-3s are also in your cell and mitochondria membranes, helping to keep them pliable and not stiff. (DPA is another omega-3 fatty acid found in animal products in small amounts and it is unclear how it affects humans.)
Creatine: Your body manufactures creatine, but not enough. Your muscles and brain need creatine to function well and to be healthy. Mitochondria also use creatine to make energy. Creatine is antioxidative and anti-inflammatory.
Carnosine: Your body manufactures carnosine, but not enough. Like creatine, your brain and muscles need it, and so do your bones and gut. Carnosine is antioxidative and anti-inflammatory.
Carnitine: Your body manufactures carnitine, but not enough. Your skeletal and cardiac muscles really need carnitine and your mitochondria. Your mitochondria need carnitine to be able to swallow fatty acids and use them for fuel. When you don't have enough (or it is not being used by mitochondria, creating a relative deficiency), you can expect your body to use glucose and stored glucose (glycogen) as the primary energy sources. This means don't expect to burn your fat stores and expect to have fatty deposits in your muscles, heart, and liver.
Choline: Choline is very important for metabolism, cell structure, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Without enough, it is known to affect liver, muscle, and blood vessel health and, possibly, neurological health. Choline also functions as a modulator of gene expression and a protector of DNA. Choline, like carnitine, also plays a role in mitochondria function and the processing of fats as an energy source.
Taurine: Taurine has been in the news recently, and for good reason. But let's first review old news related to taurine. In the 1970s and 80s, commercial pet food was deficient in this nutrient that comes from animal products. This resulted in heart deaths and vision problems for cats. Why was the food deficient? It was grain-based cereal. Recently, studies have shown that in humans and every other species tested, from worms to rodents and beyond, the more taurine consumed, the longer the telomeres. Long telomeres equals long life by way of having these longer protective endcaps on chromosomes. Taurine is antioxidative and anti-inflammatory.
Vitamin B12: You can only get B12 from eating animal products and specifically from ruminators. B12 is critical for nerve function, and if you develop a deficiency resulting in numbness, tingling, or other nerve sensations, this is irreversible. B12 also is critical for producing blood cells.
Vitamin A: Yes, I know, you are thinking beta-carotene is vitamin A, right? No. No, it isn't, and most people do a terrible job at converting it into usable vitamin A. Beta-carotene is provitamin A or a precursor. If when you eat carrots, you appear a bit more orange, you do not have the capacity to convert a significant amount of provitamin A to the active form, retinol. Vitamin A is anti-cancer and helps with vision. Do you want nice skin? Eat liver once a week.
Vitamin K2: Vitamin K2 is the other vitamin K and the one that is most important for healthy teeth and avoiding inappropriate calcifications such as to the arteries. You can only get K2 from certain animal products with one exception, nato. Now, have you ever seen this fermented Japanese food in your grocery store?
Some nutrients are more absorbable when obtained from an animal source. These include riboflavin (vitamin B2), folate, selenium, copper, zinc, vitamin B6, and protein. With that being said, it is difficult to get enough folate from animal sources, as the highest source is eggs. On account of commercial eggs coming from vegetarian-fed hens. which is unnatural; the eggs are extremely deficient in folate, with each egg containing, at most, 10% of the daily recommended amount. If the hens are eating their natural diet of bugs, folate would be adequate in the eggs.
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