I had some blood work done after 2 years of being vegan, largely to ensure my dietary shift hadn't caused any problems. This tested everything from cholesterol (lipid profile), iron profile, testosterone, B9 & 12, liver function, CRP and more. All markers we're either in the optimal or normal ranges. I eat reasonably well (I'm not perfect) and I try to keep processed foods - including fake meats - down to a minimum
Recently I've been tracking proteins more closely but reaching recommended levels has never been an issue.
Some other supplements:
- D3 (complemented with a "SAD Lamp" [0] in winter, can recommend)
- Omega 3-6-9
- Magnesium + B6 (helps reduce cramps during/after heavy training sessions)
- Vitamin C + Zinc when feeling that my immune system needs a boost (after traveling/flights)
https://examine.com/ is useful to get a quick look at the aggregated/summarized research for supplements.
[0] Random link with some explanation: https://psychcentral.com/reviews/sad-lamp
edit: Double-checked, D2 is always vegan, D3 can be vegan but isn't always.
My almond milk has some vitamin D, and I have nooch fairly often which is very full of B12. I don't take any pills/gummies currently.
For iron, I’d suggest switching to cast iron or carbon steel pans. They transfer iron to anything you cook in them and you absorb it. Works the same way as these little iron fishes to drop in the stew some ONGs gave (give?) to third world populations that are having iron deficiencies from not being able to afford or find a proper diet.
In any case, cooking every lunch and dinner on cast iron or high carbon steel pans solves the iron deficiency for us. Ask an MD to see if it’s an avenue for you too because the iron supplement pills or IVs are made out of animal blood afaik which kinda defeat the purpose of not killing animals.
Personally I take a vegan supplement that contains b12, iron, d3 and zink. I also eat algae oil for the omega3.
I also make sure to use fortified soy milk.
I have personally found zink to be the hardest nutrient to get enough of, at least since I got kids and started cooking more kid-friendly food.
I never had issues before starting to supplement iron despite giving blood, so I don't think it is a problematic nutrient for me. Every day I eat more than twice the RDI, but of course non-heme and together with the regular absorption inhibitors.
Personally, I supplement VitaminD3 and Iron.
And I make sure to eat salad, carrots and avocado every day.
I came up with this regime after getting my blood work done and after exactly tracking all my nutritional values for a while and comparing those to the suggested amounts.
I also have a long running project in the "statistics of one" space, where I track a lot of treatment effect correlations:
https://www.gibney.org/a_syntax_for_self-tracking
27,899 entries in my log so far.
From all supplements I a/b tested, Vitamin D3 and Iron look most promising at the moment.