The biggest mistake I made when I went vegan

It’s the nature of our movement that we tend to focus on the positive. And why not?

It’s REALLY hard to contain all the excitement you feel — and if you’re doing it right, the
energy you have — when you first start eating this way.

(And as an admitted personal development junkie, I'd sure rather be part of something where
the tendency is to be positive than the opposite!)

But it’s also crucial that we’re able to be open and honest... and even if it’s not fun to talk
about mistakes and pitfalls, to me it's the single most important thing we can do to make this
movement last.

(Sidebar: that honesty, I think, is why NMA has pissed off a lot of people over the years who
would rather bury their heads in the sand. But I'm okay with that. Back to our story...)

It’s no coincidence that I’m sending this in January. Plant-based is more popular than ever,
and I know a ton of people have committed to doing it 100% this year.

Which, if that's you, I wholeheartedly high-five you for. I hope it works it out and that you do it
forever and ever.

And that’s why I want to make absolutely sure you don’t make the mistake I did when I went
vegan, 7 years ago this spring.

So what was my big mistake?

It’s that I waited too long to learn about supplementation.

And, as a result, I wouldn’t be suprised if I did some long-term damage. (Minor, hopefully,
since I figured things out before too long.)

Like a lot of new vegans, I was blown away by how good I felt at first — how my running was
improving (and how I wasn’t getting injured), how much energy I had all day long, and even
how positive my mindset was and level my moods were.

And that made it very easy to believe the claims like "you don't need to worry about
supplements if you're eating whole foods," "you can get your B12 from dirty produce," and
"it’ll take years before you develop a B12 deficiency anyway.”

(That last one might actually have some truth to it... it’s just that in my head that sounded a
lot like “you’ll NEVER develop a B12 deficiency,” and it turned out it only took a year before I
started getting weird, tingly symptoms and abdominal spasms.)

But it’s not just B12. There are a handful of other nutrients that a plant-based diet doesn’t
provide in adequate amounts for most people.
Which ones, you ask?

Well, I can tell you about what I personally do (tomorrow), but it’s really up to you to decide
which nutrients YOU need to supplement with.

I can help get you started, though...

Today I’ve got two links for you to check out. Neither one is a short read, but they’re as
important as anything I’ll send all year, and to me, the very best way to begin getting a
responsible handle on the vegan supplementation issue.

Together they cover six nutrients that are worth most vegans’ consideration. Note that I am
NOT recommending all six nutrients for everyone; it’s a personal choice that depends partly
on your diet, your genetic makeup, and even where you live. (For the record: B12, D, and
DHA/EPA are the three I consider essential for most vegans; the others are subject to more
debate.)

I'll send you a boiled-down, tl;dr version tomorrow... but come on, isn’t your long-term health
worth a few minutes of focus, to dig in and understand the important issues?