A well-planned plant-based diet is a healthy way to eat, but it has a few predictable blind spots, nutrients that are scarce or poorly absorbed without animal foods. The point of testing is not to second-guess the diet, but to catch the specific gaps it tends to leave.
If you eat vegan or mostly plant-based, these are the markers worth checking to make sure your foundation is solid.
The most important test for anyone eating little or no animal food. B12 comes almost entirely from animal sources, and a deficiency can cause lasting nerve damage if missed.
Plant iron is absorbed less efficiently, so iron stores are worth confirming, especially for menstruating women.
Hard to get from food on any diet, and many plant eaters rely on fortified sources alone, so it is worth confirming.
Plant omega-3 converts poorly to the EPA and DHA your body actually uses, so this measures whether you are getting enough.
Usually plentiful on a plant-based diet, useful as the counterpart to B12 when interpreting either.
The whole-body map. One comprehensive draw covering your heart, metabolism, liver, kidneys, blood, iron, inflammation, and thyroid. It is the place to start, and the one to repeat each year.
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None of these are reasons to abandon a plant-based diet. They are simply the handful of things worth measuring so you can supplement precisely where you need to.