Vegans Diet and Supplements
All vegans who are unable to meet their dietary recommendations through diet alone should consider taking supplements. Please, do not conclude that just because you are eating a vegan diet, you can fill your body with everything that it needs. You might still have trouble boosting the immune system, and your body might still show signs of malnutrition.
Vegans, by nature of being on such a strict diet, are paying attention to their body and are trying to give it everything it needs to be successful. So being deficient is less about just not knowing, or not being in tune with your body like most, and more about just not being able to consume a large portion of the human diet through choice. Acquiring certain vitamins and minerals can be a challenge, which is why I put together this list of vitamins vegans might find difficult to find outside of an animal based diet and what they do for your body.
| Supplement | Effects of Supplement on the Body |
|---|---|
| Iodine | Essential for the production of the hormone thyroxine, which is needed for healthy growth, development of the central nervous system and metabolic regulation. |
| Iron | Required to produce hemoglobin in red blood cells, to provide the energy needed for muscle function and to maintain a healthy immune system. |
| Vitamin B12 | Essential for healthy cell production, maintaining mood and energy, and increasing digestive resistance. |
| Calcium | Essential for bone growth and heart maintenance, nerve and muscle function. |
High Quality Supplements
How to Choose High Quality Vitamins and Supplements Third-party testing is not required by law. However, some supplement manufacturers voluntarily choose to undergo testing to show their commitment to producing high quality products. All the supplements I’m posting to this article are 3rd party tested and made in America! (Check below to find out what 3rd party tested means!)
Products that have been certified by one of these third-party companies have been tested for one or more of the following: The supplement contains what’s stated on the label and in the amounts listed, Products are standardized from batch to batch, The supplement is free of harmful levels of contaminants or other potential drug contaminants, The product doesn’t contain any undeclared ingredients.
Common Vegans Deficiencies
Vegans are commonly found to be deficient in a couple of vitamins in particular. Most common being (not necessarily in this order) Iodine, Iron, Vitamin B12, and Calcium. Below are some excellent supplements that you can take to combat deficiency!
Iodine
Iodine, as described above is very important to your body’s health regarding your hormones, nervous system, metabolism, and cellular growth. Thus it is very important that you stay within a healthy level of Iodine intake which in adults the daily requirement (although slightly more won’t hurt) is 140 mcg.
[wptb id=2910]Iron
Iron is something that everyone needs. However, women are in a much higher need of Iron. Vegans, but especially women need to make sure they are getting enough Iron in their diets to avoid Iron Deficiency and the symptoms that go along with it like fatigue, weakness, dizziness, tingling in extremities, and more. Make sure you’re getting your daily dose of Iron (most men is 8 mg, while women who still experience periods is 18mg).
[wptb id=2911]Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an important building block to our health as humans. With mental health being an increasingly debilitating problem in this day and age it’s becoming more important to maintain your health to keep those negative feelings at bay associated with poor health. Not only that but Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with more than just mental health problems, it’s commonly linked to anemia, weakness, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, nerve problems and more. So to make sure you’re getting enough of this incredibly important vitamin take a look at this high quality product we found.
[wptb id=2912]Calcium
Calcium is famous for bone health, however it also helps with maintaining heart, nerve, and muscle health. With Vegans not being able to consume animal products (all dairy products) it might be hard for them to get the daily required levels of calcium naturally. So here is a product we found that will help! This product is a powder, because studies have shown that calcium supplements receive the best absorption through powdered delivery methods.
[wptb id=2902]Conclusion
In conclusion going vegan can be beneficial to your health and improve the environment. However, there are certain vitamins that pretty much only come in animals that are still required to maintain a healthy body. Make sure that you’re getting those in some form of supplement to keep you body operating free of deficiency! If these products didn’t suit your fancy, maybe you’ll find something you’ll like on our LiveLoveOrganicLife Store!