What supplements are best for a vegan diet?

What supplements for a vegan diet?

With good planning and understanding, it is possible to meet your recommended daily intake for all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals requirements with a balanced vegan diet, or plant based diet. However, if your diet isn’t planned properly, even for just one day, you will miss out on the essentials.

The seven important nutrients that you may need to supplement on a vegan diet are:

1. Iron and 2. B12

Too little iron can lead to anaemia and symptoms like decreased immune function and fatigue. Iron is needed for energy metabolism and is the nutrient needed to make new DNA and red blood cells, as well as carrying oxygen in the blood.

Iron can be found in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is only available from animal products, whereas non-heme iron is found in plants. Heme iron is more easily absorbed from your diet than non-heme iron.

Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in foods from animal sources and is important for many bodily processes, including the formation of oxygen-transporting red blood cells and protein metabolism. It also plays a crucial role in the health of your nervous system. Too little vitamin B12 can also lead to anaemia, and nervous system damage, as well as infertility and bone and heart disease.

We recommend Liposomal Vitamin B12 to aid the formation of red blood cells that maintain the iron level in the body, combined with iron-rich foods and a source of vitamin C to help boost iron absorption such as Liposomal Vitamin C.

Dark green vegetables such as watercress, broccoli and spring greens, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, dried fruit such as raisins, seeds, whole grains, such as brown rice and enriched brown bread, fortified foods including cereal, and some plant milks, are all great for providing much-needed iron.

3. Calcium and 4. Vitamin D

Calcium plays a role in muscle function, nerve signalling and heart health, along with being necessary for good bone and teeth health. Non-vegans get most of their calcium from dairy foods, so it’s important for vegans to get calcium in other ways. Good sources of calcium for vegans are fortified unsweetened soya, rice and oat milk, leafy green vegetables (but not spinach), almonds, sesame seeds and tahini, dried fruit, pulses, brown (wholemeal) and white bread.

Note that the body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps enhance the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from your stomach, and influences many other bodily processes, including immune function, mood, memory and muscle recovery.

Unfortunately, very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and foods fortified with vitamin D are often considered insufficient to satisfy the daily amounts needed, which partly explains the worldwide vitamin D deficiency among both vegans and omnivores. Fortified margarine and fat spreads, fortified breakfast cereals and egg yolks contain vitamin D, and of course you also get vitamin D when exposed to sunshine.

Therefore, it is important that vegans invest a good vitamin D supplement, and we recommend Good Health Natually’s Vitamin D3 to deliver a significant dose of Vitamin D3 as well as calcium from coral.

5. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3s are the nutrients that help build and maintain an all-around healthy body, being the key to the structure of every cell wall that you have. They are also a great energy source and help keep your lungs, heart, blood vessels and immune system working the way

they should. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients that are important in preventing and managing heart disease.

High concentrations of vegan sources of Omega 3s can be found in seeds, particularly hemp, chia and ground flaxseed, as well as walnuts, and soy (including tofu, tempeh, soy milk). There are also large amounts of ALA in canola oils, which are another vegan option. Omega-3 fish oil contains both EPA and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid).

The Krill Miracle is a dietary supplement of ultra-pure omega fatty acids formulated to promote wellness and longevity. It gives a balanced fatty acid nutrition, with added ingredients to support normal immune function, may aid cardiovascular health, joint mobility, brain function, and skin health too.

Krill is a tiny shrimp-like crustacean found in the Southern Oceans, the only oceans in the world that remain unpolluted by the heavy toxic metals that are now to be found in many fish oils.

6. Zinc

Insufficient intake of zinc can lead to developmental problems, hair loss, diarrhoea, and delayed wound healing. It’s the mineral that’s crucial for metabolism, immune function, and the repair of body cells.

To maximise your intake, you should eat a variety of zinc-rich foods throughout the day, including whole grains, wheat germ, tofu, sprouted breads, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

To give you a whole range of minerals including Organic Selenium, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, and others, we recommend Good Health Naturally’s Antioxidant Minerals.

7. Iodine

Getting enough iodine is crucial for healthy thyroid function, which controls your metabolism, and insufficient iodine intake can lead to hypothyroidism. This can cause various symptoms, such as low energy levels, tingling in your hands and feet, forgetfulness, dry skin, depression and weight gain.

Health conditions like ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, autoimmune thyroid disorders, and cancers of the thyroid, breast, ovaries, and uterus can often all be caused by iodine deficiency. All cells in the body utilise the critical mineral iodine and rely on it for daily function.

The only foods considered to have consistently high iodine levels are iodized salt, seafood, seaweed, because food grown close to the ocean tends to be higher in iodine. Also, dairy products which pick up iodine from solutions used to clean cows and farm equipment.

A small amount of half a teaspoon (2.5 ml) of iodized salt is sufficient to meet your daily needs, but for vegans who do not want to consume iodized salt, or eat seaweed several times per week, should consider taking an iodine supplement such as Nascent Iodine. It is in its atomic form — consumable and paramagnetic — is highly preferable to its molecular form. This is the form of iodine that is well-recognised by the thyroid and easily used.

What are good sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans?

A variety of protein from different sources is necessary to get the right mixture of amino acids, which are used to build and repair the body’s cells. Most vegans will have enough protein in their diet, from good sources of protein such as pulses and beans, cereals (wheat, oats and rice), soya products (tofu, soya drinks and textured soya protein, such as soya mince), nuts and seeds.

However, proteins can be one of the most difficult substances to metabolise. If the digestive process is incomplete, undigested protein can wind up in your circulatory system, as well as in other parts of your body. We recommend Protease Enzyme Therapy to help break proteins down into smaller proteins and amino acids.

They can be of great benefit to people who have difficulty digesting proteins, but they have even broader therapeutic applications. Protease aids digestion of proteins and helps your immune system to fight infection.

Check out our range of supplements and vitamins which are all made with the highest grade, certified non-GMO ingredients of the purest quality and are vegan friendly: https://lemonwellmed.co.uk/health-products/

All vegans who are unable to meet their dietary recommendations through diet alone should consider taking supplements. Well-planned vegan diets can fulfil nutritional needs, but certain nutrient requirements may be difficult to achieve through diet and fortified foods alone, especially vitamin B12, vitamin D, and long-chain omega-3s.