A well balanced healthy diet can benefit your body in many ways. In addition to contributing to adequate body weight, healthful eating can also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
That said, an increasing number of people are moving toward vegan diets. Whether it’s for health or for the environment, many are having a desire to eat fewer animal products. It’s true that fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods on the planet. Eating more plants is almost always beneficial for your health. However, there are some vitamins and minerals that are difficult (or even impossible) to get from plants alone. Because of that, going vegan can sometimes lead to nutrient deficiencies.
One of the nutrients that a vegan diet is low in is Vitamin B-12, which is mainly found in animal products. Vegan supplements offer a simple way for those who follow a vegan diet to get enough of these nutrients.
Vegan Vitamin B12
B12 deficiencies can cause a variety of health problems, including potentially irreversible never damage that often occurs before noticeable symptoms arise. An easy way to avoid a deficiency is to take a B12 supplement containing at least 1000 micrograms of B12 two or three times a week.
Are b12 supplements vegan, you may wonder? Yes, they are. In fact, the only way vegans can reach the necessary B12 levels is by consuming B-12 fortified foods or taking B12 supplements. B-12 fortified vegan foods commonly include plant milk, soy products, breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast.
B12 isn’t absorbed well when swallowed as a pill. For better absorption, consider B12 lozenges. Also called sublingual tablets, these tablets dissolve under your tongue, which means it’s absorbed through the capillaries in your mouth. Experts recommend a dosage of 1000 to 2000 microgram tablets taken a few times a week.
Vegan Protein Powders
One of the good things you can say about eggs and meat is that they are packed in protein. So, when you remove these foods from your diet, you need to pick up the slack with other protein-rich foods. Plant-based protein vegan supplements can help you with your protein needs as well.
Various forms of plant-based protein powders are available on the market, being the most common options pea protein, soy protein and coconut protein. Pea protein powder is also one of the most highly concentrated forms of protein. Generally, pea protein contains 25 grams of protein per 30-gram serving. While red meat is one of the greatest sources of iron, pea protein powder is just as effective. One serving of pea protein contains 35% of your daily requirement for iron.
Plus, many forms of vegan protein powder double as a source of other essential micronutrients. One of these is healthy fats which are required for the absorption of essential vitamins and many other functions. Vegan protein powders made from coconut protein or that contains coconut offer a great dose of healthy fats with every serving.
Vegan Calcium Vitamin
The great news is most brands of almond and soy milk contain more calcium than cows’ milk. It’s important though, that you check the label of the products to confirm if it has a sufficient dose of calcium. Drinking these products daily as well as regularly eating tofu that lists calcium sulphate in its ingredients can go a long way towards ensuring adequate calcium intake. Kale is another excellent source of calcium. Beans can also be a great source of calcium with soybeans and white beans offering the most.
If you don’t consume much calcium-rich vegan milk, tofu, greens and beans, it can be difficult for you to meet the recommended1000 milligrams per day. A calcium supplement can help.
Vegan Vitamin D
Even though exposure to sunlight will generate Vitamin D, you are probably better off taking a supplement. That’s because your body requires strong direct sun exposure on most of your skin to produce enough vitamin D. This is impossible during the winter months since even if you bare your skin despite the cold, the sun will be too low in the sky to provide sufficient Ultraviolet B rays to generate the vitamin. And as you know, exposing the skin directly to sunlight leads to premature wrinkles and ageing.
Multivitamins
Following a well-planned vegan diet should give you abundant amounts of most nutrients a multivitamin provides. However, a few nutrients may fall through the cracks, so a vegan multivitamin can be advisable. For example, few vegan foods are good sources of iodine or zinc. So, for many vegans, these two nutrients are reason enough to take a vegan multivitamin.
Don’t buy a multivitamin that contains iron unless your doctor recommends it – this should be based on blood work. With supplements, it’s easy to push your iron intake past recommended levels. Taking too much iron can be as hazardous as taking too little.