Mixing meat from your diet, whether for health or personal preference reasons, is a major step in a healthy direction. Vegan diets have been proven to help protect the body against various diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. A vegan diet, in spite of its immense benefits, falls short of some key nutrients that are crucial for complete wellbeing. A plant-based lifestyle can be very beneficial but only after understanding what vegan vitamins you need to supplement due to their deficiency in your diet. Below are some of the vegan vitamins you should keep an eye on to keep up a healthy vegan lifestyle:
Vitamin B12
This is a nutrient produced by bacteria which, today, have become very scarce in the human body. The vitamin is present in the intestines of animals; hence people who eat meat do not need to supplement this protein. For the vegan, however, it is necessary to supplement this vitamin in their diets to meet the recommended daily dosage. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can put you at risk of a specific type of anemia that ultimately develops into nervous system damage. You can raise B12 levels by incorporating cereals and dairy alternatives. Most vegans, however, need to take a supplement daily to meet these requirements.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is primarily obtained by exposing the skin to direct sunlight, drinking fortified milk, and vegan supplements. It can also be obtained from fatty fish like salmon, yogurt, eggs, and plant-based sources such as mushrooms and fortified orange juice. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium which is necessary for keeping bones strong and healthy. There are some studies that link vitamin D to mood and immune functions. All people, not only vegans, struggle with getting vitamin D, especially during seasons when there is limited sunlight. The National Institute of Health sets the minimum at 400 IU every day, however, it is recommended to get twice or thrice more than that to rap the true benefits of the vitamin. Vegans, therefore, have the hardest time trying to maintain levels of the vitamin. Vegans are advised to take D3 vegan vitamins to account for its insufficiency in the vegan diet.
Iron and Vitamin C
Iron is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies and a leading cause of anemia. It exists in two forms: heme and non-heme. Non-heme iron is readily available in plants, however, heme iron can only be found in animal products. Although a vegan can easily get iron non-heme iron, heme iron is absorbed more easily from the diet and hence it is recommended that vegans supplement the mineral. You can attain this by pairing plant-based iron foods with vitamin C supplements to increase the absorption of iron by the body. You may also need iron supplements where recommended by your doctor.
Vegan vitamins are a necessity for the plant-fueled vegan to ensure a healthy abundance of the necessary vitamins in your body. Take a look at our vegan vitamins today to improve your health and support your vegan lifestyle.