A lot of people consider a vegan diet as a health-friendly lifestyle; however, it also requires a lot of effort in maintaining the diet. The main goal of this diet is to avoid any type of animal-derived products (meat, milk, eggs, etc) in order to promote optimal health. Unfortunately, many people tend to overlook or completely forget the importance of supplements to their vegan diet. In order to help people maintain a healthy vegan lifestyle, here are a few dietary supplements that might be worth considering.
Vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is a B vitamin, which are important for proper nerve and blood cell development, and regulation of metabolism. However, for vegans, its availability may be limited due to lack of exposure to animal products, especially meat and milk products. Because of this, vitamin B-12 can sometimes find its way into vegetarians’ diet through supplements. A good example of a popular supplement is Vitamin H. It is usually available as a chewable tablet, which provides high levels of this vitamin to vegans. Unlike regular vitamin tablets, chewable vegetarian Vitamin H doesn’t have to go through your digestive system, so it’s much easier on the stomach.
Vitamin E. Aside from being an important nutrient for healthy eyesight, Vitamin E is also essential in making certain proteins used by the body. For vegans, this can be difficult to get especially during the winter months when fresh food sources are fewer. Supplementing with Vitamin E can provide a level of nutritional support that helps alleviate the symptoms of Vitamin E deficiency. Other vitamin E supplements include beta-carotene, flaxseed and other natural vegetable precursors. These supplements are also helpful in getting enough of this crucial vitamin to vegans.
Vitamin D. This vitamin not only contributes to strong bones and teeth, but it is also essential for assimilating iron into the body. However, like other B-12 vitamins, too much vitamin d can create a deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in vegans and vegetarians because they often spend more time outdoors than others. This can increase their risk of developing calcium deficiencies. In order to correct this, vitamin D is typically introduced into the diet either through fortified milk or foods fortified with other forms of the vitamin. Foods fortified with the vitamin are usually better than regular dairy products.
Vitamin K. Unlike other B-complex vitamins, this one is made in the body from simple carbohydrates. However, unlike most B-complex vitamins, vitamin k actually acts as an antioxidant. Antioxidants are important in fighting off free radicals and diseases such as cancer. Because it is more easily digested in the body, vitamin k-2 is particularly recommended by some mainstream healthcare practitioners for people with malabsorption syndrome. Because it requires more effort to digest than other forms of vitamin k, vegans and vegetarians are encouraged to consume large amounts of vitamin k-2.
Vitamin A. This nutrient is also commonly found in most plant-based foods, especially carrots and spinach. Unfortunately, this nutrient is not properly absorbed by most vegans and vegetarians, due to the fact that it tends to bind with fat in the digestive tract before being absorbed. This can lead to vitamin k-2 not being properly absorbed, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies when eating foods that do not contain vitamin k-2.
Folic acid. Also found in plant-based foods, folic acid helps to reduce the risk of birth defects in pregnant women. However, because it is not properly absorbed by vegetarians and vegans, it may be deficient in vegans, even without adding special supplements. To help address this deficiency, consider taking a supplement such as a supplement that combines vitamins A and C or as an iron supplement.
As you can see, there are a number of benefits that supplements for vegans can provide. Unfortunately, most of the vegan supplements on the market do not contain all of the essential micronutrients that all plant-based diets need. For optimal health, a well-balanced vegan diet must include a variety of these micronutrients. Fortunately, there are great products on the market that can help vegans and vegetarians easily meet their nutrient needs.
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