Why Healthy Vegans Need to Supplement

 

Why Healthy Vegans Need to Supplement

It is no secret that vegans often have to supplement their diets with vitamins and minerals that they cannot get from a purely plant-based diet. While there are many benefits to a vegan lifestyle, there are also some potential pitfalls, particularly when it comes to getting all of the nutrients the body needs.

Certain nutrients are especially important for vegans, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids. deficiencies in any of these nutrients can have serious consequences for your health. In this article, we will take a closer look at why vegans need to supplement their diets and which nutrients they need to be particularly mindful of.

1. Introduction

Veganism is the most hyped and controversial mode of eating nowadays. It’s a widely accepted diet in everyday life, but it’s still hard for people to digest it for the simple reason that it’s less known than others and there's very little that goes around it. Some people think that it leads to unhealthiness, while others categorize it as a vegetarian diet. In a world where 20% of all young people are using this diet, it shouldn't come as a discomfort to understand what it entails and the poor nutrition that's related to it. Vegans are becoming "anti-establishment" all the more as they refuse to follow regulations and leave us at risk of getting a diet deficient in nutrients we need to stay healthy. We can conduct a healthier sharing in a more animal-friendly world. Unless we want to be also anti-hygienist or anti-environmentalist, we need to understand what we are about to follow and that's where a vegan diet poses a fascinating side in nutrition. Unfortunately, not all vegans know what exactly is a legitimate diet and how can they ensure that their nutrition is going to be as proper as possible.

A vegan diet is not just strict, it's the identificable diet of someone who selects to eat completely (or almost completely, according to vegans).

2. What’s in a Multivitamin?

When thinking about taking a multivitamin, many people assume that they are essentially just a sugar pill. Because of this mentality, many people believe that taking a multivitamin is a wasted trip to the pharmacy since the nutrients they provide are essentially identical to what they would get from whole food. However, in reality, a multivitamin provides you with a lot more than calories of pills making it a useful and worthwhile option for vegans and other individuals who do not consume whole food.

If you are interested in taking a multivitamin, there are several good options for vegans that provide you with a complete package of nutrients. For the most part, nutritionists recommend using a vegan multivitamin. These are liquids that have many different aspects of a vitamin and mineral, from protein powder to calcium to ascorbic acid, which is essential for making collagen. These types of multis have a definite protein content, as well as other nutrients that would be lacking without them. In addition, single-source vitamin A is still one of the more nutrient-rich options for vegans since whole fruit and vegetables are one of the best sources of this nutrient.

3. What Are Multivitamins?

It is estimated that two-thirds of the US population take some kind of multivitamin daily. This is largely due to not a lot of fruit and vegetables being available in a healthy and natural form - starting off with a complete food and veggie-based multivitamin is the best way forward.

A ‘complete food’ is an everyday food type, such as a banana, broccoli and chicken. Potatoes and eggs are complete food types too. Get to know which everyday food types are best incorporated into each food group:

Berries, broccoli, corn, tofu, eggs, halibut, potatoes, salmon, tagliatelle, turkey, spinach, Greek yogurt and many others are good food types.

Our daily functions require a healthy variation of different nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, glucosamine, riboflavin and many others, so this is why we must supplement with protein powder to make sure we are putting in our prebiotic squid and probiotic fish oils every day.

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4. How Will Multivitamins Help Vegans?

The first step towards a healthier, happier lifestyle should be to understand any probable deficiencies that you may have in your diet.

Throughout the years, the vegan diet has evolved to what we know it is right now. While the original diets of veganism did include some plant-based sources of vitamin B12, many of them did not. In reality, the only source of vitamin B12 for vegetarians is from animal foods or foods fortified with it.

So, what are we talking about with vitamin B12 here?

Vitamin B12 is a mineral that the body cannot make. It is found exclusively in animal products, most notably fish, meat, and dairy.

Of course, vegans cannot consume any animal products. So, their bodies start to find it harder to convert the other meats and dairy products into these important nutrients that they need. Some scientists believe that the lack of vitamin B12 in vegans' diets causes a lower mental performance such as clear-headedness and concentration.

If we think about vitamin B12, we can see why it is extremely important for vegans.

The central nervous system is generally known as the largest consumer of vitamin B12. That is why, for instance, splitting headaches are common among b12 deficient vegans.

Historical data shows that the average person requires between 2.4 and 3.5 mcg daily intake of this vitamin.

5. Listed Below Are a Few Cautions, the Need for Multivitamins are This Same

About 1 in 4 people will become vegan at some point in their life. Nutrition experts now wholeheartedly agree that vegan diets are healthier than meat- and dairy-based diets. That doesn’t mean every vegan needs to supplement, but if you plan to eat a vegan diet long term, you should probably take a supplements.

While meat-eaters and vegans have the same basic needs, you do risk some serious nutritional deficiencies when you eat a purely plant-based diet. If you’re a vegan, your diet will not be mineral sufficient because you are not getting meat, eggs, dairy, or any other animal products, which means you won’t be getting the proper amounts of many nutrients, such as:

B12, vitamin D, vitamin K, iron, or omega-3 fatty acids.

If you think you’re healthy, you’re probably right (organically speaking) but if you’re vegan and you’re not getting all of the things your body needs in adequate amounts, your diet may lead to serious health complications, unless you regulate them using supplements.

Considering that only 1 in 4 people will eventually adopt a plant-based diet, it’s clear that there is an alarming amount of vegans who are not getting the nutrition that they should.

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6. Conclusion

There are a lot of studies confirming that a plant-based diet will keep you healthier than a standard Western diet. In 2009, researchers at Binghamton University published a study that found that people who subsisted exclusively on a vegetarian diet for three years had fewer cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and deaths of any possible causes than nonvegetarians.

In a 1997 report, physicians at the University of Buffalo suggested that a vegan diet might also make people happier. When vegetarianism is adopted, people are usually happier and less stressed.

Evidence like this has helped many vegans turn from environmentally conscious choices into a permanent dietary modification.

Now, there are benefits to vegans obtaining these nutrients from supplements or over-the-counter supplements, as well as from a vegan diet. However, if you are relying on supplements for vitamins, you greatly risk overdosing on these nutrients.

In large quantities, they interfere with the absorption process and can cause a dangerous buildup. Your liver handles these nutrients in a different way than it does other vitamins and minerals.

A vegan diet can be extremely healthy, but there are some essential nutrients that many vegans may not get enough of. In this article, we’ll discuss why everyone, including vegans, should supplement with a high-quality multivitamin.

Vitamin B12

One of the most important nutrients for vegans is vitamin B12. This nutrient is essential for maintaining energy levels, neurological health, and DNA synthesis. Unfortunately, vitamin B12 is only found in animal products.

Iron

Another nutrient that many vegans are lacking is iron. Iron is essential for red blood cell production and transporting oxygen throughout the body. The best sources of iron for vegans are legumes and leafy greens.

Omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for heart health, cognitive function, and reducing inflammation.