What Is A Supplement?
Good nutrition is the foundation of health, fitness, and longevity. Supplements are doses of nutrients used to help you reach your daily nutritional requirements. Whilst it is always best to ensure you get all the nutrients you need from healthy whole foods, for a multitude of reasons, you may need a little extra boost. This is where dietary supplements come in.
Who Would Need To Use Supplements?
Supplements are often prescribed to treat people’s deficiencies. Vitamin deficiencies can lead to conditions such as anemia, which is most often caused by iron deficiency, and the most effective treatment would be a controlled and regular dose of Iron.
Furthermore, a person’s diet may be observed to be generally deficient in nutrients. In this case, a multivitamin may be recommended to maintain the body’s health until a more comprehensive diet can be obtained.
Supplements may also be useful for those with medical conditions that inhibit the digestion of certain nutrients through food, such as Crohn’s disease
People also supplement macronutrients, which are protein, fats, and carbs. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts who require higher protein intake due to their physical activity will often supplement protein. It may be impractical or impossible for them to reach their higher protein requirements through whole foods, making a protein powder an ideal choice.
Do Vegans Need To Take Supplements
Vegans can achieve all of their daily nutrient requirements through food. However, we can sometimes be susceptible to certain deficiencies such as Iron and B12 which are more commonly found in animal-based foods. Fortunately, the supplements of these vitamins and minerals are all widely available in vegan forms and are easy on the wallet.
Some health experts suggest a regular dosage of B12 and Vitamin D regardless of your dietary choices or restrictions due to the general trend of deficiency in the wider population.
What Makes A Supplement Vegan?
A vegan supplement carries out the same function as any supplement, except they are made without using any animal-derived ingredients.
An example of this would be protein powder. The most common protein source for non-vegan protein powders is whey, which is derived from dairy. A vegan option would utilize vegan protein sources such as soy, pea, hemp, and more, to achieve the same effects as animal-derived protein powders.
You may also find animal ingredients used in certain vitamin supplements such as Vitamin D3, a common form of vitamin D used in supplements. Some products will obtain their Vitamin D3 from sheep’s wool making it inappropriate for vegans. Instead, you can use a D3 supplement that is made using Lichen, which is vegan-friendly.
Where We Can Help
The supplement market is huge, and can sometimes be a bit intimidating. There is an endless amount of products promising to optimize your health in different ways. We aim to simplify this and point you in the right direction for the products that you need.