Vegan Diets: What Supplements Do You Need?

A vegan diet is based on plants and foods made from plants. Vegans do not eat foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs. A well-planned and balanced plant-based or vegan diet can provide most of the essential nutrients you need. However, there are some vitamins and minerals that deserve particular attention to ensure you get enough from your diet or from a supplement.

Vitamin B12 is found in foods of animal origin. Fortified foods and supplements are the only reliable sources of this vitamin for those on vegan diets. Deficiency of Vitamin B12 can lead to anaemia and damage to the nervous system.

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because our bodies, like those of other animals, activate it in reaction to sun exposure. Scientific evidence suggests that being deficient in Vitamin D may increase the risk of various chronic diseases, from osteoporosis to heart disease, some cancers, and even multiple sclerosis.

Iodine is required for making thyroid hormones, which are important for metabolism and growth. Vegans are considered at risk of iodine deficiency, and studies report that vegans have up to 50% lower blood iodine levels than vegetarians.

Long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly beneficial for heart health, brain function and eye health. It can be difficult to gain sufficient Omega 3 on a plant-based diet, so a vegan Omega 3 supplement should be considered.

Zinc has an important role in growth, healthy hair and strong nails, normal vision, fertility, brain function and immunity. The body doesn’t store zinc, so a daily supply is needed from the diet or a good Daily Multivitamin supplement that will contain Zinc and Copper.

These are some of the key supplements vegans may need to take to ensure they are getting all the nutrients their body needs.

Vitamin B12

Fortified foods such as nutritional yeast flakes, yeast extract, breakfast cereals, and some plant-based milk alternatives and spreads are a great way to get some Vitamin B12 in your diet. However, a Vitamin B12 supplement is advised if you’re following a vegan diet.

The body needs vitamin B12 to maintain healthy blood and a healthy nervous system. Many people get vitamin B12 from animal sources, such as meat, fish, and dairy products. Sources for vegans are limited and a vitamin B12 supplement may be needed.

The daily recommended intake is 2.4 mcg per day for adults, 2.6 mcg per day during pregnancy, and 2.8 mcg per day while breastfeeding.

The only scientifically proven way for vegans to reach these levels is by consuming B12-fortified foods or taking a vitamin B12 supplement. B12-fortified foods commonly include plant milks, soy products, breakfast cereals, and nutritional yeast.

It’s important to keep in mind that vitamin B12 is best absorbed in small doses. Thus, the less frequently you ingest vitamin B12, the more you need to take.

This is why vegans who are unable to reach the recommended daily intake using fortified foods should opt for a daily supplement providing 25–100 mcg of cyanocobalamin or a weekly dosage of 2,000 mcg.

Vitamin D

There are few dietary sources of vitamin D, with mushrooms and fortified foods being the only vegan sources. Foods often fortified with vitamin D include breakfast cereals, spreads, and plant alternatives to milk and yoghurt.

The best way vegans can ensure they're getting enough vitamin D is to have their blood levels tested. Those unable to get enough from fortified foods and sunshine should consider taking a daily vitamin D2 or vegan vitamin D3 supplement. Although vitamin D2 is probably adequate for most people, some studies suggest that vitamin D3 is more effective at raising blood levels of vitamin D.

Iodine

Vegans are considered at risk of iodine deficiency, with studies reporting that vegans have up to 50% lower blood iodine levels than vegetarians. The main dietary sources of iodine are milk, dairy, and fish. For those following a plant-based diet, including foods fortified with iodine or taking an iodine supplement is essential to ensure adequate intake. An increasing number of plant-based milk alternatives are now fortified with iodine, making them a good option.

The recommended daily intake of iodine for adults is 150 mcg, while pregnant women should aim for 220 mcg, and breastfeeding women should further increase their intake to 290 mcg per day.

To ensure adequate iodine intake, vegans can opt for fortified plant-based milk alternatives or consider taking an iodine supplement. Additionally, certain types of seaweed, such as kelp, hiziki, kombu, or wakame, are good sources of iodine but may not be daily staples for most people.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the only essential omega-3 fatty acid, meaning you can only get it from your diet. Plants with a high ALA content include flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and soybeans.

The long-chain omega-3 fatty acids include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They are not considered essential as your body can make them from ALA. However, the body is extremely inefficient at deriving DHA or EPA from ALA. Research suggests that less than 1% of ALA is converted into "physiologically effective levels" of DHA or EPA. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are particularly beneficial for heart health, brain function, and eye health.

It can be difficult to gain sufficient omega-3 on a plant-based diet, so vegans may benefit from supplementing with EPA and DHA. Algal oil is one of the most common vegan omega-3 supplements and is often favored over other types as it provides DHA and EPA, which can be easily absorbed and used by the body.

Vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids include ground linseed (flaxseed) oil and vegetable (rapeseed) oil. It is recommended to try to include walnuts, hemp, pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds in a vegan diet and use rapeseed oil in cooking as these provide plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

Calcium

While it is possible to get enough calcium on a vegan diet, studies suggest that most vegans do not meet the RDA. This may be due to the fact that vegans have lower calcium needs than omnivores because they do not need to neutralise the acidity produced by a meat-rich diet. However, more research is needed to evaluate how meatless diets affect daily calcium requirements.

That being said, evidence suggests that vegans consuming less than 525 mg of calcium per day tend to have an increased risk of bone fractures. Therefore, all vegans are encouraged to aim for the RDA, making sure they consume at least 525 mg of calcium per day. Supplements should be used if this cannot be achieved through diet or fortified foods alone.

Good vegan food sources of calcium include:

• Green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale, but not spinach (spinach contains high levels of calcium, but the body cannot digest it all)
• Fortified unsweetened soya, pea, and oat drinks
• Sesame seeds and tahini
• Bread (in the UK, calcium is added to white and brown flour by law)
• Dried fruit, such as raisins, prunes, figs, and dried apricots
• Firm tofu that is set with calcium
• Calcium-fortified plant-based yoghurt
• Almonds
• Wholemeal bread

In addition, vitamin D is needed for the body to absorb calcium from foods. Therefore, it is important to ensure adequate intake of vitamin D through sun exposure, fortified foods, or supplements.

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