vegan supplements… should i take ’em?

I have wanted to write about vegan supplements for a long time, but I held off so that I could have a few months of experience with them in order to give my honest take.  Throughout my life, I’ve never been super responsible about taking ANY type of medication or vitamin daily.  It is just one more thing to remember in the morning, and I am not a morning person.  Plus–  half of the vitamins you peruse in any given grocery store aisle either is not vegan, or else it is hard to tell if they were vegan.  And finally, lab results from all of my physical exams since going vegan have always been perfect, so if it aint broke don’t fix it… Am I right?

Mehhh I’m not so sure I was right, actually.  A plant-based diet has been proven to lower your risk of heart disease (the #1 killer of Americans), diabetes, and cancer.  But, regardless of your diet, we live in a society where we are constantly “on the go,” and it is easy to skimp on some vital nutrients.  I, for one– seeing that a lack of B12 has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, and lack of taurine has been linked to depression and anxiety– am going to make good on my 2017 resolution to “live intentionally,” even if that means taking an extra minute each morning to play it safe and take some dang supplements.

ALRIGHT, SO WHICH ONES SHOULD I TAKE?

1. A MULTIVITAMIN.  Anyone who is vegan/vegetarian needs to be sure that they are getting enough of:  B12, Zinc, and Selenium.  If you are a woman who gets a period, I would say to go ahead and add some Iron in there for good measure.  I recommend New Chapter’s Every Woman multivitamin… and consider grabbing an Every Man multi for your boyfriend or husband, if you have one.  If you don’t take any other supplement on this list, be sure that you do consider this one.  (USA made, ethically sourced, gluten-free.) 
2. MUSCLE SUPPLEMENTS.  This is especially for those of y’all who spend some time in the gym.  Some people do find that when they initially give up meat, they have a harder time building and maintaining muscle.  This is because vegans tend to have lower levels of Taurine, Carnitine, and Creatine. Rare Myo Capsules are the solution for anyone concerned with their muscle health and metabolism–  the levels of Taurine, Carnitine, and Creatine in the once daily vegan supplements are just enough to match a small serving of red meat, but not to the point where it would “bulk you up.”  (USA made, ethically sourced, gluten-free.) 
3. VITAMIN D + CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT. These two go together in one pill commonly, because Vitamin D is responsible for Calcium absorption; they complement each other.  I recommend New Chapter’s Bone Strength Slim Tabs for bone support, joint flexibility, and heart health. 
4. BEAUTY VITAMINS!  It never crossed my mind to take this type of supplement, but I actually learned about VitaFive from one of my favorite vegan beauty bloggers, Sunny, at Vegan Beauty Review.   I am now ADDICTED to these things.  Y’all, these gummy vitamins taste seriously amazing, can be tailored to you, are prepackaged like a little bag of gummies,… AND, Sunny even has a discount code for you to use if you want to order on the VitaFive website (type in “sunny30” at checkout).  I hope this helps!  If you have any questions or have favorite vegan supplements you think I should try, I would love to hear. XO

(Photos:  Mary Summers)

(Dress: vintage ; Corduroy hat: Free People)