For those who follow a lifestyle that excludes any product of animal origin, including food, the use of natural supplements is essential to keep your health up to date.
Through the consumption of eggs, milk and meat, some essential nutrients are ingested. However, even those who practice veganism do not have to suffer the consequences of their lack.
There are several vegan supplement alternatives to help promote a proper and balanced diet. Want to know what they are and more about it? Keep on reading!
NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS FOR VEGANS
As previously mentioned, some essential nutrients for the correct functioning of the body are found in eggs, milk and meat. Check below which are the fundamental vegan supplements to have a balanced diet that helps to meet the body’s needs:
OMEGA 3
The nutrient offers several benefits to the body because of the anti-inflammatory effects it grants. This causes him to act as a cardioprotector and help maintain brain and immune system health too, for example.
This essential fatty acid is not produced by the body and therefore can only be obtained through food or supplementation. Its main known sources are fish, such as salmon, sardines and herring. However, vegans do not consume these and any other type of food of animal origin.
The good news is, that the primary source of Omega 3, is actually a microalgae – and there are supplements extracted directly from it. Fish become sources only because they consume Schizochytrium sp in the food chain and end up accumulating the nutrient in their tissues.
It is important to emphasize that not all omega 3 supplements are extracted from microalgae, there are options for fish oils (animal source) and linseed oil (vegetable source in which absorption by the body is not done so optimally).
B12 VITAMIN
Participating in the metabolism of the nervous system, reducing the risk of damage to DNA and helping to maintain the health of red blood cells are some functions of b12 vitamin. In addition, she is also important for muscle building and especially for the general health of seniors.
A lack of vitamin B12 can cause serious problems in the body, including pernicious anemia and neuropathies, in which the symptoms are manifested through tingling in the legs, burning in the soles of the feet, difficulty walking, urinary incontinence, among others.
Sources of this nutrient in food come from animals and include fish, such as salmon, trout and tuna, as well as liver, pork, milk and derivatives, eggs and oysters. Despite this, those who are adept at veganism do not have to suffer the consequences of a lack of B12.
There are 100% vegan vitamin B12 supplements that are highly recommended by doctors and nutritionists due to all the harm that the nutrient can cause if it is not present in the diet. It is important to emphasize that there are no vegetable food sources of the vitamin.
SPIRULINA AND CHLORELLA
The Spirulina and chlorella are great food supplement for vegans and vegetarians. That’s because the spirulina has good content of iron vegetable and the chlorella, in turn, has vitamin C in the composition, which helps in the absorption of the mineral.
Iron, despite being present in plant sources, is better absorbed by the body when it is of the heme type, that is, from animal sources.
In vegetables, it is found in options with dark green leaves mainly, such as kale and spinach.
To optimize the absorption of vegetable iron, the ideal is to combine consumption with vitamin C, which can be through the ingestion of an orange, for example.
The lack of iron in the body can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which has symptoms such as lower disposition and difficulty in learning and concentration. There are cases in which isolated supplementation of the mineral is necessary.
PEA PROTEIN
When thinking about protein sources, it is common to associate with animal examples, such as white and red meat, eggs and milk and derivatives. As a protein supplement of animal origin, whey protein is the most famous and widely consumed by athletes.
However, there are vegan protein sources as well. Peas, as well as sunflower seeds, lentils, beans, seitan, quinoa, sesame, chickpeas, tofu and even cocoa powder can be consumed to reach the daily nutrient recommendation.
However, this recommendation varies according to gender, age and also goals. Therefore, it is not always achieved so easily. Vegan protein supplements are great for helping to close needs.
