Ok, let's face it...most of us can't consume all of our daily intake of vitamins & nutrients. Even people who don't eat vegan should be taking supplements but there are a couple that vegans really need to focus on. This is something that I've learned from my own research but please be advised
that you should always consult with your doctor.
So, what do I take you ask? Well, I take a prenatal vitamin (because my husband and I are looking to conceive soon), a vitamin B-12 supplement, a vitamin D supplement, a DHA-EPA (omega 3) supplement, and occasionally a digestive enzyme supplement.
Before I was vegan I would normally take a prenatal, a vitamin B supplement, and fish oil. The only ones that I added were the vitamin D and the digestive enzymes. Although, I probably would have taken those earlier if I would have known about them. They help to break down food so that your body can absorb it better. So when you're eating large or complex meals it's a good idea to take these before the meal. I don't take these with every meal. Primarily, I take them if I'm eating late at night or if I'm having a large meal.
Now that I have been transitioning into veganism and I'm almost at full-swing, I have transitioned mostly all of my
vitamins to vegan vitamins!
All of these supplements are vegan except for the vitamin D but the vitamin D is of higher quality than the vegan form. They source it from the wool of sheep. I am missing the DHA-EPA but that's because I ordered it recently
and it's on its way! I decided to go with Deva because I believe they use high quality ingredients and they're affordable. I was taking the Wellness Resources prenatal but I didn't like that I had to take 4 pills per day versus the one pill per day that Deva offers. Also, the DHA-EPA supplement is a recommended dose of 1-2 pill per day versus the 3-6 pills per day that I used to take of fish oil. I also wanted to emphasize that I believe it is important for vegans to take a vitamin D supplement because there is not a plant source that we can consume to fill this void. Unfortunately, vitamin D is an animal source. However, we do synthesize vitamin D from the sun but not all of us are able to get enough time in the sun to synthesize enough vitamin D.
It all comes down to what you feel is right for your body
and what you can afford. As always, it is important to consult with your doctor.
I was so excited when I went out to the mailbox today to find that my supplement arrived! It's the vegan form of Omega-3. So far, I have been liking my other supplements from Deva. The capsules for this supplement remind me of vitamin E and fish oil capsules. They are a yellowish opaque color and are filled with an oil type substance. They have a very slight fishy odor (from the algae). This form of vegan DHA-EPA is derived from a microalgae that is manufactured in a facility. Don't worry...They grow it DRINKABLE water! The recommended dosage is 1-2 capsules daily which sure beats the heck out of the fish oil I was taking! The fish oil that I was taking during my transition into veganism recommended to take 1-2 capsules up to 3 times per day. Yeah, um...no thank you! I felt like I was up to my ears in vitamins! I like to just take my vitamins all at one time if I can. It's all about the convenience sometimes!
That's what the capsules look like. I ordered them off of Amazon because they had really good pricing. Although, you can also order directly form Deva. They go for around $20 for 90 capsules. It's a very competitive price compared to even the non-vegan DHA-EPA capsules. I know the fish oil capsules that I was taking previously went for around the same price for the same amount of capsules but the dosage was more; just to give you a perspective.
Let me know if you like any other vegan forms of DHA-EPA that are comparable!
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