Top 7 Supplements for Plant-based Women

In this post we’re talking all about SUPPLEMENTS and my top 7 supplement recommendations for plant-based women. Here are the supplements I take myself and recommend as a plant based vegan health coach. 

*(Please note that while these are my recommendations as a certified health coach, always consult with your doctor when adding supplements into your lifestyle.)

Now I just want to preface that of course supplements are meant to be just that- a supplement to a person’s diet. I’d prefer my clients get the majority of their vitamins and minerals from whole food sources. However, no diet is perfect and these supplements are a great insurance policy if you decide to have that burger and fries one day over the kale salad.

Of course, the best way to determine which supplements are right for you is to examine blood work and sometimes specialty lab testing to see what you are actually deficient in at that time. For example, in addition to having my own health coach, I work with a functional medicine doctor. Together we examine my lab work at least twice a year and adjust supplement protocols as needed based on the results.

That all being said, these 7 supplements we’re diving into below are a great start to make sure you’ve got your bases covered. (Oh and if you’re curious about what integrative health coaching is and how it can help you, be sure to check out this post here.)

My Top 7 Supplements for Plant-based Women

 

Multivitamin

I’d start building your daily supplement regimen with a good multivitamin. I like Ritual or Sakara The Foundation which is a mix of supplements together to cover not only your multivitamin, but a probiotic, omegas, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B complex altogether. 

Sakara The Foundation is well worth the investment for this one subscription. In my opinion, it’s a better solution versus buying all of these separately each month and then organizing them together in your vitamin holder. Sakara has really done the work for ya here.

(You can use code “XODANIELLE” for 20% off at Sakara!)

Probiotic

Important for skin health, gut health and immune support, especially since over 70% of your immune system lives in the gut! I like the Sakara Complete Probiotic. 

(You can use code “XODANIELLE” for 20% off at Sakara!)

Omegas

Specifically, omega 3 essential fatty acid. It’s a major MUST for optimal health and important for reducing inflammation. Typically you can get it from fish and fish oil supplements but as a vegan, you can opt for a plant based source of omega 3 like algal oil (algae). This is one of the very few vegan omega 3 DHA and EPA sources.

Going back to getting nutrients first through whole foods (with supplementation), you can also get omega 3 from brussel sprouts, walnuts, chia seeds, flax oil, spirulina, and hemp seeds. 

Again, you can cover your omega supplement in Sakara The Foundation or look for a vegan algae omega. 

(You can use code “XODANIELLE” for 20% off at Sakara!)

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is important for immunity support and energy. You may have seen the recent study that reported 80% of COVID-19 patients had low levels of vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D are extremely common with most of us being stuck inside working 9-5 or longer under artificial light. Then, when we are outside, we have been trained to lather on sunblock. Your skin needs to soak up SOME direct sunlight. It’s nature’s vitamin, peeps! Aim for just 20 minutes a day on a quick walk or when you’re out running errands. 

For a vitamin D supplement, opt for a vegan D3 like the ones I linked here from My Kind Organics.

Magnesium

As a blanket statement, women are almost always deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is extremely helpful for rest, relaxation, and headaches. Literally almost every single one of my clients has trouble sleeping. They tell me they are taking melatonin yet they still have trouble staying asleep. I always recommend magnesium over melatonin. I like Dr. Mercola’s magnesium.  

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive Enzymes help the body break down large macromolecules from the foods we eat into smaller molecules that our guts are able to absorb. I like these or the Arrae brand which is a staple in my natural medicine cabinet. Digestive enzymes can be especially helpful if you are new to a plant-based diet and your body is getting used to the increase in healthy fiber. 

B12

B12 is that one vitamin that you hear everyone and their grandma talk about when you go vegan. I could write a whole other post on this topic. To keep it simple, just know vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria. Animal foods contain it because the animal accumulated this bacteria during their lives. So, to get B-12 into your diet without eating animals, you can take a multivitamin (like the Sakara one I mentioned earlier in the post), a B-12 supplement, or cook with nutritional yeast.

I personally have not even taken a B-12 supplement the last 3 years of being plant based and my blood work has shown strong levels of B-12. I credit this to topping my meals with a little nutritional yeast every week.

 

A few tips when shopping for supplements: 

First and foremost, make sure it is organic or non-GMO. Also check for fillers or preservatives on the ingredient labels. Lastly, if possible, see if they share any information on their website regarding being lab tested for purity standards. 

 

Remember, supplements are meant to help fill in nutrition gaps. Be sure to focus on feeding yourself nourishing, whole foods first. PS- Supplement recommendations and meal ideas are included in the follow up to my free health consultations. If you’re interested in chatting with me, be sure to schedule a Zoom call here. 🙂

What questions do you have about these supplements?

XOXO, Dani