Essential Supplements For Vegan Athletes | A Vegan’s Guide

A plant-based diet offers a number of health advantages, such as the reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease and defense against several malignancies. Despite these advantages, there are a few considerations to make before choosing to adopt a vegan diet.

For instance, vegans athletes are more prone to lacking essential minerals like calcium, zinc, and vitamin B-12, each of which is essential to the body’s function. However, vegans can prevent these nutritional deficits by ingesting the ideal mixture of nutrient-rich foods and supplements.

Vegan athletes who create their own meal plan should aim to include a wide range of vitamins and minerals. As these vitamins and minerals will help them in meeting their nutritional needs and support their overall health and wellbeing.

In our article, we will highlight the most essential supplements for vegan athletes to consider. These supplements will include those that provide the key vitamins and minerals that can be more difficult to obtain through a vegan diet alone. By taking these supplements, vegan athletes can feel confident that they are meeting their nutritional needs and supporting their athletic performance.

7 Best Supplements For Vegan Athletes

1. Protein

For vegan athletes and health fanatics, protein is crucial for performance, healing, and ongoing growth. While getting adequate protein on a vegan diet is not hard, there typically has to be more planning involved. This is where vegan protein powder comes in.

Vegan supplements for athletes are great for increasing daily protein intake, as vegan protein supplements have several advantages along with added protein intake. First off, the majority of vegan protein powders are packed with the necessary amino acids.

Protein is made up of amino acids; however, many vegan protein sources don’t include all of the necessary amino acids. Vegan protein supplements can bridge this gap by increasing the regular intake of amino acids.

Vegan athletes should ensure they’re getting enough protein each day and triggering muscle protein synthesis, which is the process through which the body uses protein to create and repair muscle. A complete range of necessary amino acids is crucial for fostering an anabolic environment within muscles when it comes to protein synthesis in muscles.

Plant Protein with Nitric Oxide Booster

2. Vitamin B12

The body needs vitamin B-12 for the creation of DNA, red blood cells, and nerve cells, among other vital functions. Most individuals rely on animal products (such as meat and dairy) to get their recommended consumption of vitamin B-12 because the human body cannot make it.

Therefore, compared to meat eaters, vegans are more prone to experience a vitamin B-12 shortage. Since vitamin B-12 is mostly found in animal products, it might be challenging for vegans to obtain meals high in this nutrient.

Therefore, many vegan athletes may want to consider taking vitamin B12 supplements to support their diets. Vegan-friendly sources of vitamin B12 include fortified cereals, plant-based milks, and nutritional yeast. However, it can be challenging to obtain enough vitamin B12 through these sources alone, especially for those who have increased nutrient needs due to athletic performance.

Therefore, taking a vegan vitamin B12 supplement is often recommended. There are a variety of vegan vitamin B12 supplements available, including sublingual tablets, gummies, and sprays. These supplements can provide a convenient and effective way to ensure adequate vitamin B12 intake, especially for those who may have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 through their diet alone.

Vegan Vitamin B12 Energy Gummies

3. Iron

Although many vegan meals include iron, your body needs to absorb plant-based iron more effectively. As a result, vegans need to consume more foods high in iron than those who consume animal proteins. Additionally, some vegans might require a daily iron supplement.

Red blood cells need iron to help them transport oxygen throughout the body. Red blood cells are unable to carry out this crucial task without iron.

Your needs for iron are influenced by your sex, gender, and whether you consume animal products. In comparison to persons who eat meat, poultry, and fish, vegans require twice as much iron.

• Vegan men aged 19 to 50: 16 mg
• Vegan women aged 19 to 50: 36 mg
• Vegan adults aged 51 and over: 16 mg

Both plant-based (non-heme) and animal-based (heme) sources of iron are accessible. Some non-heme plant-based sources include beans, tofu, fortified cereal, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, spinach, broccoli, quinoa, almonds, and whole-grain pasta that will help vegans meet their daily requirements for iron.

However, it can still be challenging for some vegans, especially female athletes, to obtain adequate iron through diet alone. This is because they may have higher iron requirements due to menstrual bleeding or intense exercise. Therefore, taking a vegan iron supplement may be necessary

Vegan Iron Supplement

4. Vitamin D

Your body can make vitamin D, unlike the other vitamins and minerals on this list, but it needs sunshine. However, 42% of Americans do not receive the daily necessary quantity of vitamin D, making it a widespread problem. Even though fish and eggs contain vitamin D, many of these items are incompatible with vegan diets.

As a result, vegetarians and vegans may find it challenging to ingest the recommended amount, unless they get it via supplements or direct sun exposure

For people up to the age of 70, the daily recommended consumption is 600 international units; for individuals above 70, it is 800 IU. One of the few plant-based sources of vitamin D is mushrooms, which produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Additionally, fortified plant-based milk alternatives, breakfast cereals, and tofu can also be excellent sources of vitamin D.

For individuals who may struggle to get enough vitamin D through their diet, there are also vegan vitamin D supplements available. Vitamin D3 supplements made from lichen or algae are becoming increasingly popular among vegans, and they can be an effective way to support vitamin D intake.

Vegan Vitamin D3 Supplement

5. Omega-3

Essential fatty acids, called omega-3 fatty acids support heart health, control blood pressure, and lessen inflammation in the body. The three primary kinds are ALA, EPA, and DHA.

It might be challenging for vegans to obtain adequate DHA and EPA omega-3s from food alone because they are the most crucial forms and are often found in fish.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have a combined daily recommended consumption of 500 milligrams; alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) has a sufficient intake of 1.6 grams for adult males and 1.1 grams for adult women.

The best sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fatty and oily fish like mackerel, herring, and salmon. Although they are not vegan-friendly, flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, seaweed, walnuts, soybeans, and Brussels sprouts are good sources of the daily required dose of omega-3 fatty acids.

Vegan Omega 3 Supplement

6. Zinc

Zinc is a crucial vitamin that supports the growth and development of your body as well as immunological response, wound healing, and blood coagulation. The daily required intake of zinc must be met by eating foods high in zinc or taking supplements since your body cannot generate or store zinc.

Unfortunately, the majority of foods containing zinc are not suitable for vegans, therefore, those who follow a plant-based diet usually have lower zinc levels than those who consume meat.

According to research, adult women should consume 8 milligrams per day, whereas adult males should consume 11 milligrams per day. The most prevalent sources of zinc are animal products such as fish, poultry, and meat. Vegetarians and vegans can obtain zinc from various sources including whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, kale, and asparagus.

Vegan Zinc Supplement

7. Taurine

Taurine is the last dietary supplement that vegan athletes may wish to take into account. The amino acid taurine, which is naturally found in foods like meat, fish, and dairy products, is also present in the body.

Taurine provides a number of health advantages, including supporting the central nervous system and preserving hydration and electrolyte levels in cells. It is also thought to improve athletic performance.

Taurine supplements are acceptable for a vegan diet since they may be produced synthetically without using any animal products.

NOW Supplements

Final Thoughts

Adopting a plant-based diet can help prevent a variety of illnesses and health issues. If you follow a vegan diet, it’s important to be mindful of your intake of crucial nutrients and ensure you meet the daily recommended levels.

If you’re unable to obtain adequate amounts of these nutrients through food alone, consider incorporating vegan supplements and vitamins to supplement your nutritional intake. You may make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need for your physical and mental health by discussing your requirements with your doctor or nurse.

Frequently Asked Questions