Vegan Multivitamins

Vegan Multivitamins

Taking a multivitamin can really help you cover all bases.

Multivitamins make sure that your body is getting the key nutrients it needs, without the need to keep a food diary or look up the nutritional values for every meal you have just eaten.

It can be easy to slip into food habits and routines that, even if they are not unhealthy per se, might miss out a specific key nutrient.

And if a certain nutrient is missing from your diet for a while, health problems can start to occur.

What vitamins do vegans need?

This is especially true for anyone choosing (or needing) to follow a more limited diet.

This includes people with food allergies or intolerances, as well as people choosing to follow meat free or entirely plant based diets, such as vegans.

Eight of the key nutrients that vegans can miss out on from not eating meat or fish are:

• Vitamin B12 - essential for a normal nervous system and blood cell formation
• Protein - needed to grow and repair our muscles
• Iron – which helps our red blood cells carry oxygen
• Calcium – required for normal teeth and bones
• Vitamin D - we need this in order to absorb calcium, which helps our bodies do many things, from looking after your immune system to maintaining normal teeth
• Omega-3 fatty acids – important to support normal brain and heart function
• Zinc – required for normal vision and protein synthesis
• Selenium – contributes to normal thyroid function,  male fertility, as well as contributing to normal hair and nails

If you would like to read more about this, check out article, ‘8 essential nutrients for Vegans’, on the Health Hub, as it goes into more detail about each of these key nutrients.

Vegan multivitamin tablets

Taking a daily multivitamin tablet or multivitamin capsule can help bring peace of mind that you are getting these key nutrients.

And of course, we like to think our own product is the best vegan multivitamin available!

Holland & Barrett Vegan Multivitamin & Mineral Tablets come in packets of 60, 120, or 240 tablets and provide 100% or more of the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin A          
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin C
• Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Niacin
• Pantothenic Acid
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Folic Acid
• Iron
• Zinc

They also contain 25% of the recommended daily allowance for calcium.

If you are looking specifically for extra ways to consume vegan protein sources, check out our Pick of the best vegan and vegetarian protein sources on the Health Hub.

Alternatively, you may like to consider taking a vegan protein powder supplement.

As for getting your omega-3 oils, either up your intake of foods naturally rich in omega-3, or find a vegan supplement.

We have a great article about the nuts, seeds and vegetables that contain the essential fatty acid, Vegan omega-3 food sources and supplements.

And in terms of supplements, why not try Holland & Barrett Sea Buckthorn Oil Blend Omega 7 Softgel Capsules? 

Wait, aren’t all tablets vegan?

Unfortunately, many tablets and capsules are not 100% vegan.

This is because common ingredients used to produce the tablets themselves include animal products such as lactose, fish, gelatine, glycocholic acid, or lanolin.

Additionally, many medications are tested on non-human animals, which goes against a key tenet of veganism.

Watch out especially for multi vitamins available as gummy tablets. These often use gelatine, an animal product, to provide the chewy texture.

If in doubt, check the labels, which will indicate their suitability for vegans and vegetarians alike.

Which are the best vegan chewable multivitamins?

So what can you do if you are a vegan but do not like taking tablets?

This can be a real issue for younger children, who usually prefer chewable tablets or gummies.

Luckily, we have a great brand in Optima, who make Healthcare Junior Multi Plus Chewable Tablets.

Better still, they are vegan-friendly and ideal for kids aged two and over.

These Healthcare Junior Multi Plus Chewable Tablets provide children with many key vitamins, including vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D2, E and minerals including folic acid and zinc, among other essentials.