Five Key Supplements for Plant Based Diets

Eating plant based whole foods provides a full range of vitamins, fiber and nutrients, including protein. Research has uncovered very few deficiencies in the vegan lifestyle which are easily remedied by four main supplements:

Dr. Greg Feinsinger, medical consultant to Hippocrates Table recommends the following:

  • 1000 mcg of B12 daily
  • 1000 units of Vitamin D daily
  • 250 mg of algae omega 3
  • 1 TBS of ground flaxseed and 1 TBS of chia seeds a day.

The fifth supplement is zinc, recommended by some nutritionists to counter balance the effects of phytates, commonly found in plant foods, which may reduce zinc absorption.

Good plant sources of zinc are legumes, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal, which are common foods to most plant-based lifestyles. For a detailed content chart, see Jack Norris’ article in Vegan Health. http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/zinc

To make it easy, add a low-dosage zinc supplement of of 50 to 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, or RDA, often found in good multivitamin and mineral complex.

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