When you’re following a vegetarian diet, it can be a little bit harder to get all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need to help keep your body healthy.
Meat is a key source of nutrients such as iron and vitamin B12, which means vegetarians need to find alternative sources from other foods or from supplements.
At Garden of Life, we have a wide range of vegetarian-friendly multivitamin supplements and microbiome formulas, so you can make sure you’re getting the important nutrients you need without compromising your values.
Iron Supplements for Vegetarians
If you’ve eliminated meat from your diet, you need to make sure you’re getting iron from elsewhere.
Pulses, nuts, whole grains and dried fruit are all good vegetarian-friendly sources of iron, but you might also want to consider including an iron supplement in your routine.
Vitamin B12 Supplements for Vegetarians
Vitamin B12 is naturally found in animal products, so you may need to introduce a vegetarian-friendly vitamin B12 into your routine. Vitamin B12 contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
Calcium Supplements for Vegetarians
Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones and contributes to the normal function of digestive enzymes. If you’re still consuming dairy as part of your diet, milk, yoghurt and cheese are good sources of calcium, as are almonds, most leafy greens (but not spinach), dried fruit and sesame seeds.
You can also support your calcium levels with a vegetarian-friendly calcium supplement.
Vitamin D Supplements for Vegetarians
Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium; egg yolks, fortified spreads like margarine and fortified breakfast cereals are all good sources of vitamin D, as is natural sunlight.
But if you don’t consume these ingredients regularly or you’re not getting much sunlight exposure, a vegetarian vitamin D supplement could be a good option. One of the health benefits of vitamin D is that it contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
Omega-3 for Vegetarians
If you’re pescatarian and still eating fish as part of your diet, you’ll be able to get omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish – it’s recommended that adults should consume at least one portion per week.
Omega-3 fish oil supplements can also help to boost your omega-3 levels.
