10 Natural Vegan Health Products For Your Overall Well-Being
Posted by Naturelova on 13th May 2022
10 Natural Vegan Health Products For Your Overall Well-Being
Meeting your daily nutritional requirements can be quite a challenge - especially if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. For example, how can you get the necessary minerals and vitamins if your diet eliminates animal products such as dairy and eggs? Well, thanks to the availability of organic supplements and health products, you can now find the right nutritional balance.
Not sure what natural vegan products should you take to maintain your overall health? Then, you’ve come to the right place. This article will give you an overview of all the essential nutrients and health products your body can benefit from.
10 Vegan Health Products
Probiotics
Maintaining good gut health is a great way to keep your overall health in check. So how can you help with that? Simply by taking high-quality probiotics! Probiotics play an essential role in growing the good microbes in your gut microbiome.
A healthy gut with abundant beneficial microbes will boost your immune functions and prevent diseases. Plus, it will enhance your nutrient uptake and digestion. So, include plenty of probiotic-rich and fermented food like kombucha, sauerkraut, and sourdough in your diet. In addition, you can take a probiotic supplement to facilitate your gut flora balance.
Turmeric
The health benefits of turmeric are known to all. Curcumin, the active ingredient in the superfood, offers a surfeit of health and medicinal benefits. Turmeric is rich in antioxidants and helps combat inflammation and pain. It can improve mood and memory too.
What’s more, turmeric can help regulate blood pressure and even prevent or slow cancer. With all the benefits, including more and more turmeric in your diet might be a good idea. You can grow your own turmeric and even make your own turmeric powder.
Add turmeric to your curries or make golden milk and turmeric lattes to reap the amazing benefits of this superfood. Alternatively, you can get your daily dose of curcumin from a vegan turmeric supplement. Turmeric supplements that are activated by black pepper aid the natural absorption of turmeric, ensuring that all benefits are made bioavailable to your body.
Vitamin D3
Most people suffer from vitamin D deficiency over time due to age. So even though the most critical source of this vitamin is the sun, spending a lot of time outside is not enough sometimes. This is especially true during the winter days.
Lack of sufficient vitamin D hinders absorption of phosphorus and calcium, which help maintain healthy teeth, bones, muscles, and immune system. It is also linked with mood regulation. The recommended minimum daily dosage for vitamin D is 600 IU, and most multivitamins do not offer this. Many health experts suggest regularly taking as much as 5000 IU of vitamin D3 to maintain ideal blood levels.
B Vitamins
B vitamins are essential building blocks for a healthy body. They directly impact cell metabolism, nerve and brain function, and muscle tone. B vitamins also help improve energy levels and can even help boost eye health.
An adequate amount of B-vitamins in your diet will help you feel energetic and sharp. On the other hand, insufficient B vitamins in the diet can cause muscle weakness, anaemia, vision loss, digestive issues, and brain fog.
While B-vitamins can be found naturally in dairy, fish, eggs, red meat, poultry, etc., you can also get your B vitamin fix from plant-based sources. Include a lot of whole grains, beans, and dark leafy greens. You may also choose a Vitamin B complex supplement which provides the goodness of a plethora of B vitamins.
Passion Flower
Even though Passion Flower is known for its sleep-inducing property, it has many more benefits. It is a popular natural remedy for health issues such as inflammation, nerve pain, and ADHD. What’s more, it can help relieve stress and anxiety, including a patient's anxiety before surgery.
You can enjoy all of these benefits and more by simply taking the suggested dosage of Passion Flower. You can consume it in the form of infusions, teas, liquid extract, tinctures, or capsules.
Zinc
Zinc plays a significant role in improving your immune system. It helps heal wounds and also helps build a good sense of smell and taste. Unfortunately, even though you can find zinc in vegan food items such as beans, nuts, fortified cereals, and whole grains, the bioavailability of zinc is relatively low.
For this reason, choosing a good supplement may be a good idea. The average daily recommendation for zinc is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women.
Omega-3
Omega-3s are known for speeding up your body’s workout recovery process. They also play a critical role in eye, joint, and skin health. In addition, omega-3s are also good for the brain and cardiovascular health.
Generally, a vegan diet is a good source of alpha-linoleic acid but converting these acids to long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA is rather difficult. Therefore, to satisfy the body’s omega-3 requirements, you need to take DHA and EPA supplements. The recommended dosage is between 200 and 300 mg, to be taken three times per week.
Iron
Iron is essential for human growth and development. Your body also needs iron to make haemoglobin. Iron helps carry oxygen to different parts of your body, while myoglobin helps carry oxygen to the muscles.
Meat is considered the best source of iron. However, vegans and vegetarians can get their daily iron requirement by eating iron-fortified cereals, lentils, kidney beans, white beans, spinach, peas, raisins, and nuts.
Too little iron can lead to anaemia. Discuss with your doctor and find out whether you need to add any iron supplements. Ideally, adults need around 8 mg of iron in their diet.
Iodine
Your body requires iodine to make thyroid hormones, which control metabolism and critical brain functions. Iodine primarily comes from iodised salt and dairy. It can also be found in sea and land plants, but the amount varies greatly. Therefore, vegans can highly benefit from taking supplemental iodine regularly.
According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, most vegans need to consume 1⁄4 teaspoon of iodised salt each day. Alternatively, they can take 90 mcg of iodine supplement three times each week.
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A in the human body. Vitamin A is very important for your immune system, vision, and even reproduction. It also ensures that all your major organs are functioning correctly.
Vitamin A supplements are one way to get a sufficient amount of the vitamin but talk to your physician first. The recommended way of getting beta-carotene is from food sources. Beta-carotene can be found in orange and yellow produce such as carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, winter squash, and cantaloupe. You may also get additional beta-carotene from green leafy vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, and spinach.
If your doctor suggests taking supplements, take the capsule with meals containing 3g of fat. This will help ensure the absorption of beta-carotene.
Conclusion
One can get close to the daily recommended nutrients and vitamins by eating a balanced diet consisting of legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and unsaturated fats. However, most people find it difficult to attain it only through vegan and vegetarian food sources. This is why it is essential to recognise the importance of various nutrients, vitamins, and minerals for the healthy functioning of the body. If you find that your diet does not include enough iron, zinc, beta-carotene, or other important nutrients, you can always choose to take dietary supplements.