Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by
If you’re a vegan, don’t think that you have to take supplements to make up for what you’re missing. Most vegans can get all the nutrients they need from their diet. But it’s always good to see what supplements are available to help you reach a balanced level of health.
Here are some of the most important vitamins for vegans:

Vitamin B12
This vitamin is essential for red blood cell formation and preventing anemia. It also helps maintain healthy nerve cells, and plays an important role in metabolism and cell division. Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in animal products such as meat, fish and dairy — not in plants (unless fortified).
The recommended daily intake for adults is 2 μg/day, which means that vegans should supplement with at least 25 μg per day from fortified foods such as cereals or nutritional yeast or by taking a supplement containing cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin.
A vegan diet can be a healthy way to eat, but it’s important to make sure you get the right vitamins and minerals from your food.
Here are the most important vitamins for vegans:
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is best known for helping your body absorb calcium, but it also plays a role in keeping your bones and teeth strong and reducing inflammation. It’s important to get enough vitamin D from sunlight, but it’s also found in fortified foods such as cow’s milk, soy milk, orange juice, cereal and breakfast bars.
If you don’t consume enough vitamin D, you may experience symptoms like fatigue and muscle weakness. People with dark skin may need more sun exposure than others to produce sufficient levels of vitamin D.
If you don’t get enough sunlight or if you have dark skin tone, talk with your doctor about taking a supplement.
Iron
Iron helps transport oxygen around the body so that muscles can function properly. It also helps carry energy from one part of the body to another. Iron deficiency is often associated with anemia. Anemia causes fatigue because there isn’t enough oxygen available for muscles to work properly. You should have your iron levels checked every year or two
Vitamin B12
This is the only vitamin that vegans have to supplement. It’s found in animal products like meat, eggs and milk, but it’s not found in plants. Because of this, vegans need to consume B12 through foods like nutritional yeast or fortified foods like cereal or plant-based milks.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for bone health, so it’s recommended that everyone get at least 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D can be obtained from exposure to sunlight, but many people struggle with getting enough sun exposure during the winter months (or any time of year if you live in a colder climate). You can also get vitamin D from foods such as mushrooms and fish.
A vegan diet is a diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, and all other animal-derived ingredients. People who follow a vegan diet do not eat any foods that are derived from animals.
Vitamin B12: A vegan diet is not deficient in this vitamin. However, it may be difficult to meet the recommended daily intake for vitamin B12 on a vegan diet. The RDI for vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms per day for adults and non-pregnant women and 2.6 micrograms per day for pregnant or lactating women.
Important vitamins for vegans
Iron: Iron deficiency is common in vegans because plant-based iron is less easily absorbed by the body than animal-based iron. Iron deficiency can cause anemia and tiredness, so it’s important to include sources of iron in your diet if you follow a vegan diet. Good sources of iron include tofu, beans (such as lentils), dark leafy greens (like spinach), nuts (like cashews) and seeds (like pumpkin seeds). If you have low levels of stomach acid or trouble absorbing nutrients due to digestive problems or medication use, consider taking an iron supplement that contains vitamin C with your meals to improve absorption
Vitamin A (Retinol)
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for vision, reproduction and the maintenance of healthy skin and mucous membranes. It also plays an important role in your immune system.
Vitamin A comes in two forms: preformed vitamin A (retinol), which is found in animal products, and pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene), which is found in plant foods. Preformed vitamin A can be stored by the body, while beta-carotene must first be converted into retinol before it can be used by the body.
Beta-carotene is considered a provitamin because it’s not as readily absorbed by the body as retinol. It requires some processing before it’s available for use by the body. Pro-vitamins are found in plants, while vitamins are made from living organisms or from chemicals or minerals that occur naturally in foods.
In order to convert beta-carotene into retinol, your body needs vitamin C or other antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals — molecules produced when cells burn fuel for energy. These free radicals can damage cells and even cause cancer over time.
Many vitamins are found in dairy products and eggs so vegans need to make sure they get a good supply of these vitamins into their diet. There is plenty of information online to help you understand which essential vitamins are best taken as supplements and where to source them from.
I hope I have supplied answers to some of your questions regarding vitamins. The most important is that there are vegan vitamins out there and you don’t have to worry about getting all the nutrients that you need. Now comes the hard part–making sure that you take the vitamins! For more information please visit: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/a00284
Vitamin B12 is one of the 8 essential vitamins for vegans. It’s especially important for pregnant women and children, and it helps to maintain a healthy nervous and digestive system. Luckily, many foods fortified with Vitamin B12 exist, the most notable being nutritional yeast.
It’s important for vegans to get the right vitamins in their bodies. If they don’t, they will lose a lot of nutrition and therefore, won’t be healthy at all. Most vitamin shops sell products that are vegan-friendly.
Whether you’re a professional vegan athlete or just someone who enjoys good health, it’s important to make sure you get enough of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Luckily, following a well-balanced vegan diet will provide you with all you need.”
A well-planned vegan diet, including fortified foods and supplements, can meet the body’s needs for nearly all vitamins. But to ensure against deficiency, vegans should supplement their diets with B-12, vitamin D, and iron.