100% Vegan Supplements

Veganism: diet and lifestyle

There are several reasons why people choose a vegan and therefore plant-based diet. The great thing is that this free choice is made consciously. People consciously look at what we actually put in our mouths, where it comes from, what impact it has on the world we live in and under what conditions the food was produced. In addition, veganism is more than just food, it is a way of life.

A vegan diet has a number of positive health effects. The intake of fruits and vegetables is a lot higher and with it the intake of fiber and other nutrients. And the intake of saturated fats, which are mainly found in animal products, is much lower.

A vegan diet has several positive effects on health.

The major difference between plant and animal foods lies mainly in the fact that animal proteins are largely the same as human proteins. Animal proteins are "ready to use," so to speak, and plant proteins must be combined to become ready to use.

Proteins are, with fats and carbohydrates, the basis of our diet. Proteins are important because our bodies are largely built on them. Next to water, proteins are the most common component. Think of bones, hair, connective tissue, tendons, muscles and organs, all largely protein structures. But hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters (messenger substances) are also made up of proteins. In addition, proteins are needed for the repair and production of new cells, for the intestines and the skin.

Essential amino acids

If we make proteins smaller, we see that they consist of amino acids. There are about 500 different amino acids, of which about 20 are fundamental because they are found in human proteins. Of these, there are another 9 that we call essential because our bodies cannot make them themselves. It is important to get a broad palette of different amino acids through your diet. That means a lot of variety and paying more attention to the combinations of proteins.

Our body turns different amino acids back into body proteins. These conversions rely heavily on vitamins and minerals, which are called co-factors in this post.

The 9 essential amino acids are: Lysine, Tryptophan, Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Methionine, Threonine, Phenylalanine and Histidine.

Extra attention deserves Glutamine. This amino acid is the most abundant in our bodies. Among other things, it is the raw material for the neurotransmitter GABA, our body's own tranquilizer.

Carnitine is found mainly in animal proteins, but it can also be made from the amino acid Lysine and Methionine provided the right substances for conversion are present. Here vitamin C is essential.

Plant foods do not contain Carnosine. Carnosine is made up of the amino acids Alanine and Histidine.

Taurine is also found only in animal foods. Our bodies can form Taurine from Cysteine and Methionine.

One way to make sure you are getting enough different amino acids is to keep a food diary. That way you reduce the chances of any deficiencies.

Biological value

Food has high biological value when it contains all the amino acids the body needs. The biological value of plant-based foods is of lower quality. Therefore, it is important for vegans to ensure plenty of variety in order to obtain a wide and good supply of amino acids. Supplemental supplementation with protein powder may be a good option.

Anti-nutrients

These are substances that prevent protein absorption. Examples of anti-nutrients include lectins in wheat and legumes, phytic acid in nuts and saponins in legumes, among others. Also not insignificantly, lectins and saponins damage our intestinal wall.

Anti-nutrients also have a function in our bodies, but don't take too many of them. Again important is to make sure we have lots of variety!

Special concerns for the vegan are the following nutrients:

- L-carnitine
- Iron
- Omega 3 fatty acids
- Taurine
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D3
- Zinc

All of these substances are primarily found in products of animal origin.

Omega-3 fatty acids

All of the above substances are readily and widely available in vegan form as supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids are a bit trickier: most of the omega-3 products are fish oil or cod liver oil and thus not vegan. But more and more products are coming on the market with omega-3 fatty acids from algae. Initially those products contained mainly DHA but now there are also products with DHA and EPA.

Written by: Liesbeth Thoen
Reviewed and edited by: Peter Smeets

Updated: July 2, 2022