Starting and keeping to a highly specific diet can be a real challenge. From changing up your regular eating habits to coping with sugar or carbohydrate withdrawals it can be a lot to deal with. What is not helpful when you are trying to stay on track with your diet is the funky side effects or sudden dips in vital nutrients.
Which is why we have compiled a list of the best dietary supplements to support your specific diet. We cover Veganism/Vegetarianism, the Keto diet, and the Paleo diet. From iron deficiency to an upset digestive system these are the best dietary supplements to help you get back to normal.
Best Dietary Supplements For Vegan & Vegetarian Diets
Mega Foods Blood Builder
If you have been a vegetarian or vegan for a while you probably know that iron intake on a plant-based diet is crucial. When going plant-based it isn’t uncommon to experience lower energy levels. This is usually caused by a decrease in iron. You can find iron in two forms: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is only available from animal products, whereas you can source non-heme iron from plants.
Adult men should aim to consume about 8mg of iron a day, and for women it’s 18mg and over. However, those recommendations are different if you are on a plant-based diet. If you don’t eat meat, poultry, or seafood, you need almost twice the recommended amount. This is because your body doesn’t absorb the type of iron in plant foods (non-heme iron) as well as it does the heme iron.
The Mega Foods Blood Builder supplement is a great product to increase your iron intake in one go. At 26mg of iron per tablet, this will exceed the recommended dietary allowance of iron for both men and women. While it will be about equal for pregnant women. The iron in Megafood Blood Builder is delivered in the form of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is a type of yeast. Making this supplement totally vegan-friendly!
The Lucky Iron Fish
Much like the Blood Builder, this little fish helps with your daily iron intake! The Lucky Iron Fish is a palm-sized cooking tool made from natural, bioavailable iron. This little fish will not impart any taste, color, or smell into the water or dish you are cooking. However it will impart the iron directly into your food. Which makes it easier to absorb the iron since it is available in the food you are already eating.
Here’s how it works. You drop the iron fish in a pot of water or any broth-based meal. Then bring to a boil. A couple of drops of acid—such as lemon or vinegar—helps release the iron, but if you’re making something that’s already acidic—like anything tomato-based—you can leave out that step.
The company also promises to give an iron fish to a family in need in a developing country after each purchase.
MyKind Organics B12 Spray
B12 is one of those supplements that most people don’t often think of. However, it is incredibly important in maintaining a healthy nutritional balance. Especially if you are following a specific diet, like vegan or vegetarian.
Several studies show that while anyone can have low vitamin B12 levels, vegetarians and vegans have a higher risk of deficiency. This is because B12 is produced by bacteria found in soil and in the guts of animals. This is because non-vegans eat the flesh of animals who produce B12 within their guts. Thus, they tend to consume more B12 than vegetarians and vegans.
The risk of B12 deficiency increases the longer you eat only plant-based. Therefore long-term vegans are at the highest risk of deficiency. In one study, vitamin B12 deficiency affected 86 percent of all vegans. Vitamin B12 deficiency is serious and can cause anemia and nerve damage.
The MyKind Organics is not your typical vitamin B12 supplement that comes as a capsule or lozenge form. Rather, this is a spray which is a lovely innovation for a dietary supplement. The beauty of this product is the convenience it provides. You can take it wherever you want to and with a single spray, you’ve got your B12 covered in a matter of seconds in the form of a mouth-watering & sweet raspberry spray. Also, it’s USDA certified organic, vegan certified, gluten-free certified, and certified non-GMO.
Ample Foods Plant-Based Meal Replacement
Having a specialty diet while on-the-go or traveling can be difficult. When not many places can accommodate your dietary needs it can definitely be frustrating. However, with Ample Foods Plant-Based Meal Replacement you will never have to compromise your diet.
Think of these super-nutritionally-packed shakes like the upgraded versions of your regular meal replacement drinks. Expect these guys are filled to the brim with stomach satisfying fiber and completely vegan ingredients. All to keep you full, nourished, and on track for your vegan diet.
Vanilla Protein Powder Nutritional Booster
Getting a daily dose of protein is important for everyone. However, it is particularly important if you are eating a solely or largely plant-based diet. Protein powder is not only helpful for those super buff guys you see at the gym. These handy shakes can help with weight loss by keeping your stomach satisfied. Also, it can provide you with an extra source of protein you may not be getting enough of every day.
Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Protein Blend is made from pea protein, chicory root, chia seeds, beneficial probiotics, and monk fruit extract. It’s high protein and also gluten-free, vegan, a good source of omega-3 and an excellent source of iron. It is non-grainy and has no funky after taste as many plant-based powders do.
This protein blend’s use of pea protein is also a super nutritional replacement of traditional whey. According to one study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, supplementing with pea protein was equally as effective as whey protein at increasing muscle thickness when paired with resistance training. Pea protein powder may also help enhance weight loss, with some studies showing that it could slow digestion and modify levels of certain hunger hormones to promote satiety.
Best Dietary Supplements For The Keto Diet
Vitamin D Supplement
Getting sufficient amounts of vitamin D is hard even if you’re not on keto. The sunshine vitamin is made by the body when skin is exposed to the sun. Though vitamin D is also found in some foods, such as milk, orange juice, and cereal. Foods that don’t jive too well when it comes to following a keto diet.
Because many vitamin D sources contain a good amount of carbs, it is easy to not get your recommended amount. Making supplementing with this vitamin a necessity for many on keto. Nordic Naturals makes one of the best vitamin D supplements. Due to its high grade and that it contains no fillers, this is a great supplement to help support your keto diet.
Magnesium Chloride Spray
On a ketogenic diet, it can be more difficult to meet your magnesium needs. This is because many magnesium-rich foods like beans and fruits are also high in carbs. Making these magnesium-rich foods not so keto-friendly. For these reasons, taking 200–400 mg of magnesium per day may be beneficial if you’re on a keto diet.
Topical magnesium is best for people who have trouble digesting or hanging onto minerals. Also, using a topical magnesium spray allows you to source this mineral free from any extra calories that might inhibit your diet. To aid dietary absorption spray 1 to 2 pumps of magnesium on your lower abdomen.
Probiotic Supplement
One of the main complaints of the ketogenic diet is that the high-fat content is tough on their digestive system. Since the keto diet may consist of up to 75% fat, those used to consuming diets lower in fat can experience unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and diarrhea.
In addition, though the ketogenic diet is only moderate in protein, it may still be a higher amount than some people are used to. This can also cause digestive side effects.
If you’re experiencing digestive issues like nausea, diarrhea and bloating when transitioning to a ketogenic diet, a digestive enzyme blend that contains enzymes that break down fats (lipases) and proteins (proteases) may help optimize digestion.
Laird Superfood Creamer
If you are on the keto diet you have most likely heard of the bulletproof coffee trend. Which is essentially loading your morning coffee with a hearty spoon of butter and coconut oil. All to make it easier to reach that keto high-fat consumption for the day. However, if you are not super keen on dumping butter into your coffee there is an answer for you. Laird Superfoods makes a variety of vegan, gluten-free, and keto approved mixings. Such as the Laird Superfood Creamer!
A spoonful of this in your morning joe gives you the same fat content as it’s buttery counterpart. However, this one comes without the mess and the hassle, as Laird Superfood Creamers also contain 2-4g of carbohydrates per serving, making them an ultra keto-friendly option!
Bulletproof MCT Oil
Ah, a keto cult favorite! If you’ve done even a light digging into what keto is about you have probably stumbled upon the company Bulletproof Coffee. The founder is the pioneer of the fat heavy bulletproof coffee movement. (Hence, the name). With its stake in the world of keto fat consumption, Bulletproof Coffee has a fantastic line of MCT oils.
MCTs are broken down by your liver and quickly enter your bloodstream where they can be used as a fuel source for your brain and muscles. Coconut oil is one of the richest natural sources of MCTs, with about 17% of its fatty acids being in the form of MCTs with potential metabolic benefits.
However, taking MCT oil (made by isolating MCTs from coconut or palm oil) provides an even more concentrated dose of MCTs and can be helpful for those following a ketogenic diet. Supplementing with MCT oil can help keto dieters since it can quickly up your fat intake, which increases ketone levels and helps you stay in ketosis.
It’s made with only C8 MCTs, which produce ketones more efficiently than other forms of MCTs, so you’ll feel full and focused for longer.
Ample Foods Paleo Meal Replacement
Just like their plant-based meal replacement mix, this blend is specifically formulated with the keto diet in mind. These shakes are a great way to supplement your diet to meet that high-fat ratio that the diet requires. The ingredients are high quality and contain MCT oils to supplement your fat intake. With each serving having perfectly proportioned macronutrients you never have to overthink a keto meal if you’re in a pinch.
Best Dietary Supplements For A Paleo Diet
Paleo MacroGest Digestive Enzymes
A paleo-style diet can help to restore normal digestive function, including digestive enzymes. However, eating good food doesn’t automatically mean your digestion will be healthy. Improper digestion is an issue that diet alone may not solve.
If we don’t have enough digestive enzymes, we can’t break down our food. This means even though we’re eating well, we aren’t absorbing all the good nutrition. Therefore, digestive enzyme supplementation may be necessary to help your body properly break down your food.
The MacroGest by Natural Factors is a probiotic supplement formulated specifically with the paleo diet in mind. This probiotic is made to aid in the digestion of high fat and protein-rich foods. Just like the red meat, eggs, and dairy consumed in a paleo style diet. So if you are feeling like your digestion could use a tune-up this supplement could be right for you.
Anti Inflammatory Paleo Bone Broth
Broth made from bones and joints contains several nutrients that help strengthen your own skeletal system. This can be a great addition to your paleo diet if you are looking for an ample amount of nutrients in a convenient easy to digest source.
First up to bat for bone broth benefits are the proteins. Yes, bones have protein. In fact, they’re close to 50% protein by volume. That number goes up once you factor in all the connective tissue that’s usually attached to them. Collagen, the protein matrix in bones, tendons, ligaments, and other flexible tissues.
Another benefit of bone broth for joint health comes from glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). A family of carbohydrates found in bones and connective tissue that show interesting effects in reducing joint pain. One of these GAGs, hyaluronic acid, is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis: it’s been mostly studied as an injection, but there’s also evidence that it’s useful when taken by mouth.
The PaleoPro Bone Broth powder is an easy and accessible way to introduce bone broth to your diet. Without the fuss of creating the broth yourself. Along with the added convenience to use it on an as-needed basis, this powder really makes bone broth a simple addition.
Paleo Style Muesli
When you think of paleo, you probably imagine cavemen crisping their freshest whole foods hunt over a fire. But what you probably don’t think of is chowing down on a bowl of yummy breakfast cereal. Cereals, in general, are very much on the big no-no list when it comes to paleo. Mostly due to the fact that grain consumption doesn’t really vide with the caveman lifestyle.
However, if you are jonesing for a crunching breakfast wake up call, Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Muesli is here to answer your paleolithic prayers. With the bulk of this muesli made up of unsweetened coconut chunks. Along with a tossing of slivered almonds, cashews, and freeze-dried berries, this cold cereal is a great addition of otherwise meaty monotony.
Also, this muesli is a great way to get some hearty fiber into your diet early in the day. With the added benefit of keeping you full if you pair it with nut butters for an extra nutritious treat.
