Are you sure you’re getting all of the nutrients you need as a vegan, and where can you find them?
Read on if you want to prove those who assume that vegans don’t have a working immune system wrong.
The Best Vegan Immune System Boosting Supplements
Taking a supplement (see also ‘Thesis Nootropic Review-Personalized Brain Supplements‘) is the quickest and easiest way to help provide immune support, whether you’re a vegan or not. It can help to fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet.
Eating a balanced and healthy diet that meets the needs of your immune system should always be the first choice. But due to diet, tastes, or just a busy lifestyle, we can’t always keep up [1].
What vitamins and minerals can help boost your immune system, and what are the best vegan supplements (see also ‘ A Guide to Vegan Supplements ‘) available?
Glad you asked. Here is our definitive go-to list to keep your vegan immune system at peak.
1. Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B Complex is the vitamin building blocks for a proper functioning and healthy immune system [2]. It helps to circulate antibodies and also aids in all bodily functions by converting food into energy.
Our recommendation: Transparent Labs B Complex is so complete it can almost be labeled as a multivitamin. With a healthy dose of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) B6, biotin (B7), folic acid (B9), B12, inositol, choline bitartrate, and vitamin C.
This supplement (see also article on 5 Alpha Hydroxy Laxogenin benefits) has been carefully formulated to meet your immune system’s needs and provides the added benefits of increased energy levels [3], longevity [4], and cognitive function [5].
They even claim it helps your hair, skin, and nails, so if you don’t feel the glow from within, you’ll be able to see it from without.
2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is absorbed through sunlight, making you feel a little like a precious little flower.
If you live somewhere that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight like a dungeon, or the arctic circle, or perhaps you don’t get out much, you might need a little help. Vitamin D can also be gained through foods typically richly sunbathed, such as oranges or mushrooms (see also ‘6 Reasons Why You Might Want to Supplement with Mushroom Extracts‘) .
Its role in supporting the immune system is well studied [6], as well as its positive effect on calcium absorption [7].
Our recommendation: If you’re a little sun shy and need a helping hand, then Ora Organic’s vegan Vitamin D tablets are the perfect remedy. They’re sustainably sourced (see also our article on sustainability statistics) from lichen, who brave the sun, so you don’t have to.
3. Zinc
Zinc deficiency is unfortunately common in the developed world, and its effects can wreak havoc on our immune system. It can be sourced through soy products, nuts, and seeds, all of which are usually in high supply on vegan diets.
Studies only recognized it as vital for a healthy human immune system as recently as 40 years ago [8]. And while it might not give you that wolverine healing factor, zinc does aid in the body’s ability to heal wounds. So it’s an important one for the risk-takers amongst us.
However, it is recommended to keep your zinc intake in check as it is one of the vitamins that can be toxic if overdone. Balance is key.
Our recommendation: If you’re struggling to get enough zinc in your diet, then Garden Of Life’s high potency Zinc supplement is perfect. Just make sure you’re not taking it alongside guzzling a carton of soy milk and finishing off with a fistful of chia seeds.
4. Omega-3
Less vitamin and more fatty acid (eww gross) omega-3 does have an essential role in the immune system [9]. Omega 3 is more of an Ant-man kind of superhero supplement as it moves around inside your system activating cells and making sure they’re working as they should.
It can be gained through food by eating lots of seaweed, algae, nuts, and seeds, and is a common supplement in vegan multivitamins and green drink powders.
It can be gained through food by eating lots of seaweed, algae, nuts, and seeds, and is a common supplement in vegan multivitamins and green drink powders.
Our recommendation: LyfeFuel’s Vegan Omega-3 supplements are designed to boost your overall health, immune system, and cognitive function. It can be taken directly, and one algae-based capsule is equivalent to 350mg of Omega-3.
Better than all that, though, is the fact it comes in a recycled and biodegradable box which, if you plant in your garden will produce wildflowers. Nice touch.
5. Calcium
Like Omega-3, calcium acts as an activator to the cells that make up your immune system [10].
In addition to this, calcium is also well established to be an essential component of both growth and bone health. This makes it one of the vitamins and minerals we should be tracking.
Also, as with Omega-3, it can be challenging to eat enough calcium on a vegan diet. And even most calcium supplements contain ingredients derived from animal products, primarily bone.
Our recommendation: Deva Vegan has a calcium and magnesium supplement designed for the vegan body and geared towards bone density and health. These pills make getting your daily dose of calcium comfortably, and you don’t have to eat bone soup to do it.
Whose the Wolverine now?
6. Collagen Booster
Do you dream of never aging? Well, the glutamine in a collagen booster could help you to do precisely that. Glutamine can aid with cell repair and keeps your immune system as healthy as your skin looks [11].
Collagen boosters have been marketed primarily as a beauty product for a long time. Yet both the glutamine and the proline provide other more essential health benefits. Proline has been shown to benefit flow and improve overall health.
Our recommendation: First and foremost, it is a boost for your skin, but if you’re already happy with the vitamins you eat from your food, you could try a collagen booster. Besides, if you’re going to live longer, you need to look good doing it (Laser Skin Resurfacing). Organifi Glow is one of the ideal vegan supplements for eternal life (or closer to it).
Get 15% off using coupon code: VEGANLIFTZ
7. Vitamin C
The role that Vitamin C plays in our immune system is an accepted fact [12]. If you feel sick, you reach for the Vitamin C.
My mum always bought in orange juice and fed us homemade tomato soup when we were under the weather, and that’s still what I do to this day.
Our recommendation: I’m not going to recommend a supplement, though, because even on a vegan diet getting all the vitamin c you need from your food is easy. It’s not one of the vitamins you need to supplement. Natural food based supplements (see also ‘The Best Natural Supplements For Aging Skin‘) include oranges, tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, sweet potato, and other leafy greens.
I have eaten a whole food plant diet for over 40 years. Although my plate is covered with fresh (often organic) rainbow covered plants, some cooked and some raw, I have upped my game even further. I have increased the heaping tablespoons of ground flax and hemp hearts. In addition, I take a daily multivitamin (see also ‘Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multivitamin Review‘) developed for vegans that contains: Algae omega-3, zinc, iodine, B12, vitamin D3, selenium, and magnesium.
-Dr. Joel Kahn, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine
FAQ
How can I boost my vegan immune system fast?
Vegans can boost their immune system quickly by taking supplements or eating rich vitamins and minerals with proven benefits like vitamin D. Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and Vitamin D have the most significant impact on your health and should be targeted first if your diet is lacking.
What supplements should vegans take?
Vegans should take supplements only if their diet cannot provide those vitamins through whole food. This means things like omega-3 or calcium might be more of a risk, with the primary sources being seafood and animal products.
Do You Need Immune Boosting Supplements As A Vegan?
The vegan diet is versatile enough to provide all the food and daily vitamins essential to the health of your immune system. That said, if your diet or lifestyle doesn’t offer all the vitamins essential to the health of your immune system, then supplements (see also ‘What Are Nootropics And Why You Might Want to Take Them?‘) can help fix that.
The vitamins and supplements (see also ‘The Benefits of Taking Phosphatidylserine For Performance‘) we’ve listed can help your body get all the essential energy and nutrition it needs to fight off even the toughest cold easily.
With just one pill, you too could be a superhero, or at least feel like one.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723551/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7010964
- https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=mahpls_fac
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1369274/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772032/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3405161/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277319/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6834330/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1807782/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266414/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/
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