Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or neither, the best vegan multivitamins can help you get your essential daily nutrients. Below, Julieanna Hever, a plant-based dietician and co-author of The Healthspan Solution, tells Bustle what criteria to look for when shopping for vegan multivitamins.
“There are five micronutrients — three vitamins and two minerals — that vegans need to be vigilant about: vitamins B-12, D, K-2, iodine, and zinc,” Hever explains. So you’ll want a multivitamin containing all of these nutrients if you're on a plant-based diet.
Additionally, Hever advises against buying vitamins that claim to contain excessive levels of nutrients, like a label boasting "888% DV [Daily Value]." “Just because something is good doesn't mean that more is better, and high doses of certain nutrients — especially fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K — can be harmful,” Hever says. However, she says the same rule doesn’t apply to B-12. “B-12 is water soluble, and your body won't absorb more than a certain amount, so you can't technically go too high on a B-12 supplement,” Hever says. The daily recommended amount of vitamin B-12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms, but any excess will just pass through the urine, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Hever recommends Dr. Fuhrman's line of vitamins for women, men, and children. “These have just the right amount of everything necessary without megadoses of anything,” Hever says.
Before you start shopping, know that vitamin K is often treated like an umbrella term for vitamins K-1 and K-2, and both vitamins are important for blood clotting, bone health, and possibly heart health. Also: Vitamin D is often used to describe vitamins D-2 and D-3, but either nutrient will help you meet your daily vitamin D requirement. Also: While vitamin D-3 is often sourced from lanolin, all the multivitamins below are made with D-3 sourced from lichen.