If you are eating a nutritious diet, why do you need supplements? Although humans have made great strides in treating heart disease, cancer and other diseases, we still don't live in a perfect world. There are many good reasons for eating a low fat plant-based diet. It provides many nutrients without the added fats that are not heart healthy. And yet it lacks one essential nutrient--Vitamin B-12 which is essential to health. Vitamin B-12 is important for cardiovascular health and helps prevent dementia. Even omnivores who consume meat can be deficient in vitamin B-12, especially as they grow older. This is one supplement that vegans cannot do without as it is only found in usable form in animal foods or dietary supplements. It is a mistake to give up meat and then not supplement with Vitamin B-12.
Another essential nutrient is Vitamin D. It is important for brain health and other bodily functions. It is made on the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. An exposure of 15 minutes a day minimum is required to get enough Vitamin D. In this day and age many people do not get that much sun exposure on a daily basis, especially in northern latitudes. Vitamin D is added to dairy milk and some non-dairy milk. If you don't drink any type of milk, you need to take Vitamin D supplement.
In the last few years the importance of DHA for brain health has been in the news. Pregnant women are encouraged to take DHA supplements to help in the development of their baby's brain.You can get it from eating fatty fish at least three times a week or taking a DHA supplement (either fish oil or a vegan source).
In a perfect world our rivers and oceans would be clean, animals would not be raised in filthy conditions, our air would not be polluted and we would always know where our food comes from. However we do not live in a perfect world. That is why we need to try harder to eat healthy, which not only includes eating nutritious food, but also supplementing our diet.
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