The best vegan supplements to support a plant-based diet

Veganism is a lifestyle that takes willpower, care and consideration - and the market for vegan supplements has grown drastically due to this. Although plant-based eating has soared in popularity in the last decade in the UK, there is still a common concern that these diets cannot provide your body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs.

The best vegan supplements at a glance:

• Best vegan multivitamin: DR. VEGAN Daily Multivitamin - View now on Dr Vegan
• Best vegan multivitamin for women: Wild Nutrition Food-Grown® Women's Daily Multi Nutrient - View now on Wild Nutrition
• Best B12 supplement and vegan multivitamin: Together Health Vegan Multivitamins and Mineral - View now on Amazon

Supplements and various multivitamins are an excellent way to ensure those who don't consume animal products attain all vital vitamins and minerals that are sometimes lacking. In this article, we round up the best vegan supplements to help optimise your plant-based diets and support your health journey.

That being said, many studies have shown that whole food and plant-based nutrition can easily fulfil all the daily nutrient requirements. These studies have reported that vegan diets tend to provide more fibre, antioxidants, and beneficial plant compounds. They also appear richer in potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E.

We talked to Shona Wilkinson, lead nutritionist at ethical nutrition and supplement brand DR.VEGAN, to set the story straight and provide valuable insight into how supplements can best serve you on a plant-based diet. In this roundup, we have carefully selected the products with only the highest quality ingredients at a reasonable price to help you reach your health goals and bridge the gaps in a vegan diet. We have selected the best capsules, gummies, drops and tablets to help you on the road to better health.

Best multivitamins to support a vegan diet

Vegan supplement FAQs

What supplements should a vegan take?

When it comes to debates about veganism, this question tends to come up. There is no doubt that animal products are the only sources of nutrients when it comes to some forms of vitamins and minerals, but that is where supplements come in to bridge that gap.

So what supplements should a vegan take to meet their nutritional needs, and what foods? Shona Wilkinson, the lead nutritionist at ethical nutrition and supplement brand DR.VEGAN, explains: 'When it comes to diets, a well-planned and balanced plant-based or vegan diet can provide most of the essential nutrients you need. However, supplementation is a great way to ensure your body receives all the essential nutrients it needs.'

'There are some vitamins and minerals that deserve particular attention, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12 and Iodine - here’s why:'

• Vitamin D – Vitamin D helps to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body and is essential for bone and muscle health. There are very few dietary sources of vitamin D for vegans, as it is mainly found in foods such as fish and eggs, so while a vitamin D supplement is generally advised for all diets, it is an important one for those following a vegan diet. Vegan Vitamin D supplements are often are typically made from lichen.

• Vitamin B12 – This is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies among vegans, as it is found in almost all foods of animal origin. A vegan B12 supplement plays a vital role in supporting your energy, your protein metabolism, the formation of red blood cells and the health of your nervous system.

• Iodine – Your body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones, which control how fast your cells work. Vegans tend to lack this mineral, as it is most commonly found in seafood and cow’s milk. When following a plant-based diet, I recommend taking a daily multivitamin such as DR.VEGAN’s, which is an award-winning formula and ideal for vegans; packed with 24 essential nutrients and is perfect to boost your iodine intake and overall daily well-being.

Vegan nutritional needs

To find out how to best optimise your health, DR.VEGAN have a quiz where you can create your free diet profile to discover how supplementation can best serve you.

This diet profile can help you navigate your body's needs and the nutrients that your diet gives you and provides you with tailored suggestions of what supplements would best benefit you and your lifestyle.

DR VEGAN’s award-winning range now includes 23 clinically tested formulas, spanning beauty, gut health, women’s health, brain health, stress, sleep, general wellness and more.

How can people tell they might have certain vitamin deficiencies?

If you feel like you have adequate energy but are looking for ways to improve and optimise your health, targeting your vitamin deficiencies is the best way to do this. Often deficiencies come from gaps in diets or from regular medication such as antibiotics or spouts of high stress, which can also contribute to how effectively our bodies store, absorb, and retain nutrients from our food.

'A diet lacking in nutrients may cause unpleasant physical symptoms', Shona tells us. 'These are the tell-tale signs that you need to boost your intake in one way or another.'

'Fatigue is a common symptom which is often dismissed because of a busy lifestyle. There are multiple vitamin deficiencies which could be leaving you feeling tired, or weak. If you notice this feeling in your muscles, you could be lacking in magnesium, which is essential for your muscle function and helps to prevent muscle tightness and cramping.'

'Feeling tired, in general, could mean low levels of vitamin B12 - low levels can cause a decrease in normal red blood cell production, which can impair oxygen delivery throughout your body.'

Shonna explains that if you’re frequently a victim of cold and flu, it could easily mean that your vitamin D intake isn't sufficient. 'It’s important to remember that vitamin D doesn’t provide guaranteed protection against these. However, the research shows that people with lower vitamin D levels are more at risk of catching common colds and other respiratory infections.''

Finally, insufficient iron intake can manifest into physical discomfort for both men and women. Shona suggests that research shows that the average dietary intake of iron is significantly lower among women than men.

'Over a quarter (27 per cent) of women aged 19-64 may have an iron deficiency, as heavy periods worsen the problem. It’s important that women look out for cold hands or feet, brittle nails, and feeling dizzy or short of breath, as these are all symptoms of an inadequate intake of iron. If left untreated, iron deficiency can also lead to anaemia.'

Taking the correct supplements is the best way to alleviate these symptoms, but if symptoms worsen significantly, you should always consult your GP or doctor.

What should people be looking out for within certain formulas to ensure they’re consuming a high-quality product?

Shona always encourages people to check the label. 'Regardless of what the supplement is, there’s a high chance it’ll include some ingredients you wouldn’t choose to ingest if you knew about them. This isn’t just the case with cheap supplements either - some of the most expensive supplements on the market contain additives you really want to avoid.'

Shona suggests looking for essential qualities to ensure they meet your supplementation needs. So, for example, with a probiotic, how high is the CFU count (50bn CFU is the gold standard), and how many clinically researched strains of live cultures does it include?

'Remember is to do your research. Check to see if the brand or company has undertaken extensive research on large groups of people to test the effectiveness of their product, and dig into the results of this study to see if the product is likely to work for you.'

Finally, when it comes to choosing the correct supplement for you, it’s important that you check the label for harmful additives. Shona recommends doing your research on the product’s effectiveness, and take some time to read verified reviews on sites such as Trustpilot to ensure you’re not being taken for a ride.

If you want to find a supplement that ticks all your boxes, it is important that you check the label for harmful additives and do your research on the product to see if it is the right fit for you.

No, vegan collagen doesn't exist - the lead nutritionist Shona Wilkinson at supplement brand, DR.VEGAN provides some clarification. 'When it comes to collagen, remember, there’s no such thing as ‘vegan collagen’.

'Collagen, by definition, comes only from animals or is produced naturally by the body. Again, animal collagen is made from the boiling of the bones and skin of cows, while marine collagen is made from the boiling of fish scales and bones. While there is no such thing as ‘vegan collagen’, those who claim to have created ‘vegan collagen’ often feed bovine (cattle-sourced) collagen to yeast, and before it is fully metabolised, they kill the yeast, and this is then promoted as ‘vegan collagen’. While the yeast is technically vegan, these supplements still originate from metabolised cattle-sourced collagen.'

What ingredients should be avoided in vegan supplements?

When it comes to selecting vegan wellbeing products, here are 12 of the most common animal ingredients to watch out for in supplements, foods and cosmetics: Gelatin, Lanolin, Collagen, Magnesium Stearate, Glucosamine & Chondroitin, Glycerine, Caprylic Acid, Bone Meal, Carotene, Carmine, Lipase and Pepsin (Digestive Enzymes)and Animal Hyaluronic Acid. If you want a more in-depth guide, you can read this insightful article from DR VEGAN for more information.

Here are Shona's tips on what to avoid when choosing a vegan supplement here:

• Avoid supplements that contain titanium dioxide. Despite being classified as a carcinogen by the European Food Safety Authority, it is still being included in so many supplements, including those of brands claiming to be the UK’s leading supplement brands. It can have nasty side effects, yet provides zero health benefits.

• Some supplements are also made with gelatin, which comes from boiling animal skin and bones, while others are made using palm oil, one of the biggest drivers of deforestation across the planet.

• One ingredient you’ll probably be surprised to know is often found within supplements, too, is talcum powder. It’s used as an anti-caking agent to prevent ingredients from clumping and sticking together within the machinery during production but has been the subject of more class-action lawsuits in the US than any other ingredient, given its potential adverse side effects. You wouldn’t eat talcum powder straight from the bottle, so why would you consume it when taking supplements?

About the expert

This article contains comments from Registered Nutritionist Shona Wilkinson RN, mBANT, CNHC. Shona is a member of the Professional Associations BANT (British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, and CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council). Her passions lie in supplements and nutrition, with her aim being to spread complex nutrition advice in a way that can be easily understood by individuals of all ages. Shona now has her own website offering nutrition advice, Shona Wilkinson Nutrition Ltd.

Ellen Kinsey is a health and wellness product writer for What's The Best, and also writes for Yours, A Modern Kitchen, Modern Gardens, Heat, Closer and Grazia. She has a passion for cooking, health and wellness.

Subscribe to the What’s The Best Newsletter to keep up to date with more of the latest reviews and recommendations from the What’s The Best team.