Why is Bioavailability Important in Supplements?

A supplement’s bioavailability is the percentage of nutrients and micronutrients that reach the bloodstream in order to be useful to our bodies, rather than passing through the GI system. However, not all supplements are created equally. You need to be intentional about choosing a highly bioavailable supplement to increase the chances that your body will take in the necessary nutrients and help you stay healthy – otherwise, you could be paying for and consuming vitamins that have little to no impact on your system. 

Factors that Inhibit Bioavailability

There are many factors that can keep your supplements from being beneficial to your health. This includes the quality of the food you are eating, the overall health of your Gastro-Intestinal tract, pregnancy status, and genetic makeup. 

Here are some additional factors to be mindful of:

Alcohol 

Alcohol can interfere with the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, K, most of the B vitamins, and the minerals magnesium and zinc. Alcohol increases the demand for nutrients while accelerating their loss from the body. This, in turn, impairs the supplement’s storage and utilization.

Caffeine

Caffeine can decrease the absorption of nutrients and increase the excretion of important vitamins and minerals. It also contains properties that can inhibit the absorption of B vitamins, calcium, iron, and magnesium.

Digestive Issues 

Crohn’s, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, and other digestive problems can significantly hinder the body’s ability to properly absorb and utilize nutrients.

Stress 

Excessive stress can increase cortisol levels in the body which can deplete the body of its nutrients and wreak havoc on the digestive system.

Factors that Enhance Bioavailability

Not all supplements are going to be naturally bioavailable, and that’s ok! There are other things you can look for and put into practice to increase the chances of higher bioavailability.

The Form

Liquid multivitamins have far more bioavailability potential than capsules or gummies due to the fact that liquids enter your bloodstream easier.  

Time of Day

Some supplements may have more benefits when taken at certain times during the day. Research on the specific nutrient can help you determine when to take your supplement(s) of choice.

Taking Your Supplements with Food

Since supplements generally aren’t well tolerated when taken on an empty stomach, most should be taken with a meal.  For example, vitamins A, D, and E, are fat-soluble supplements and should be taken with a meal containing fat to aid in their digestion. 

Supporting Ingredients

Some ingredients can increase the bioavailability of other nutrients. For instance, vitamin C can enhance the bioavailability of iron. Also, Vitamin D3 and K2 help facilitate calcium absorption into the bones for maximum bioavailability.

Proper Storage 

To help ensure the efficiency of your supplements, be sure to store them in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight. Make sure they’re tightly sealed to prevent moisture from getting in. If the structure of the supplement is compromised, it won’t be as effective. 

Vegan Supplements with Vegan Life Nutrition

No matter what vitamins you take, you need to make sure that they are built with ingredients you can trust. Learn more about Vegan Life Nutrition, our story, and our products on our website.

The post What Factors Impact Supplement Bioavailability? appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

An Ethical Choice

While Matt’s primary reason for going vegan was for the environment, he says that the ethical aspect was a close second for him. He embraced veganism with the new year, and that start date was January 1, 2015.  In his free time, Matt spends quite a bit of time enjoying the beauty of nature and often finds himself connecting with the animals he meets along his walks. In his eyes, they are friends who cohabitate in the same environment we live in. He truly appreciates every moment he spends enjoying nature and meeting new friends; We definitely consider him a friend to each and every kind. 

When asked by Vegan Life Nutrition what living a vegan life feels like, he said, “it feels amazing, free of guilt and definitely healthier.” Not only does his mind feel better knowing that he is making ethical choices in life, but so does his body. He no longer gets food comas and feels that he has much more energy and stamina than he did before making the switch.

Vegan Family Dynamic

Matt shared that living a vegan lifestyle is a much wider family change.  He and his wife embraced an animal-free way of life and that extended to his wife’s family as well.  He says that many misunderstand veganism.  When asked about the vegan myths, Matt jokes, “That we’re all weird hippies or that we’re a bunch of weirdos. I mean, I am, but I’ve met others that are not.” His favorite dish in his home in the United Kingdom is vegan kabobs.  Matt says that vitamins for him offer extra insurance when he “remembers to take them.”

Reforest the Web

Matt started his company with his mindset on combining his love for the planet with his passion for web design. ‘Reforest the Web’ chooses to use its platform for good rather than greed, which is something that many of its loyal customers appreciate and cherish. For every service that they sell as a team, they plant 5 trees to contribute to reforestation. Matt’s overall mission is to help others grow their businesses while also helping to build a more sustainable world. This way, everyone grows together! Each month, they plant over 1,000 trees, which Matt says “is a feeling that cannot be beat.” 

Matt is proud to have made the choice to switch to a vegan lifestyle, and he encourages others who are considering going vegan by educating them on not only the environmental benefits but additional benefits as well. The best advice he has for anyone looking to make the switch is “living a life that does good in the world is a life worth living, so don’t delay; go vegan today!

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

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The post A vegan journey beyond saving animals: Matt Unsworth appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

Vegan Life Nutrition

We’d like to introduce you to a woman who has been on quite the adventure to find her vegan journey.

Diane Yen grew up in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego shortly after college. She then moved to Japan for 5 years and to Chicago for 2 but eventually made her way back to San Diego. She just couldn’t stay away from the beach! 

It wasn’t until after she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Japan that she transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle. 

Living in Japan

Her vegan journey, like many, started as a vegetarian.  It was 1993 in Japan, and her husband was lactose intolerant and couldn’t eat dairy.  Between him giving up dairy and her giving up meat, they were almost an entirely plant-based home. 

For Diane, the switch was easy.  She told Vegan Life Nutrition, “Japan has the best tofu.” 

Smartphones didn’t exist in 1993, so learning new information about Japanese culture was not as simple as it is now.  But, she did her best to learn the necessary Kanji and Japanese phrases. She says that living in Japan also introduced her to many new vegetables and helped her really learn to love fresh vegetables. 

No Need for Meat

Diane is incredibly passionate about health, the environment, and animal cruelty and credits these three things to be what inspires her daily. In her eyes, becoming vegan was the best choice for herself, for others and the environment. It’s a decision that she cherishes. She is a huge advocate for informing others that they don’t need meat in their diet to survive and can find substitutes that taste just as good without causing harm. “Plants have protein!” 

She even had two healthy pregnancies while on a plant-based diet and exclusively nursed both of her children. Diane’s son and daughter both live out of state. She says she misses them a lot, but it is nice to know that they are still making ethical food choices while being on their own.  Although she dreams of a world that is all vegan, she says she is not the vegan police, and she herself is not perfect. She herself tries her very best to live a life that isn’t harmful to herself or to others. 

One thing she finds to be difficult about being vegan is that there are still some restaurants that do not offer vegan options. However, she is thankful that many of them do. The vegan industry has also come a very long way, which excites her and gives her hope for the future. 

We can imagine that there are many more vegan options to choose from than there were in 1993. “We only had soy milk, TVP, and cardboard veggie burgers! We typically gravitated to Asian food. Tofu for the win!” 

Her favorite vegan meal is a rice bowl with teriyaki tofu and roasted veggies. We see that even after all these years, Japan still has a large influence on her lifestyle choices. Other vegan meals that she enjoys are a savory breakfast for dinner with a tofu scramble with avocado toast and lots of veggies. She is also a lover of matcha lattes with almond milk and can’t resist a good plant-based ice cream.  

Advice for Vegans

Because Diane has been vegan for such a long time, she definitely has vast knowledge on the topic and a great deal of advice to give. She says one way that she helps share advice throughout the vegan community is by constantly recommending restaurants and new products to try and spark interest, as well as inform others of just how many options there are for vegans. She also helps by providing the vegan community information about greenhouse gases, zoonotic diseases, pandemics, heart disease, slaughterhouses, and many other important topics.  However, she does so cautiously so as not to turn people away from the idea of being vegan or to scare them. She thinks that the best way to turn people onto switching to a plant-based lifestyle is with kindness. 

Diane wants everyone considering a vegan diet to keep in mind that plants have protein and that animals are not the only source of getting it. She says that there is a very common misconception that plants cannot provide the body with the right nutrients or enough protein, which she says is just not true. The best advice she has for anyone looking to switch to being vegan is, “It’s OK to start small. Allow yourself to progress. Try things out. See what’s important to you. If it’s important to you, you will be motivated to find a way to make it work.”

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

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The post Starting Small Leads to Big Vegan Journey: Diane Yen appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

During pregnancy, there are many limits to which medications and supplements can be taken to ensure that no harm is being done to you or the baby. The one must-have that doctors recommend during pregnancy is a prenatal vitamin. 

Taking a good prenatal vitamin is one of the simplest ways to help encourage a healthy pregnancy for both you and your baby. In addition to a healthy diet, they can help provide both you and your baby with the vital nutrients needed throughout each pregnancy stage. 

Weeks Before Pregnancy

Believe it or not, many healthcare providers recommend starting prenatal vitamins months prior to the pregnancy.

Healthline says the ideal time to start a prenatal supplement is actually weeks or even  months prior to conception. If you are thinking about having a baby, this may be the time to consider taking a prenatal vitamin. 

The Benefits of Prenatal Vitamins

Here are some of the great benefits of taking a prenatal supplement before pregnancy:

1. May reduce the risk of preterm birth
2. Folate supports the earliest and most critical fetal development stages
3. DHA may affect your baby’s health immediately at time of conception
4. DHA may promote an ideal balance of reproductive hormones and help improve egg quality
5. May reduce the chance of birth irregularities
6. Provide adequate sources of iron, vitamin D, and calcium
7. Reduces the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality 
8. Provide necessary nutrients for a healthy pregnancy

Pregnancy is not easy and takes a lot out of you as the baby receives all of its nutrients directly from you, which can be very draining on your body. This is why you may experience various issues with physical pain as your body is depleted. Making sure that your body gets what it needs is easier to accomplish before the pregnancy begins and reduces your chances of nutrient deficiencies. If you have enough of the vitamins that you need to thrive, then you are able to adequately share those nutrients with your baby to help them grow.

Prenatal vitamins are important for your health and the health of your baby. Consult with your doctor about taking prenatal supplements if you are planning to conceive.

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many women’s vegan journeys.  We are excited to bring vegan prenatal vitamins to women who are planning their pregnancies, pregnant, or have just delivered to meet their vegan nutritional desires.

Keep on the lookout for our newest 100% vegan prenatal vitamins. Pre and Postnatal Basic and Pre and Postnatal Focus launching soon. 

The post When Should Women Consider Prenatal Vitamins? appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

Mychael’s Vegan Journey

“It feels wonderful to be vegan,” says Mychael, “It’s like my heart, mind, and actions are aligned. It feels like coming home.”

Mychael went vegan in August of 2012 and just recently celebrated his 9th vegan anniversary. Mychael chose to become vegan because any alternative choice did not seem ethical, compassionate, or necessary. 

His vegan journey is one that truly feels meant to be. He feels strongly about living a life that protects animals and betters the world. He says that his ethical mindset matches his actions, and each day he works towards improving the planet.

Lending a Helping Hand

Mychael helps out the vegan community by asking questions that allow individuals to make the decision to become vegan on their own. He is not forceful with his efforts or aggressive and instead, approaches people with kindness and in a way that is truly helpful for them. 

Although he aims for a world where everyone is vegan, Mychael believes that they should decide for themselves that veganism is the way to go. 

It’s less about doing it because it’s right and everyone else is doing it and much more about doing it because it makes your heart happy. He also highly encourages others to become vegan and welcomes them into the community with open arms and heaps of helpful knowledge. Mychael’s wisdom and vast knowledge of the topic of being vegan make him a great source of information.

Mychael is well known within the local San Diego community of vegans and is constantly providing other vegans with helpful answers to questions they may have. Because he is an expert in horticulture, his knowledge of fruits and veggies definitely comes in handy within the vegan community. In his free time, Mychael makes it a mission to volunteer at animal sanctuaries as much as possible. Doing so not only lowers the consumption and exploitation of animals but also allows him to gain new information that he is able to share with other vegans.

Being Vegan

Mychael has been married to his wife for 14 years and has a son who lives with them. Together they live in a vegan household and make conscious choices. He says that he does not force his son to be vegan; however,  when he is able to make his own food choices, he usually opts for vegan options. Mychael says that the biggest misconception about being vegan is that the food is limited. 

“Being vegan has opened me up to new foods, new ways of seeing things, and compassion/empathy that were blocked before. It is not restrictive, but rather, expansive.”

His favorite vegan food is vegan bowls, full of his favorite veggies, fruits, grains, etc, because of how easy they are to get the nutrients you need and that they are customizable! You can have bowls for any meal of the day; Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert! Although Mychael is able to get all of his required nutrients through plant-based meals, he takes B12 and vitamin D supplements for added assurance. 

Mychael’s passion for bettering the world stems from his realization that the world is struggling. He says that the biggest challenge he faces as a vegan is witnessing the immense suffering in the world and realizing that most humans willingly continue to contribute to it. 

He wants to do better not just for his community but for the world. Mychael continues to encourage others to become vegan by suggesting that they start with a vegan challenge! “There are so many out there, and you will be very surprised about just how great it feels.” You may even turn a challenge into a life-long vegan journey.

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

The post Working Towards a Vegan World: Mychael McNeeley appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

Pictured Above: Vegan Life Nutrition’s Vitamin D3 1,000 IU Gummies

Vitamin D3, also called the “sunshine vitamin,” is an essential nutrient for our bodies. 

Given its nickname, you probably heard growing up that the best way to get enough Vitamin D is to spend time in the sun. While it’s true that soaking up the rays can be an effective way for our bodies to absorb the vitamin, this is typically not enough for the average person to sustain sufficient levels of vitamin D. Researchers have actually found that over a billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient, some more severely than others.

Here’s why vitamin D3 is essential for our bodies and how you can identify symptoms of vitamin D deficiency.

Why Is Vitamin D3 Important?

Vitamin D is a crucial element in our bodies’ absorption and regulation of the calcium and phosphate we consume from our diet. This absorption process promotes the circulation of vitamin D in our bloodstream and is responsible for delivering other essential health benefits in many areas of the body, including:

• Strengthens bones and muscles
• Promotes a healthy immune system
• Supports heart health
• Assists weight loss
• Improves mood

What Are Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Possible symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include (but are not limited to):

• Depression
• Greater risk of infection
• Aching pain in bones, primarily those in legs and back
• Fatigue
• Bone-thinning diseases such as osteoporosis 
• Weight gain
• Hair loss

How Do I Make Sure I’m Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Here at Vegan Life Nutrition, we know how important it is for you to maintain your preferred diet while also getting the essential nutrients your body needs. We also know how important it is to be able to track the amount of vitamin D you are consuming on a regular basis.

That’s why we provide all-natural, vegan vitamin D3 supplements in the form of soft gel capsules,  gummies, as well as a spray that you can take directly, or add to your favorite drinks or meals.

Sourced from organic Lichen, our vitamin D3 helps boost the body’s first line of defense, particularly in children, older adults, and those with limited sun exposure.

Ready to find the 100% vegan vitamin D supplement that’s right for your lifestyle?

Vegan Life Nutrition offers a complete line of nutritional products for vegans and non-vegans alike, using nothing but the cleanest, highest quality plant-based ingredients to support your healthy lifestyle. Shop our complete line of products here.

The post Vitamin D Deficiency: Symptoms to Look For appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

There’s a reason vitamin D is called the Sunshine Vitamin: Your body produces this hormone-like vitamin whenever your skin is exposed to a significant amount of direct sunlight. Knowing this, it’s easy to assume that you’ll naturally get enough

How can you tell if you need to keep supplementing, or if summer can take care of your vitamin D needs? There are a few things to consider when trying to decide if you should still take vitamin D in the summer. We outline them below.

Vitamin D Tests

The most definitive way to know if you need supplemental vitamin D in the summer is to get a blood test. It’s the only way to know for certain if your vitamin D levels are normal or if you have a vitamin D deficiency. You can schedule a vitamin D test with your primary care physician, who will be able to read your labs and tell you exactly how much vitamin D you should be taking. Additionally, there are a few companies who offer in-home testing options. If you go this route, be warned that understanding how to read and adjust your vitamin D levels can be complex. Most health care professionals recommend consulting a physician.

Location

The sun’s rays are strongest at the equator and weaker at points further from that midline. People who live in warmer climates closer to the equator are more likely to get enough sunlight to produce adequate levels of vitamin D. Meanwhile, those living further from the equator in cooler climates may find that they’re more likely to experience a  vitamin D deficiency. According to WebMD, in the U.S. only people who live south of a line drawn from Los Angeles to Columbia, S.C. get enough sunlight for vitamin D production throughout the year. 

Skin Tone

Your location can affect the amount of sunlight you’re exposed to, but your skin tone plays a role, too.  Those with darker skin tones may need more sunlight exposure to produce optimal levels of vitamin D, whereas those with lighter skin tones more sensitive to the effects of the sun may produce vitamin D more quickly.

Immune Function and Autoimmune Disease

The link between vitamin D and autoimmune diseases is still being explored. It was once thought that vitamin D deficiency caused autoimmune disorders. However, research now indicates that vitamin D deficiency may be a result of many autoimmune diseases, not a cause. Regardless, many doctors recommend supplementing with vitamin D to combat this deficiency. Especially in the case of diagnosed diseases, however, you should always consult your physician when making an adjustment to your supplement regimen or your diet. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The post Should You Still Take Vitamin D in the Summer? appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.