Vitamin supplements for vegetarians

Vegetarian diets are becoming more and more popular these days. Not just for weight loss, people are into these diets for lots of reasons. This sort of diet has no meat or animal products in it, just plant products, seeds and nuts. This is the main reason why people who decide to turn vegetarian miss out on some really important vitamins that can be gained from animal meat and animal products like vitamin D and B12 for instance. Because of this there is a risk of vitamin deficiency and that is the reason why vegetarians need vitamin supplements. In spite of the lack of some vitamins, these diets are considered to be very healthy and nutritious. They are low on fat and cholesterol as well.

Vitamin supplements for vegetarians and their sources

In time, a person's body will not function properly without some vitamins. Vitamins are highly important if a person wants to have both healthy and long life. Vitamins divide into two groups, fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins.

Fat-soluble vitamins are the type of vitamins that are not flushed out of the system every single day but are rather stored for later use. They are mainly stored in the liver and are not destroyed during the process of cooking. Some fat-soluble vitamins are vitamin A, D, E and K.

Vitamin A is known by the name of “anti-aging vitamin” as well and is important if a person wants to keep the skin healthy and acne and wrinkle free. Vitamin A is an antioxidant so it has a role in the process of cell reproduction, hair growth and eyesight improvement. Apart from this, vitamin A improves the immune system as well. This vitamin can be mostly found in milk and cheese. Apart from these sources, green leafy vegetables and yellow and orange vegetables and fruits are known to have a lot of vitamin A in them.

Vitamin D is good for the strength of the bones and teeth and the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Milk and margarine have this vitamin but the main source is sunlight.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and it plays a part in the formation of the red blood cells. Seeds, nuts and oils are excellent sources of vitamin E.

The synthesis of proteins, blood clotting and the improvement of bone strength all rely on vitamin K. Green vegetables have this vitamin but its main sources are oils like cottonseed oil, canola oil and olive oil.

Water-soluble vitamins do get flushed from the body every day and need to be replaced. In addition to this, they are not stored and are destroyed during cooking. Vitamins B and C are water-soluble vitamins.

Vitamin B is not a single vitamin it is rather made up of eight vitamins. These vitamins have lots of benefits and can be found in milk, whole grains, peas, green vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, rice, legumes, spinach, beans, strawberries and many more.

Vitamin C is highly important for the ligaments, blood vessels, bones, teeth and gums. Oranges, pineapple, mango, peach, tomato and garlic are only some of the foods that contain vitamin C.

Beside being found in foods, vitamins can be found in specific supplement pills.