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Does the time of day or the way you take them, or even which vitamins you combine, make a difference?
Plant-based vitamins are a regular part of a daily routine for many of us. Whether you are following a plant-based diet or not, vitamin supplements can be a great way to plug nutritional gaps and make sure you get the balanced nutrition your body needs. But are there ways you can make the most out of your vitamin supplements? Does the time of day or the way you take them, or even which vitamins you combine, make a difference? We have come up with five ways to make the most of your daily plant-based vitamins.
1. The best time of day to take vitamin supplements
There are lots of myths about what time of day is best to take your vitamin supplements. The truth is there isn’t a ‘perfect’ time but depending on the vitamin, it can be beneficial to take them with food rather than on an empty stomach as some vitamins can cause nausea without food. Vitamin B12 and other B Vitamins that provide energy throughout the day may be best taken in the morning to give the maximum benefits when they are most needed.
Taking supplements at the same time every day, whether that’s morning, afternoon or evening, can be a good way of remembering to take them!
2. Combining vitamins — the best way to do it
It can be confusing, when you are faced with lots of choices of plant-based vitamins, to know which you should take and which are good to combine. A great place to start is with a multivitamin like MultiVit, that has been specially formulated to ensure you get the most from each of the ingredients. Not all supplements on the market are equal - some multivitamins aren’t formulated well and mean that your body grabs what it can in one hit with most of the vitamins passing through your body. The Vegeology MultiVit is formulated to break down slowly at a rate for each of the ingredients to have the chance to be absorbed by the body.
In terms of specific vitamins, you should always check and see what is in the vitamins you are taking. There are some vitamins you can take too much of, such as Vitamin A, whereas other water based vitamins like B12 are fine to take in higher amounts.
Doing your research can mean you don’t need to take as many different types of plant-based supplements, but also will ensure you get the right forms of the vitamins you need for good nutrition.
We've put together a simple guide for what Vegetology supplements can be taken together. You can find our supplement compatibility guide here.
3. What drink to take with supplements
A common question we get asked at Vegetology is if it’s OK to take supplements with hot drinks, particularly in the Winter. That question often comes up because if you boil vitamins they will degrade and no longer work. However, taking them with a hot drink is only subjecting vitamins to a hot temperature for a really short time so won’t affect the product. We rigorously stability test all of our Vegetology products so we know that they will work. We also actually sell our Vit D3 as an ingredient to a cooking oil in India, so we know it’s stable at significantly higher temperatures than a cup of tea. You may find it easier to swallow larger tablets with a cold drink but there’s no harm in drinking tea to take plant-based vitamins.
4. How to get younger children to take supplements
There are some vitamin supplements that are good for all of the family. For example, Public Health England suggest everyone should take a Vitamin D3 supplement from birth onwards. Omega-3 is vital for brain and heart health and healthy development. The challenge can be how to get younger children to take vitamin supplements. We understand this at Vegetology - we are also parents. That’s why we have created our plant-based Vit D3, in a spray formula - this can either be sprayed directly onto the tongue or over food, and even mixed into baby formula. Our Omega-3 supplement is available in capsule and liquid form. The liquid is available in mild orange flavour and flavourless and can be taken directly from a spoon or can be stirred into food or formula.
You can read our family guide to Vegetology supplements here.
5. How to store your supplements
We rigorously test all of our ingredients to ensure they are stable at ambient or normal temperatures. We know some people store supplements like Omega-3 in the fridge, which is absolutely fine to do, but isn’t necessary. You should avoid leaving them in direct sunlight but storing them in a cupboard is perfectly fine.
Getting started with Vegetology Supplements
We have a full range of vegan, plant-based vitamin supplements suitable for everyone. If you are looking for a catch-all multivitamin, a great starting place is MultiVit which contains twenty six vitamins and minerals ideal to support your daily nutrition.