No matter your reason for avoiding animal-sourced foods, you should be aware of possible nutrient gaps. Thankfully, Thorne can help. Get the right nutrients you need to function at your best with this list of supplements for a plant-based diet.

 With our wide offering of vegan and vegan-friendly nutritional supplements, it can be overwhelming to navigate it all on your own. Here is a dietitian's take on the most important and convenient options to support your overall health, weight management, energy, sleep, and exercise performance!

1. Iron Bisglycinate: Iron

If you avoid meat, poultry, and fish/shellfish, then you can only get iron from non-animal sources such as nuts, legumes, grains, vegetables, and nutritional supplements.

Although you can absorb 7-35 percent of iron from animal muscle tissue (referred to as heme iron), you might only absorb 2-20 percent from vegetarian sources (referred to as non-heme iron).

Individuals who follow a vegetarian or lower protein diet might need to consume nearly twice as much dietary iron as a meat eater. Therefore, if you are a vegan or a vegetarian, then you could need an iron supplement to support healthy iron levels.* 

Each capsule of Thorne's Iron Bisglycinate provides 25 mg of elemental iron that has been reacted with glycine for the optimal absorption of iron in the gastrointestinal tract, which also helps to decrease iron’s typical GI side effects.*

2. Vitamin B12: Whole body wellness

Because vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products, it can be difficult to get enough from a vegan or vegetarian diet. Vitamin B12, like iron, is necessary for red blood cell production and to prevent anemia, a condition where there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Because anemia is such a common concern, supplementation is recommended for vegan athletes.

Consider Thorne’s Vitamin B12 supplement, made with methylcobalamin −an active form of B12. The formula supports cardiovascular function, sleep cycle regulation, blood cell function, and more.* Or consider B-Complex #12 – containing the complete B complex with extra B12 – and verified vegan.

3. Methyl-Guard Plus®: Methylation support

Healthy methylation is important for many functions in the body, including maintaining a balanced level of homocysteine.* Thorne’s Methyl-Guard Plus provides 5-MTHF (active folate) and the active, tissue-ready forms of vitamins B2, B6, and B12 to support healthy methylation for cardiovascular, cognitive, and bone health.*

The inclusion of 3 milligrams of vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) per serving is particularly important for individuals who have adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet because vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal-sourced foods.

Although some vegan foods, like cereals and nutritional yeast, are fortified with vitamin B12, those on a plant-based diet should consider supplementing with vitamin B12. Bonus? The other nutrients in Methyl-Guard Plus allow vitamin B12 to do its job more efficiently.

4. Creatine: Muscle and cognitive function

Creatine is an amino acid that is produced naturally in the body from other amino acids, and it is also found in foods such as meat, eggs, and fish. If you aren’t consuming these foods, then you might be at risk for having less creatine available for quick energy production, to support muscle maintenance, and to enhance cognitive function.*

Thorne’s vegan-friendly creatine plays an important role in the body's production of cellular energy because it helps make ATP,* a molecule needed by all cells.

5. Beta Alanine-SR: Muscular endurance

Many vegetarians and vegans don’t get enough beta-alanine in their diet because it's mainly found in meat. Therefore, individuals who consume a plant-based diet should consider supplementing with Thorne’s Beta Alanine-SR.

Beta-alanine is required to make carnosine, which is necessary to help maintain a normal pH in muscle tissue by buffering the hydrogen ions created when muscles generate energy.*

Carnosine's absorption is poor, and it tends to be even lower in females and individuals who limit animal protein in their diets. Supplementing with Beta Alanine-SR supports muscle health, muscle work capacity, and perceived time-to-exhaustion in both athletes and non-athletes.*

6. MediClear Plus®: Supplemental protein

There’s a lot to love about this unsweetened, unflavored, dairy-free protein supplement. Although it is not one of our verified vegan formulas due to the addition of vitamin D3 (as cholecalciferol), MediClear Plus® provides 20 grams of rice and pea protein per serving, a complete multi-vitamin/ mineral profile, and additional detoxification cofactors.* Other ingredients include nutrients and botanicals such as curcumin phytosome, grape seed phytosome, and green tea phytosome, all of which help maintain the body’s normal inflammatory response to toxic insults.* 

MediClear Plus® is also the cornerstone of Thorne’s two detox programs – 10-Day Detox Protocol and our 21-Day Detox & Allergy Elimination Program. Learn more about these diets and enjoy free recipes featuring MediClear Plus® on the Wellness Guides page.

7. Amino Complex: Essential amino acids

Thorne’s Amino Complex promotes the growth of muscle mass in individuals who need to preserve muscle mass, including the elderly.* It is an ideal formula for active individuals, individuals managing calories, or anyone who has difficulty consuming whole foods or protein powders, particularly after heavy exercise.*

8. EnteroMend®: GI health

Individuals with high-stress lifestyles or those who engage in high intensity or prolonged exercise can have a higher level of systemic inflammation that can result in gastrointestinal hyperpermeability (or leaky gut).

The amino acid L-glutamine benefits gastrointestinal health, promotes wound healing, supports immune function, and helps restore plasma glutamine levels depleted after periods of physical stress.*

Although animal proteins tend to be highest in glutamine, Thorne’s L-glutamine is not animal-derived; it is synthesized via fermentation from glucose, and therefore is an excellent option for those avoiding an animal-sourced nutrient. EnteroMend’s other unique ingredients are also all plant-sourced.

9. Bacillus Coagulans

Although many probiotic supplements tend to be controversial for vegans because they can be sourced from dairy, Thorne’s Bacillus Coagulans has been Thorne verified vegan. B. coagulans is a stable, lactic-acid producing, beneficial bacteria that survives stomach acid and retains its potency in the intestines, where it can support GI upset, such as occasional gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea.*

10. PharmaGABA-100 or -250: Pre-sleep stress support

Lastly, for those looking for nourishing sleep and relaxation support, you might consider Thorne’s PharmaGABA, a vegetarian formula (not vegan) produced via a fermentation process that utilizes Lactobacillus hilgardii, the same bacteria used to ferment cabbage in the preparation of the traditional Korean dish, kimchi.

Clinical studies have shown that the natural form of GABA in Thorne's PharmaGABA decreases the brain's stress-related beta waves and increases the production of alpha-waves, creating a profound sense of physical relaxation while maintaining mental focus.*