What Vegans Should Know About Getting Enough Vitamin D From Food & Supplements

If you eat a vegan diet, chances are you've answered a question...or a hundred...about how you get your fill of nutrients, like calcium and protein, that people traditionally think of as coming from animal foods (insert eyeroll here). One key nutrient that might not come up in conversation as often but that's still important for vegan eaters—and non-vegan eaters, alike—is vitamin D.

Vitamin D, which is both a vitamin and a preprohormone (and full-on hormone in its active form in the body), is essential for healthy bodily function for a number of reasons. The "sunshine vitamin" interacts with a slew of different systems throughout the body—including our musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal system, and immune system—so its impacts are pretty darn far-reaching.*

The consensus among the scientific and medical communities is that if you're going to supplement with vitamin D, make it vitamin D3.

Something vegans need to consider, though: Most vitamin D3 supplements are made from lanolin, which is a yellow fat that comes from sheep's wool8 that is UV irradiated to create a concentrated D3 (aka cholecalciferol) source. While it's certainly an A-OK source for vitamin D3, it's obviously not vegan.

Luckily, there are two plant-based sources of vitamin D3 available in supplements these days: algae and lichen.

The downside to lichen is that it takes years to grow and is removed from its natural ecosystem in order to be utilized for supplements, according to Ferira. Plus, the concentration of D3 lichen offers depends on the type and when it's harvested—and the lichen itself is susceptible to environmental contaminants.

Given that, "organic algal-sourced vitamin D3 is the cream of the crop for vitamin D," says Ferira. Algae sources of D3 (such as VegD3®, the specific D3 source used in mbg's vitamin D3 potency+) can be produced sustainably without any impact on the local environment, a perk for many conscious consumers.

Ultimately, though, lichen- and algal-sourced vitamin D3 can be packaged up in vegan capsules or tablets (for tablets, Ferira says these can sometimes involve unsavory "other ingredients") to create a fully vegan product. (They're few and far between, but they do exist.)

Still, there are caveats to keep in mind here—and caveats significant enough that they dissuaded mbg from packaging up our unique vitamin D3 potency+ formula in a fully plant-based option. "We didn't encapsulate in a vegan gelcap because after heavily researching them, we found their porosity [read: pores or small holes] leads to leaks, reduced stability, increased oxidation, and rancidity of ingredients, which was unacceptable for us, this formula, and our quality standards," explains Ferira.

She goes on to say that, "because we include three organic virgin oils in our formula to promote absorption, tablets or capsules weren't an option, because capsules and tablets are only useful when all your ingredients are in powder format." So while the gelatin gelcap (albeit, from high-quality bovine gelatin) means that vitamin D3 potency+ as a whole isn't vegan, it was a necessary move that ensured the formula could include both an organic, sustainable plant-derived vitamin D3 source and the organic virgin oils needed to ensure proper absorption, plus the incremental benefit of healthy omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids.*

Though you've probably heard that a serum vitamin D, or 25(OH)D, level of 30 ng/ml is "sufficient," that's not really the case. "I prefer to think of 30 as the risk or warning zone," says Ferira. "It's the cutoff for inadequacy, so you don't strive for it, you avoid it with intention."

What should you aim for, then? "As an endocrinologist, I know that achieving optimal serum 25(OH)D levels in the 50+ ng/ml range is imperative for immune health, bone health, and more,"* shares board-certified endocrinologist Brittany Henderson, M.D., who specializes in hormones. "This is the average or median level at which most association studies show various benefits, including immune health, balanced mood, and more."*

Vitamin D is a nutrient of concern for vegans just as it is for pretty much all Americans. (Research suggests up to 93% of us consume less than 400 I.U. of vitamin D per day.) And since no one can truly rely on food alone to get their fill, it's safe to assume that's true for vegan eaters.