Vitamin D: Animal vs. Vegan. What's the deal?
Vitamines
Vitamin D: an important vitamin that your body needs every day. It contributes to building a strong immune system, healthy muscle function, the growth and maintenance of strong teeth and bones, and overall health (GoldHealth, 2020). A lot of important benefits! But are you actually getting enough vitamin D? Did you know there are different forms of vitamin D and the unique vegan source our vitamin D comes from?
How do I get vitamin D?
Our greatest natural source of vitamin D is the sun (Nutrition Center, n.d.). For someone with fair skin, just 15 to 30 minutes of exposure is enough to get their daily dose of vitamin D. Besides the sun, food also contains a lot of vitamin D. Think of oily fish, meat, and eggs, for example.
It's not a given that everyone absorbs the same amount of vitamin D. Vegans, the elderly, young children, people with dark skin, and pregnant women absorb vitamin D less quickly. Therefore, they are advised to take a vitamin D supplement.
Taking vitamin D as a pill is impossible!
What you take and buy is often called vitamin D on the packaging, but when you look at the ingredients, it turns out to be vitamin D2 or D3. Vitamin D2 and D3 are only converted into vitamin D in your body (Vitamin D Answers, 2020). Furthermore, these forms of vitamin D are absorbed differently.
Is your form of vitamin D absorbed well?
Okay, so there are multiple forms of vitamin D (D2 and D3). Let's briefly discuss them. Vitamin D2 is extracted from mushrooms and fungi (Tonic Health, 2020). This form of vitamin D is absorbed less quickly and effectively by your body than vitamin D3, because it can be converted directly into vitamin D in the body. This form is primarily extracted from lanolin, or sheep's wool. The sheep's wool is then boiled to release the fat from the wool (VeganWiki, 2019). At Yummygums, we believe it's important that all our products are vegan.
And that's why we use algae...
Vegan vitamin D3! We use this alternative, which is just as well-absorbed as vitamin D3 from lanolin. You can find it primarily as lichen on tree bark and leaves. This lichen is formed by the combination of mold and algae. Unprocessed lichen can lose its vitamin content quite quickly after harvesting (Truth In Supplements, 2017). Therefore, the oil is extracted from the lichen on-site to ensure optimal vitamin D levels. This lichen oil is then purified to remove harmful bacteria. This makes lichen oil, oil from algae, completely animal-friendly. Exactly why we use it in our gummies! 🌱
It's therefore crucial to get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is the best form of vitamin D and is absorbed most quickly by the body. While D3 normally comes from sheep's wool and animal products, we extract this vitamin from algae. Although algae and fungi don't sound very appealing, we've managed to incorporate this vitamin into a delicious gummy. Besides taking vitamin D as a supplement, we also recommend getting outside when the sun is shining; you'll also be doing your physical (and mental) good!