Vegetarian supplements

What makes a supplement vegetarian

A vegetarian supplement contains no meat and no fish. The nutrient itself is often plant based, but the shell around it decides the answer. Most standard capsules are made of gelatin, a protein from pig or cow skin. Vegetarian capsules use HPMC instead, a fibre from wood pulp, or pullulan, made by fermenting starch. Both dissolve in the stomach just as well.

Other animal ingredients hide in the small print. Carmine (E120), a red colour, comes from insects. Shellac, used as a tablet coating, comes from a lac insect. Glucosamine is often made from shellfish shells. Omega-3 from fish oil is not vegetarian, while algae oil gives you the same EPA and DHA. Vitamin D3 is usually made from lanolin, the grease from sheep's wool: vegetarian, but not vegan.

Nutrients that deserve attention on a vegetarian diet

Eggs and dairy cover part of the gap. A few nutrients still stay tight when you eat no meat or fish.

• Vitamin B12: reliable amounts come from dairy, eggs and fortified foods only. B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, which is why supplements with vitamin B12 are the most common starting point here.
• Iron: iron from plants is absorbed less easily than iron from meat. Iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin.
• EPA and DHA: flaxseed gives ALA, which your body converts into EPA and DHA in small amounts only. Algae oil skips that step.
• Iodine and zinc: worth checking if you also eat little dairy. Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system.

Iron is taken up better together with vitamin C, so fruit or vegetables with your meal help. Tea and coffee do the opposite, because they bind iron. Keep roughly an hour between your cup and the iron products we carry.

How we choose vegetarian supplements

Three things decide whether a product joins this collection: the capsule shell, the source of the nutrient and the dose. We prefer HPMC or pullulan shells over gelatin, and algae oil over fish oil for EPA and DHA, because that fits a vegetarian diet without changing what you actually get. Doses follow the amounts used in research, not the highest number on the shelf. In more than ten years we have learned that a short, readable label beats a long one. We buy straight from the brands, and our compliance team checks every product before it goes live. read how we select

Who this collection suits

It suits vegetarians, and anyone who avoids gelatin for other reasons. Formulas change, so read the current label. A product marked vegan always meets vegetarian too, because vegan is the stricter of the two. The reverse is not true: something labelled suitable for vegetarians can still contain whey, egg or lanolin. You can compare both in our fully plant based range.

Give a new supplement time. With daily use, most people notice a difference after two to three weeks, and blood values move more slowly than that. Start with one or two products that match a real gap in your diet rather than a full shelf. If you also avoid lactose, gluten or gelatin, our other dietary preference filters narrow the choice further.