Tuesday, September 10, 2013

 

VITAMIN PILLS FOR VEGETARIANS?

Q.  I’ve been a vegetarian for over 10 years.  I don’t take vitamins because they are full of animal by products.  Think they will ever make vitamins for vegetarians and vegans?
Gene W.

A.  Actually they do make nutrient tablets and capsules to meet strict vegetarian (vegan) standards.  This has been a huge growth area with supplement manufacturers since 2001.

 Recent supplement manufacturer’s statistics say that 35% of U.S. supplement users say that a vegetarian or non-animal source is important when choosing a supplement.  Missy Lowery, marketing manager of Capsugel Inc. says “consumer buying habits of the booming lifestyle-driven market has spurred endless innovations with our plant-based portfolio of capsules.”

The different capsule manufacturers are using different logos to represent their vegetarian source capsules.  When buying nutritional supplements look for these logos:

V-CAPS...Made of plant-based methylcellulose.
DR-CAPS…Contains plant-based, disintegration substance.
PLANTCAPS….Made from fermented tapioca.

This is a small sampling of the many vegetarian manufacturers’ logos that are currently on the retail shelf.   Read the labels carefully.  You may also see claims such as vegetable–origin, preservative-free, gluten-free, starch-free, allergen-free and non-GMO.

 AMV



*Health Disclaimer: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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