Is Vitamin D3 Vegan? A Complete Guide

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that helps your body absorb calcium, build strong bones, and supports your immune system.

Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin but a family of nutrients with similar chemical structures, and the most common sub-types are vitamin D2 and D3.

Although vitamin D can be found in various foods, most of its natural sources are animal products, which begs the question – is vitamin D3 vegan?

Vitamin D is often called ‘the sunshine vitamin’ because your skin produces it when exposed to sunshine, and it plays a crucial role in heart health, your immune system and physical development, to name a few. However, deficiencies are common worldwide, and an estimated 40% of Americans are vitamin D deficient, though many cases go undiagnosed as the symptoms are often very mild.

Furthermore, people on vegetarian or vegan diets are more likely to be vitamin D deficient, as many natural sources of vitamin D – such as dairy, fish and meat – are animal-based. Vitamin D3, in particular, can only be found in animal-based foods, though it is often extracted and added to foods to ‘fortify’ them, but is vitamin D3 vegan in this form?

How Much vitamin D3 Does the Body Need?

To maintain healthy vitamin D levels, adults should get around 600 IU (15 mcg) per day, though it can be tough to reach these levels through their diet alone. Before you start taking vitamin D supplements, you should do your research and pick a product that’s an appropriate strength to help you meet your RDI, which is:

• 400 IU (10 mcg) for infants aged 0–12 months
• 600 IU (15 mcg) for children and adults aged 1–70
• 800 IU (20 mcg) for older adults and pregnant or breastfeeding women

However, some medical professionals believe that these recommended intakes are too low, so it may be worth investing in high-strength vitamin D3 supplements to reach optimal vitamin D levels. But be careful when searching for vegan vitamin D supplements and remember to read the label to see if vitamin D3 is vegan and sourced from plants before buying.

Best Vitamin D3 Supplements

Vitamin D is one of the most beneficial supplements you can buy, especially if you’re on a vegan diet, as vegan food has very little vitamin D, and you may already be deficient. Because vitamin D3 is widely believed to be the best form for raising your vitamin D levels, we’ll be looking at some of the best vegan vitamin D3 supplements to help you maintain healthy vitamin D levels and your vegan diet: