Nutrikynd’s Essential 3

It’s not very often that I recommend brands, however from time to time when I know that a specific product will help you take your health to the next level I do feel compelled to share it. So with that in mind I want to talk with you about the Nutrikynd Essential 3 vegan supplement. From the outset I want to make it clear this was a product I formulated for a Sydney based company who produces TGA listed products (I’ll touch on the TGA a bit further into this blog so you understand its importance).

To make for easier reading I have broken this blog down into a handful of sections:

1. What ingredients are in the Essential 3?
2. Why are they important?
3. What separates the Essential 3 from other vegan supplements on the market?
4. Who would benefit from taking the Essential 3?
5. Is there anyone who wouldn’t benefit from taking the Essential 3

What ingredients are in the Essential 3?

When formulating the Essential 3 I was tasked with the question “Simon, we want to bring out a product that will help the average person consuming a plant focussed or plant exclusive diet optimise their diet – What nutrients should we include?”. Now if you have followed Plant Proof for a while you will well know that there are tremendous health benefits associated with adopting a plant focussed diet. There are however, like any diet, nutrients of focus that one needs to pay more attention to in order to ensure, not just adequate intake levels, but optimal intake levels.

For the average person, these are Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3 and Omega 3 DHA/EPA which are the 3 ingredients in Nutrikynd’s Essential 3 product.

Why are these ingredients so important?

Let’s start with Vitamin B12. B12 is an essential vitamin for healthy DNA synthesis, red blood cell synthesis and nerve function. It is produced by bacteria that is found in soil and in the stomach’s of ruminant animals, however in 2019 because food hygiene is so important, B12 is essentially non existent in our fresh fruits & vegetables. With that in mind, if you are eating a diet that contains minimal or no animal products, it’s extremely important you supplement B12. There are a few different types of Vitamin B12 and a very common question I often get is “What’s the best form of Vitamin B12?”. Simply put, the most widely studied form of Vitamin B12 with proven efficacy is Cyanacobalamin which is what is in the Essential 3 product. This is the form we know can prevent and reverse deficiency and is the form we best understand dosages for. The general recommendation dosage wise is 10-250mcg per day OR 2,500mcg once per week. The Essential 3 contains 250mcg and is a daily dose (the upper end of the safe recommendation to ensure you are fully covered).

Vitamin D3 is another essential vitamin who’s major role is to help the body absorb calcium, which is important for building and maintaining strong bones. Most Vitamin D comes from the sun (80%), however a small amount does come from animal products (20%) which is why it is even more important for people reducing or eliminating animal products from their diet to supplement Vitamin D.

When sourcing Vitamin D3 it’s important to note that most Vitamin D3 on the market is NOT vegan., but rather comes from Wool. The vegan forms of Vitamin D are Vitamin D2 or Vitamin D3 sourced from plant lichen. The Vitamin D in the Nutrikynd Essential 3 product is sourced from plant lichen.

Finally, the long chain essential fatty acids DHA & EPA, often referred to as long chain Omega 3’s, are incredibly important for normal cell function, lowering inflammation and brain health. Whilst plant based diets do contain an appreciable amount of ALA Omega 3’s the body can only convert 2-5% of these into the biologically active long chain DHA/EPA Omega 3’s. Thus, I recommend anyone living a plant focussed lifestyle to supplement with DHA/EPA from microalgae, which is the same source that fish get their Omega 3’s from.

What separates the Essential 3 from other vegan supplements on the market?

The Nutrikynd Essential 3 contains the key nutrients of focus that the typical person living a plant focussed or exclusive diet needs, in all the right doses, whereas many other multivitamins on the market contain a long list of nutrients at very small dosages, many of which would be clinically insignificant. Rather than using fillers and cheaper nutrients to create a long ingredient list, the Essential 3 contains exactly what you need. The rest you are already getting from your diet in spades. To me this capsule is the perfect way to complement a whole food plant based diet, or a plant predominant diet – you are covering all bases!

The other great thing about the Essential 3 product is that it is TGA listed, which means the ingredients within each capsule are exactly as listed – that’s very important! TGA listed products have to be manufactured in facilities under the strictest of conditions with documentation to show complete traceability of ingredients from source to the final goods.

Who would benefit from taking the Essential 3?

Really anyone who is living a plant focussed or exclusive diet.

Is there anyone who wouldn’t benefit from taking the Essential 3

If you are consuming fish two or more times a week, and multiple serves of other meat, eggs and dairy then there is no reason to supplement with the Essential 3. However, I would suggest you read through the blogs on this website and listen to the Plant Proof Podcast to learn about why it is beneficial to reduce your animal product consumption. It’s also great that they have use environmentally friendly packaging.

So in a nutshell that’s Nutrikynd Essential 3. I’m personally very thankful this product is now available in Australia (& worldwide) – I was one of those people that often forgot to take B12, D3 and DHA/EPA daily. Now it’s so much easier, and it’s nice to know that I got to personally choose the dosages and source of each ingredient.