Unlock The Power Of Plants: Unveiling Vegan Supplements With DR.VEGAN® Co-Founder, Gordon Lott
Embracing a healthier lifestyle is an exciting journey towards feeling your best self. But as you navigate the world of healthier eating, whether that be with a balanced diet of food groups, or a vegan diet, you might wonder if there are any gaps to fill in your nutrient intake. That's where DR.VEGAN®’s vegan supplements come in. Whether you're a seasoned vegan or just dipping your toes into plant-based nutrition, exploring vegan supplements can ensure your body gets the essential vitamins and minerals it needs to thrive.
Addressing issues from problematic skin and bloating right through to PMS cramps and symptoms of the menopause, supplements may be the missing piece of your health jigsaw that you’ve been searching for. Join us today as we chat to DR.VEGAN® Co-Founder, Gordon Lott, to learn more about supporting our wellbeing with vegan supplements.
Who Is Gordon Lott?
For two decades, Gordon has navigated the ever-evolving world of Ecommerce for leading health and wellness brands like Solgar, Nature's Bounty, and Egg Bank. His passion lies in leveraging technology to bridge the gap between complex nutrition, empowering customers with easily accessible information to help them to take control over their wellbeing by gaining a better understanding of the nutrition and supplements they need to feel great.
What led you to co-founding DR.VEGAN®?
“We saw that access to information and advice about nutrition, including how to improve your diet - whatever diet you follow - was really lacking unless you had booked a 1:1 appointment with a nutritionist.” Gordon explains. “When it came to supplements, the vast majority of formulas available on the high street were either very basic, poor, did not have the right ingredients.” He also explained that the majority contained lots of nasty additives or didn’t contain the effective levels of ingredients needed to really make a meaningful difference. “Unfortunately, when it came to choosing the best ingredients,” Gordon says, “consumers were faced with ridiculous prices, and of course all the supplements were in plastic or glass packaging which created huge unnecessary waste.”
With this in mind, Gordon decided to co-found DR.VEGAN® in order to provide the most comprehensive plant based supplements for particular health goals. Whether that be a hair supplement, a menopause supplement or a daily multivitamin supplement.
The most important thing to Gordon was that his supplements were carefully developed by practitioners and contained all the essential necessary ingredients, at optimal, high strength dosages. He also wanted to ensure that they were available at a fair and affordable price. Gordon certainly achieved his goals with the launch of DR.VEGAN®.
Can you tell us about your experience with your own wellbeing journey over the years and how supplements have helped you?
"I love playing sport, so I’ve always tried to keep healthy just to be able to play and compete, although the sport has certainly got harder on the joints and muscles as I’ve got older!" Gordon says. "My first experience with supplements was taking a supermarket own label ‘magnesium’ supplement when I was doing triathlons in my late 30's and early 40's, and someone told me magnesium is excellent for muscle recovery. It absolutely is, but what I learnt at the time was that a standard magnesium supplement from a supermarket shelf is so weak, has a poor form of magnesium, lots of nasty additives, and ultimately made zero difference to me. That was when I first realised how poor the choice is that's available to consumers."
Gordon also uses supplements as a way to take care of his general health, he explains, "as I’m over 50 and my father had prostate cancer, I have to really look after my prostate health, so I take our Men’s ProMulti, a uniquely comprehensive formula for men’s health. I also take our Curcumin & Turmeric each day for my joints, and our Omega 3. I take our Magensium if I need to after a day in the garden or playing sport."
What impact do you believe that supplements have on our general health and wellbeing?
As Gordon explains, supplements can fill nutritional gaps in our diets that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to meet. But our diet is always the first place to start for optimal health. However, Gordon realises that it can be pretty easy to build up nutritional deficiencies if you don’t consistently eat a balanced and healthy diet - which is where supplements can help. As Gordon says, "this is one reason why most nutritionists recommend that a high quality Daily Multi-Vitamin is a good daily supplement to take - just not one bought from a supermarket."
As Gordon reiterates, supplements can also play a major role in helping you to achieve specific health goals or conditions, such as relieving the symptoms of IBS, helping manage or overcome anxiety, and relieving menopause symptoms. "For example," Gordon says, "less than 15% of menopausal women take HRT, so the vast majority are looking for natural relief - through diet, lifestyle, and supplements. It's important to remember that supplements are exactly that: a supplement to our own diet and nutrition." He stresses that supplements should never be seen as a substitute for a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle, which is why DR.VEGAN® don’t recommend products like green powder shakes, because they all contain sweeteners, such as stevia, which is 350x sweeter than sugar, and are not healthy.
Gordon also adds that additionally, the quality and efficacy of supplements can vary widely, with many containing unnecessary sweeteners and fillers which are not beneficial to our health. "It's essential to choose reputable brands and consult healthcare professionals when necessary." He says.
What’s the biggest myth you’ve heard about supplements, and what’s the truth?
"The most common myth when it comes to supplements is that the higher the price a supplement, the better the quality." Gordon says. He goes on to confirm that this is completely untrue. "While it is true that the cheapest supplements on supermarket or health food store shelves are best to avoid, because their dosages are so low or they contain additives, it’s also true that many high priced brands are completely overpriced and can also contain nasty additives, fillers and minimal levels of the active ingredients."
Gordon says a great example of the disparity in quality and price of supplements is turmeric. "Our own Curcumin & Turmeric is 20x the strength of a standard turmeric on the high street, and half the price of most brands you see advertised." Gordon explains. "When it comes to Turmeric, always check the label of your supplement to see if it shows Curcumin in the nutritional table. If your turmeric supplement does not show an amount of Curcumin on the back, it means your turmeric supplement is doing little or nothing for your joints. Curcumin is the active compound that supports your joints and provides the anti-inflammatory benefits."
What does ‘clean’ ingredients mean to DR.VEGAN®?
Gordon explains that for DR.VEGAN®, 'clean' ingredients refer to those that have the most bioavailability - meaning that they are the most absorbable. "They are of the highest quality, natural, ethically sourced, and free from any unnecessary additives, fillers, or harmful substances." Gordon says, adding, "all of the ingredients we use serve a clear purpose and contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of our customers."
Is there a difference in the way our body absorbs nutrients from plants compared to animal sources?
Gordon explains that the body can absorb many animal nutrients and proteins just as well as nutrients from plants. But the main difference between animal and plant sources of nutrients is the unhealthy saturated and unsaturated fats that can be found in animal foods. "It's these fats and other unhealthy aspects of animal foods that, when over-consumed or not consumed as part of a healthy balanced diet, can lead to health conditions such as high cholesterol, risk of heart disease, and other health issues." Gordon says.
How can we use DR.VEGAN® supplements to complement our other healthy lifestyle choices?
As Gordon says, even with a balanced diet, it can be challenging to meet all of your nutritional needs, particularly with our western diet where many foods lack the vitamins and minerals that we need. "DR.VEGAN® supplements can therefore help fill any gaps in your diet, ensuring you get the essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that may be lacking." Gordon says. Another great benefit of DR.VEGAN® is that they also offer a Diet Profile on their website, which is essentially ‘triage for your nutrition’. Gordon explains: "It can help you to find out what vitamins and minerals your diet may be lacking and what supplements may support you. You can also use them to resolve specific health goals. Whether you're looking to support your immune system, promote healthy digestion, improve energy levels, or reduce menopause symptoms, DR.VEGAN® offers a range of supplements tailored to different health goals, that have clinical research to back them up."
What should our customers know about DR.VEGAN® and the positive messaging you convey around health and wellbeing?
"Our team of nutritionists and pharmacists are passionate about supporting the health and wellbeing of everyone, whatever diet they follow." Gordon says. "While we create uniquely efficacious vegan supplements (because animal ingredients in supplements are completely unnecessary and in many cases cause side effects), we also provide free nutrition advice to thousands of consumers of all types of diet every month. Over 90% of our customers are not vegan, which shows the appetite of people looking to improve their diet and the quality of their supplements."
Gordon adds, "you can always trust DR.VEGAN® supplements, which are developed by practitioners, to be of the highest quality, with the most bioavailable ingredients and none of the nasty additives. We believe everyone should be in control of their nutrition and feel equipped and empowered to make decisions to support their health."
Can you give us a sneak preview of what’s coming next for DR.VEGAN®?
"We have a number of new exciting formulas launching this year." Gordon says, "one is in a new category for us, and which breaks new ground in hydration which is a category that is typically full of sweeteners and minimal levels of vitamins. We are going to change that and provide a uniquely effective and healthy alternative."
A huge thank you to Gordon for taking the time to speak to us today about DR.VEGAN®. Ready to discover the collection for yourself? Scroll through the slider to shop the range - and don't forget to share your haul with us over on our Instagram here!
Shop DR.VEGAN® Here
Enjoyed our post and fancy staying with us a little longer? Great! Come and discover one of our recent entries: A Bride's Guide To Prepping Skin For Your Wedding.
