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Healthycell set itself apart from other supplement brands by using a unique form of delivery technology that allows nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently into the bloodstream and quickly interact with the cells.
One of Healthycell’s most popular products is a multivitamin made specifically for vegans, containing nutrients that are a bit harder to come by on a vegan diet, namely Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Omega-3s, as well as a variety of amino acids such as taurine and creatine, which are generally more present in meat.
However, apart from these few nutrients, you have other 20+ nutrients that Healthycell has included in its formula, which are certainly valuable if you wish to cover any other nutritional gaps in your diet.
Main Takeaways
- HealthyCell Vegan Essentials packs a wide array of vitamins and minerals, many exceeding daily recommendations, in an efficient microgel form.
- Amino acids and omega fatty acids are included, but likely in inadequate amounts to be significantly beneficial.
- The mango-flavored microgel can be easily mixed with water or smoothies, offering a more delicious and convenient alternative to pills.
- At $49.95 for a one-month supply, HealthyCell is a more expensive choice and might not be suitable for budget-conscious consumers.
HealthyCell Nutrition & Ingredients
Vitamins & Minerals
Healthycell’s vegan multivitamin contains a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals, as well as supporting blends that include amino acids and omega 3-6-9 fatty acids. For most nutrients, you’re getting at least 100 percent of the daily recommended intake.
Here’s the full list with the percentage of your recommended daily intake that you’ll get in one serving:
- Vitamin A: 900 mcg (100%)
- Vitamin C: 90 mg (100%)
- Vitamin D3: 40 mcg (200%)
- Vitamin E: 15 mg (100%)
- Vitamin K: 120 mcg (100%)
- Thiamin: 1.2 mg (100%)
- Riboflavin: 1.3 mg (100%)
- Niacin: 16 mg (100%)
- Vitamin B6: 3.4 mg (200%)
- Folate: 400 mcg (100%)
- Vitamin B12: 19.2 mcg (800%)
- Biotin: 60 mcg (200%)
- Pantothenic Acid: 5 mg (100%)
- Iron: 2.3 mg (13%)
- Iodine: 150 mcg (100%)
- Magnesium: 100 mg (24%)
- Zinc: 11 mg (100%)
- Selenium: 55 mcg (100%)
- Manganese: 2.3 mg (100%)
- Chromium: 35 mcg (100%)
- Molybdenum: 45 mcg (100%)
Then there are 4 ‘blends’ but 2 of them don’t specify the amount of each ingredient they contain, so they’re essentially proprietary blends.
Oat Soluble Fiber (450 mg)
Even though Healthycell calls it a blend, it is just one ingredient. Soluble fiber is a type of fiber known to improve digestion, and it’s also linked to lower blood cholesterol and a decreased risk of diabetes. [1][2]
Amino Acid Blend (425 mg)
This amino acid blend contains L-lysine, taurine, creatine monohydrate, L-carnitine (acetyl-l-carnitine), and L-carnosine. Each ingredient is included in the order of its amount in the blend, so there’s more of the first ingredient than the second, and so on.
These amino acids are not considered essential as the human body makes them on its own, but some of them are helpful in terms of physical performance and post-workout recovery. They’re typically present in meat and other animal-based foods, so they’re not available to vegans through food.
However, they can be synthesized in labs and that’s how supplement companies manage to include vegan-friendly options in supplements.
Out of all the amino acids in this blend, creatine is the most well-researched and effective. Evidence suggests that it helps with exercise performance by rapidly producing energy during intense activity. [3][4]
It also seems to reduce mental fatigue in scenarios such as demanding mental activity and sleep deprivation. [5][6]
Some evidence also suggests that creatine consumption may also improve working memory in people with below-average creatine levels. This includes both vegans and vegetarians. [7][8]
However, it’s very unlikely that this blend contains enough creatine to reproduce these effects, as most studies rely on very high doses. This amino acid blend contains 5 amino acids and weighs 425 mg.
The same can be applied to the other amino acids in the blend.
Omega 3-6-9 Fatty Acids (200 mg)
This blend is self-explanatory. It contains fatty acids. Unlike omega 6 and 9, omega 3 fatty acids are considered essential fats, which means your body cannot create them from scratch and you need to get them from foods.
Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids can be broken down into three main fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
ALA can be found in several plant foods, namely flaxseeds, chia seeds, and soybeans. However, EPA and DHA are a bit more tricky to get for vegans because they’re present in seaweed, as well as in fish and other seafood.
These two fatty acids play important roles in the body, particularly DHA which is a major component of the gray matter of the brain and is also found in the retina, testis, sperm, and cell membranes.
To produce DHA, vegans increase their consumption of ALA because the body converts ALA into EPA, and EPA into DHA, but even though ALA can be easily converted into EPA, your body may require larger amounts of ALA to produce optimal amounts of DHA.
For that reason, vegans have increased their ALA intake in order to increase DHA levels. The research on omnivores suggests that 2-4 grams of ALA are sufficient to increase DHA over time, but I’ve also seen some sources recommend 1 tablespoon, which is an additional 2 grams. [9]
Healthycell’s multivitamin contains 200 mg of every type of fatty acid, which means it’s unlikely to contain even 20% percent of the daily allowance of the essential Omega-3 fatty acids, so as a vegan you ought to make sure you continue consuming ALA food sources.
Choline (100 mg)
Choline is an essential nutrient needed for brain function, fat metabolism, and the health of cell membranes.
Even though our bodies make small amounts of it in the liver, it’s not enough to meet the required needs so most choline actually derives from our diets.
Fortunately, a vegan diet isn’t lacking in choline. Although plant foods are generally lower in choline than animal foods, it’s found in small amounts in a wide range of plant foods. Therefore, a vegan diet that emphasizes whole foods doesn’t require supplements.
With that being said, if you can have a small amount of it in a multivitamin, think of it as an added bonus.
Healthycell Benefits & Effectiveness
The vitamins and minerals are plentiful and well-dosed. I like the fact there’s 200 percent of your daily vitamin D and 67 percent of your vitamin K. These are nutrients that the average person tends to be low in, and they appear to act synergistically to improve bone health. [10]
Needless to say, if you’re vegan and want to make sure you’re supplementing essential nutrients that may be a bit more tricky to get in a vegan diet, this multivitamin has got you well covered.
Unlike many multivitamin formulas, Healthycell also contains a tad bit of iron, which is not necessary if you emphasize whole foods, namely legumes, grains, and seeds, but if that’s not the case, then it’s helpful to have it in a multivitamin as it leaves you a bit more at ease.
Furthermore, because Healthycell is delivered in a microgel, they’re able to pack a lot more nutrients in one gel pack (which is essentially one serving). Most brands would have you swallow 2-5 pills for you to get the same amount of nutrients, and that’s a really interesting value proposition that sets Healthycell apart from most brands.
Additionally, it eliminates the need for synthetic binding glues, fillers, coatings, and anti-caking agents, which are questionable from a health/safety standpoint.
A downside of this product is that it contains 2 (actual) proprietary blends so we don’t know the dosages of each ingredient, but we do know the weight of the blends and that each ingredient is included in the order of its prominence in the blend.
Unfortunately, even though the amino acid blend contains some interesting compounds such as taurine and creatine, those are massively underdosed and are unlikely to reproduce any of the notable effects present in scientific literature.
The omega 3-6-9 blend is also interesting for vegans because you have access to essential omega-3 fatty acids, but given it’s a proprietary blend, you don’t know how much it actually contains. However, I would assume that you probably have a lot more omega-3 fatty acids than the remaining omegas.
How Much Does it Cost?
Healthycell allows you to buy the multivitamin in a one-off way, but they like to emphasize the subscription model: if you sign up for a monthly or quarterly shipment, they take 10-15 percent off the cost.
If you just want a one-off purchase of a one-month supply, that’ll be $49.95, or about $1.53 per day. Subscribe and it drops to 1.49 per day. The discount can be even steeper if you for quarterly shipping.
Is HealthyCell Vegan Essentials Worth It?
Healthycell really does a great job of including many vitamins and minerals that may be lacking in a poorly planned vegan diet, and I think that the sheer variety of nutrients makes it a wonderful option.
If you want a complete vegan-centric multivitamin, I truly believe that Healthycell presents an enticing alternative, especially if you’re looking for a convenient alternative that doesn’t require you to swallow 2-5 pills to get the same amount of nutrients.
Instead, you can add the mango-flavored gel to water, or even to your favorite smoothie, and effectively consume more than 20 generously dosed nutrients in one gulp.
However, Healthycell is not an affordable product, so if you’re looking for something more budget-friendly, then it’s probably not a good option for you.
With that being said, if you’re still interested, you can get it here from Healthycell’s official website.
Medical Disclaimer: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
References:
1. Anderson JW, Baird P, Davis RH Jr, Ferreri S, Knudtson M, Koraym A, Waters V, Williams CL. Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutr Rev. 2009 Apr.
2. Anderson JW, Smith BM, Gustafson NJ. Health benefits and practical aspects of high-fiber diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 May.
3. Mujika I, Padilla S. Creatine supplementation as an ergogenic aid for sports performance in highly trained athletes: a critical review. Int J Sports Med. 1997 Oct.
4. Mendes RR, Tirapegui J. Creatina: o suplemento nutricional para a atividade fÃsica–conceitos atuais [Creatine: the nutritional supplement for exercise – current concepts]. Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2002 Jun.
5. Watanabe A, Kato N, Kato T. Effects of creatine on mental fatigue and cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation. Neurosci Res. 2002 Apr.
6. McMorris T, Harris RC, Swain J, Corbett J, Collard K, Dyson RJ, Dye L, Hodgson C, Draper N. Effect of creatine supplementation and sleep deprivation, with mild exercise, on cognitive and psychomotor performance, mood state, and plasma concentrations of catecholamines and cortisol. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Mar.
7. Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Bougioukas KI, Kapogiannis D. Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Exp Gerontol. 2018 Jul 15.
8. McMorris T, Mielcarz G, Harris RC, Swain JP, Howard A. Creatine supplementation and cognitive performance in elderly individuals. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2007 Sep.
9. Burns-Whitmore B, Froyen E, Heskey C, Parker T, San Pablo G. Alpha-Linolenic and Linoleic Fatty Acids in the Vegan Diet: Do They Require Dietary Reference Intake/Adequate Intake Special Consideration? Nutrients. 2019.
10. van Ballegooijen AJ, Pilz S, Tomaschitz A, Grübler MR, Verheyen N. The Synergistic Interplay between Vitamins D and K for Bone and Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review. Int J Endocrinol. 2017.
