Supplements?

[lion]

Do any of you take any supplements? Do you think they're necessary on a vegan diet? What kind? Maybe B12, omegas? Other vitamins and minerals?

 

[Connie]

They shouldn't be necessary in any diet if you are following a balanced diet and are healthy. All vitamins and minerals, but not all essential amino acids, are available naturally so there should be no need following a vegan diet (you posted this under vegan not vegetarian) to supplement to obtain vitamins or minerals. Please note the distinction between vegan and vegetarian and also vitamins & minerals and essential amino acids. That distinction is critical. All vitamins and minerals are available naturally or your body can create them (Vitamin D being the one your body creates) the same is not true for essential amino acids.

That said, I have osteoporosis and have refused conventional treatment, and am treating it naturally choosing my own supplements that are vegan, so for me, I take a calcium, magnesium bones supplement to assist with my high calcium diet.
So yes I supplement my diet but I ensure it is with a vegan supplement.

 

[Rizwani]

Do any of you take any supplements? Do you think they're necessary on a vegan diet? What kind? Maybe B12, omegas? Other vitamins and minerals?

As Connie said, there is a distinction between the two (vegan vs vegetarian) where vegans avoid all animal products i.e. eggs and dairy etc while vegetarians make this an exception. Further, it may be the case that your body has a specific deficiency and may not be able to produce or process certain nutrients, as is the case in diabetics. So whether supplements are necessary for your diet (vegan/vegetarian/omni) or not can only truly be determined on a case by case basis by a professional such as a GP or other medical/nutritional practitioner. But to answer your question on whether they are an absolute necessity for a vegan? No, in my humble opinion. But my wife and I have been trying to get pregnant and subscribe to the hard-to-ignore benefits of using Omega-3 algae based supplements.

 

[GeeCee]

As Connie said, there is a distinction between the two (vegan vs vegetarian) where vegans avoid all animal products i.e. eggs and dairy etc while vegetarians make this an exception. Further, it may be the case that your body has a specific deficiency and may not be able to produce or process certain nutrients, as is the case in diabetics. So whether supplements are necessary for your diet (vegan/vegetarian/omni) or not can only truly be determined on a case by case basis by a professional such as a GP or other medical/nutritional practitioner. But to answer your question on whether they are an absolute necessity for a vegan? No, in my humble opinion. But my wife and I have been trying to get pregnant and subscribe to the hard-to-ignore benefits of using Omega-3 algae based supplements.

I agree with this. If you're concerned with this, you should go to a practitioner or a GP to see what's right for you, and if your body is getting everything that it needs. Usually, the concern for vegans are iron, vitamin D and Omega-3s. I take supplements that boost all three of those, as well as vitamin C, since there no upper limit on it.

 

[Danielle Davidson]

The one that I have to make sure to take is iron. Since I'm not getting meat, but not that good at supplementing it with other things that are better. That is why I try to take those pills everyday. While I was in college before I could get some iron pills, I was sleeping everyday becuase I wans't getting the meat that my body had been used to. So once I started to take them I felt much better and felt like I had way more energy.

 

[Alexia]

I don't take supplements only vitamin c during winter or when I am ill. There is no need, however if am traveling in remote areas for a long time and I know my diet will be restricted, then I may take some muti-vitamins, but only because I know it will be hard to have a balanced diet.

I trekked in Nepal and Thailand and took supplements because my diet was restricted and also I was using more energy as well. People should take them in these cases, but not every day.

 

[kim1984]

I don't really take supplements or anything. Maybe on the odd occasion but for the most part I feel like I'm getting what I need to from my diet. I actually feel much better overall since transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. As they say "let your food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be your food" - I think if you're fueling your body with great healthy foods and you're aware of what you're putting in your tank then it's a whole lot easier to stay well without the need for other things (for the most part!)

 

[Sally]

I don't really take supplements or anything. Maybe on the odd occasion but for the most part I feel like I'm getting what I need to from my diet. I actually feel much better overall since transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. As they say "let your food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be your food" - I think if you're fueling your body with great healthy foods and you're aware of what you're putting in your tank then it's a whole lot easier to stay well without the need for other things (for the most part!)

I feel great on a vegan diet too, but people keep telling me to take the B12. It makes me irritable if I take it as a supplement, so I'm thinking I am probably getting sufficient from my food. So its nice to read your message Kim.

 

[Raya]

Can somebody recommend me a vegan probiotic? Usually, I don't take any supplements but I have always had some digestive problems and since I don't eat yoghurt anymore I hope to find an efficient probiotic.

 

[Damo]

Can somebody recommend me a vegan probiotic? Usually, I don't take any supplements but I have always had some digestive problems and since I don't eat yoghurt anymore I hope to find an efficient probiotic.

Hello Raya, I've not tired these myself though they seem to be fairly popular and the reviews seem fairly positive.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Physis-Prob...id=1448701042&sr=8-2&keywords=vegan+probiotic

 

[Kalin Stoyanov]

Can somebody recommend me a vegan probiotic? Usually, I don't take any supplements but I have always had some digestive problems and since I don't eat yoghurt anymore I hope to find an efficient probiotic.

Hello, Raya,
This is a good question and it took me quite a while until a find actually vegan probiotic. I have been using Proviotic for a while and it seems to work really well for me.

 

[Lou]

Can somebody recommend me a vegan probiotic? Usually, I don't take any supplements but I have always had some digestive problems and since I don't eat yoghurt anymore I hope to find an efficient probiotic.

I used to take a probiotic occasionally. I did a fair amount of research and decided on Islands Ultra 30. But I quit taking it months ago.
First of all, it was expensive - a dollar a dose. But I also started hearing and reading some stuff on Probiotics that made me doubt their necesity. One reasearcher pointed out in a radio interview that there has not been any reasearch done on the effects of probioitcs. He even doubted that the supplements could survive the trip to the large intestine. (see link below) We also have had this disccussion a couple of times. Links to two probiotic discussions below, too.

Anyway. my oppinion now is that unless you are actually having an issue or maybe just got off a regimen of antibiotics you don't need them. Yogart and other foods usuallly have just one strain of bacteria. I think keifer has around ten.the supplement I was taking has 18. but our guts have hundreds if not thousands of different strains. and they have complex interrelationships. It's a complex ecology. Think of it like a rainforest. and you don't improve a rainforest by planting just pine trees. And then there is the issue of how much of it makes it into the large intestine anyway.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast...sodeGuid=51d9c293-8f1b-4a54-923d-11015a1c7450

https://veganforum.org/threads/science-friday-probiotics-my-sister.2990/#post-15135

https://veganforum.org/threads/probiotics.3146/#post-16454

 

[Emma JC]

It seems like I am always promoting YouTubers, however.... Derek from Simnett Nutrition had an amazing video out yesterday on digestion issues. He had them from the time he was a baby and he has managed to deal with them and has researched the topic extensively. Well worth the listen, even if you just have gas and bloating. (12 minutes in length)

Emma JC

 

[Lou]

I agree with everybody on this thread.
I have something to add to this discussion but I am also going to repeat some of the stuff that has been said. Think of it as emphasis.

the best source of nutrients is food. Supplements are ok but not nearly as good as food. Besides all the micronutrients that food contains there all kinds of phytonutrients that we require. And they aren't in the typical supplement. Heck, we don't even know all the name and roles of all these phytonutrients.

B12 is not in any plant foods. But it is added to some of our foods. All the plant milks have B12 added. Two or three glasses of soy milk will meet your B12 requirements. So will an inexpensive multivitamin. If you buy a B12 supplement, many of them come in "megadoses". So, for instance, if you buy one that is 1000% of the RDA you probably can just take it once a week. I saw one recently that was 10,000% of the RDA. You could take that one once a month or less. B12 is easily stored in our bodies. some people don't absorb B12 that well. you don't need a megadose unless a blood test says you are deficient.

Best bet is when you get your annual check-up and blood test your doctor will tell you if you have any deficiencies. Then act accordingly. Perhaps add some more and different foods to your daily routine. or take a supplement. Even though our bodies make Vitamin D, many people (even nonvegans) are deficient in it. We just don't get outside enough. And when we do we wear clothes and hats or sunscreen. Plant milks have added D and calcium.

Even if you ingest all the recommended amounts doesn't mean that you absorb it all. Non Heme iron is not as absorbable as Heme Iron (Heme iron is only found in animal products). Some foods inhibit the absorption of other nutrients.

If your diet isn't great - or great every day, a multi is just a very cheap insurance. I take a vegan multi called DEVA tiny tablets. It costs about 6¢ a day.

the only other pill I take now is an Omega 3. Although I add a few teaspoons of ground flax seed to my food every day, I take a vegan Omega 3 to make sure I get enough. I recently switched to Purity Products Omega 3 - 6 - 9. It's about 25¢ a day. I'm also a big fan of soy milk.

 

[TofuRobot]

The only supplement I take is B12 (which I get from my toothpaste), and D3 if I can't get a few minutes of sun during the day. The only reason I do that is a previous blood panel showed I was on the low side of normal for Vit D. I follow widely-varied WFPB(V) diet otherwise and don't feel the need for any other supplements. I plan on getting a checkup soon so I'll report back if anything is awry. I generally don't believe in taking supplements unless there is a indication for it medically, which is why I stick only to those two things (knowing that a B12 deficiency can take years to present iteself).

Edit: I do have an algae-based Omega3 supplement but I'm really bad about taking it, TBH.