Do vegans need supplements? Do you take any? Which do you take?

**hello vegan** · Jul 30th, 2004 11:01 AM

Hey peeps

I was just wondering, when you're vegan is it best to take multivitamins or B12 supplements or nothing? How many of you take them? Don't most tablets have like gelatin or animal stuff in the tablets?

I live in Australia so its pretty hard to find stuff...

Thanks

Veganmama · Jul 30th, 2004 12:37 PM

Hi

I'm an Aussie too and we drink the fresh vitasoy milk and that has a b12 supplement, i never use to worry but now i'm breastfeeding two babies i like to make sure they get enough through my milk. The longlife Vitasoy doesn't have the supplements in them

**veganmike** · Jul 30th, 2004 01:14 PM

I take 100 mcg of B12 EVERY DAY. There are dozens of vegan B12 supplements out there.

See here http://www.vnv.org.au/Vit&Min.htm for more info on vegan supplements available in Australia.

ConsciousCuisine · Jul 30th, 2004 02:18 PM

I make use of fermented foods like cultured veggies, tempeh and miso and also nutritional yeast and sea vegetables. My daughter drinks fortified vegan milks and cereals.

**harpy** · Jul 30th, 2004 02:46 PM

I take them sometimes (when I remember) as well as consuming fortified foods such as soy milk and yeast extract. I thought I was getting enough from the fortified foods but having read Stephen Walsh's discussions about homocysteine I'm not so sure. http://www.vegansociety.com/phpws/mo...104&page_id=29

I think you should easily be able to get vegan ones in a health food shop, and they're cheap as these things go (in the UK at least). The chewable/sub-lingual ones are supposed to be the best.

**cedarblue** · Jul 30th, 2004 03:07 PM

i take a vit b complex every other day which has 1.0ug in it amongst the other b vits.

**Roxy** · Jul 30th, 2004 06:20 PM

I noticed that I had been quite moody lately - especially around PMS time. It was suggested to me that I try a B-Complex formula to help.

Each day I take one of those in vegecap form.

**phillip888** · Jul 31st, 2004 01:28 AM

I don't worry about it much, but I do have 1mg tablets that I take every once and a while. Here in the US vegan B12 is very common. I'm surprised it's hard to find there. You can order it online you know. I think it'll cost you about $10 a year for basic B12 cobalamin pills because you can actually break them into quarters and take them once a day or so...

**Fruitbat** · Aug 13th, 2004 07:34 PM

Vitamin b12 yeast spreads (I buy Meridian's) are they reliable source of B12 and are they the right form of b12 that the body can use as I am trying to avoid taking supplements anymore.

For calcium I eat tahini and almonds in abundance

For Iron i eat spinach and watercress in abundance

For Zinc (and I think I need to pay more attention to this one) I eat brazil nuts about once a week

For Essential fats I eat linseeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds ad avocadoes

For antioxidants I eat sweet potato, red peppers, broccoli, peas, kiwis, watercress and organic carrots every week

For vitamin C I eat eaps of fruti and veg

For vitamin D i go in the sun 15 minutes a day

For vitamins B I eat nuts, seeds and mushrooms

For protein I eat tofu, nuts, seeds, beans, lentil, rice, quinoa and some processed soy meals

For fibre fruti and veg

My biggest fault is not enough carbs I think.

ConsciousCuisine · Aug 14th, 2004 12:44 AM

How old are you? How tall? How much do you weigh? All of these things need to be known before anyone can tell you what an adequate intake of nutrients would be.

(Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc , by the way. Very good for men)

**DontJustDoSomething, SitThere** · Aug 14th, 2004 08:03 AM

Fruitbat

Vitamin b12 yeast spreads (I buy Meridian's) are they reliable source of B12 and are they the right form of b12 that the body can use as I am trying to avoid taking supplements anymore.

Gabriel Cousens writes here (http://www.treeoflife.nu/ewb12.html) that "I don't really recommend nutritional red star yeast, because of the fungal potential". I guess that goes for Meridians yeast spreads as well.

ConsciousCuisine · Aug 14th, 2004 09:03 AM

I enjoy Dr. Schulze's "Superfood" which has a non-active yeast in it. There is no fungal risk and it is a whole foods supplement that is AMAZING.

**After The Rain** · Aug 15th, 2004 09:03 PM

Fruitbat

My biggest fault is not enough carbs I think.

I wouldn't worry. Carbs are everywhere!

**Fruitbat** · Aug 15th, 2004 09:10 PM

After The Rain

I wouldn't worry. Carbs are everywhere!

yeah but not enough complex slow-releasing carbs like rice and quinoa and pulses and stuff like that. with all the sport i do i need loads and i am sure i amnot getting enough

**Fruitbat** · Aug 17th, 2004 08:07 PM

Do you take supplements? What do you take?

**veganmike** · Aug 17th, 2004 08:26 PM

B12, daily. D2, daily, but only in winter.

**Gorilla** · Aug 17th, 2004 08:31 PM

i eat fortified foods, and take an iron and B12 supplement every day. i know i could easily get enough iron from vegan food, but find it hard to make sure i get adequate supply as i don't like green vegetables much, so take a supplement just to make sure.

i've also been taking omega oil capsules daily, but i'm going to use hemp seed oil when i run out of the capsules as it's better i think.

**8 winks** · Aug 18th, 2004 02:05 AM

once in a while when i am unusually tired i take a multi vitamin, B12, and vitaminE. it seems to help with energy after a few days (at which point i invariably forget to keep taking them

**gertvegan** · Aug 18th, 2004 07:56 AM

Vega b12

**Roxy** · Aug 18th, 2004 08:49 AM

B-Complex in vege-caps.

**korova** · Aug 18th, 2004 09:21 AM

every day.
multivits & iron supplements.

**Gorilla** · Aug 18th, 2004 09:54 AM

Yesterday in the Daily Mail (UK newspaper) was an article about vitamins that sounded like a scare story, on the front page it said "Are you taking too many vitamins?" and the headline of the article was "VITAMIN OVERLOAD". But the article was actually quite sensible, looking at whether Denmark were right to ban fortified breakfast cereal, and stated that it's actually quite hard to overdose on most common vitamins/minerals, unless you take a supplement and eat loads of fortified and naturally rich foods as well - e.g. to overdose on vitamin B6, you'd need to drink 25 litres of Sunny D (boooo!) every day.

hopefully the EU won't change the regulations for supplements, as currently they don't need to be tested on animals before going on sale in this country, and can provide a natural remedy for some conditions (such as depression, PMS etc.)

**veganmike** · Aug 18th, 2004 10:03 AM

EU is seeking ways to ban/limit selling many supplements. Damn fascists want to tell us what we should and what we shouldn't eat. These idiots don't mind ciggarettes being legal, but they want to ban vitamins and minerals. This is a joke. I envy Americans their consumer freedom.

http://www.alliance-natural-health.org/

**Fruitbat** · Aug 18th, 2004 06:03 PM

But do you envy American's GM foods, hormone and pestcide and herbicide excessive spraying and commercial policies? EU does alot of things the way I prefer them done!

**veganesquire** · Aug 18th, 2004 07:15 PM

I take a multi vitamin, a calcium supplement, and glucosamine. I get them from www.veganessentials.com They are pretty reasonably priced, and the people who work there are so nice.

**Gorilla** · Aug 21st, 2004 07:57 PM

oh yeah i make my own soya milk and add a liquid calcium+magnesium supplement to it, so i guess that counts too (forgot about that!)

beforewisdom · Aug 22nd, 2004 01:09 PM

Fruitbat

But do you envy American's GM foods, hormone and pestcide and herbicide excessive spraying and commercial policies? EU does alot of things the way I prefer them done!

That is an excellent point.

I would further add that many supplements may also become illegal in the US. The pharmaceutcial industry has been lobbying the goverment to ban many supplements that could possibly compete with drugs/drug industry profits.

I envy the stance Europe has taken on GM foods.

**Sabster** · Aug 22nd, 2004 03:10 PM

I take a veg multi. It's more like insurance than extreme necessity. I'm always running around so I can't be sure I'm getting all the appropriate vitamins & minerals in everyday w/out it.

beforewisdom · Aug 23rd, 2004 03:30 PM

B-12
D2
Calcium

ConsciousCuisine · Aug 23rd, 2004 04:10 PM

Jarrow Methyl B-12
Calcium
Dr. Schultze's Superfood to which I add 1 T. Udo's Choice Oil (a perfect EFA blend), garlic, lemon juice, alfalfa leaf powder and water

Other supplements as needed to *never* become ill., such as L-lysine, echinacea, traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs, astragalus, maca, eulethero and more herbs...

**Mystic** · Aug 24th, 2004 02:51 AM

Daily B12, mixed calcium and vitamin D, Iron (coz I am anaemic) and I am going to start having flaxseed oil. I also drink calcium fortified OJ, have calcium (and sometimes B12) rice milk (that is rice dream enriched which is not easy to get and expensive in Australia) and the soygurt that I sometimes eat also has calcium (I worry about my bones!)

**harpy** · Aug 27th, 2004 11:13 AM

I have a tsp of flax oil on my morning toast and I take sublingual vitamin B12 tablets when I remember - usually a couple of tablets once a week though a small bit daily would probably be better. I take iron tablets occasionally if I'm feeling feeble because I do have a tendency to be anaemic (nothing to do with being veg*n, everything to do with being female

)

I used to take Udo's Oil but I read, can't remember where, that it is better for vegans just to take flax oil, because we usually get plenty of omega 6 in our diet though not enough omega 3. Also I think excess omega 6 was said to interfere with the body's processing of the omega 3 (or something). There is some discussion of the question here: http://www.veganhealth.org/shv/

ConsciousCuisine · Aug 27th, 2004 02:31 PM

Harpy, I had a concern about that very thing. When I met with Dr. Udo, I expressed my concerns to him and outlined my familys' diet, telling him I have an 11 year-old growing girl to raise and asking which ils would be the best ones for her. He suggested a few supplements (not his brand by the way) and then his "Udos Choice" oil because we don't eat many of the other Omega 3/6 foods except for flax seeds and oils.

I am glad you posted the link; I haven't been to this site for a while and it's good to revisit such info. Blessings!

(Taken from the link posted)

"Limit n-6 Fats

Limiting n-6 intake is important for maximizing the conversion of n-3s into EPA and DHA. You should aim for an n-6 to n-3 ratio of 4:1 or less. The following sources of n-3s are followed by their approximate ratio of n-6 to n-3:

n-3 source approx. n-6:n-3 ratio
flaxseeds/flaxseed oil 1:4
canola oil 2:1
english walnuts 4:1 - 5:1
walnut oil 5:1
soybean oil 7.5:1
black walnuts 10:1

Only the top 2 foods (flaxseeds and canola oil) fall below the recommended ratio of n-6:n-3. This means that other foods will not decrease the ratio to 4:1, though walnuts will not harm the ratio much and do provide omega-3s.

While flaxseed oil goes a long way in correcting the imbalance in a typical vegan diet, you should only take the recommended amounts. If you prefer oils on foods such as bread, I recommend raw olive or raw canola oil to minimize your n-6:n-3 ratio as well as for other benefits."

**Fruitbat** · Aug 27th, 2004 07:14 PM

I eat lots of nuts and seeds including flaxseeds - I hope I am not imbalanced... now I am worried.

I must increase Iodine and Iron in my diet. For iodine I am going to buy seaweed for my salads - any suggestions for iron???

**gertvegan** · Aug 27th, 2004 07:18 PM

Nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, dried fruit, sea vegetables, parsley, green leafy vegetables, molasses, and miso all contain iron.

**harpy** · Aug 27th, 2004 07:28 PM

A glass of orange juice with a tsp (or more if you can stomach it) of blackstrap molasses stirred in is meant to be a good vegan "iron tonic". The vitamin C in the orange juice helps uptake of the iron.

Apart from trying to include foods such as gertvegan mentioned I also cook in a cast iron pot sometimes - this is meant to help too.

**eve** · Sep 29th, 2004 07:40 AM

Daily multivitamin + B12 tab. And a tablespoon of flax seed oil, is that a supplement?

**Cloudy** · Sep 29th, 2004 10:29 AM

harpy

A glass of orange juice with a tsp (or more if you can stomach it) of blackstrap molasses stirred in is meant to be a good vegan "iron tonic". The vitamin C in the orange juice helps uptake of the iron.

Apart from trying to include foods such as gertvegan mentioned I also cook in a cast iron pot sometimes - this is meant to help too.

Hmm never thought of doing it that way. I tried molasses on its own and couldn't stand it!

Kevster · Oct 1st, 2004 06:35 PM

You can make some really good cakes with molasses......

**foxytina_69** · Oct 1st, 2004 07:32 PM

do we need to take supplements? i havnt bin taking any :S

**Mystic** · Oct 2nd, 2004 02:15 AM

foxy, i hope you are taking a b12 supplement.

**foxytina_69** · Oct 2nd, 2004 06:18 AM

im not but i drink alot of soymilk with b12.

**eve** · Oct 2nd, 2004 06:40 AM

This 'Independent' article states that vitamins may increase the death rate of users: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/hea...p?story=567650

wuggy · Oct 8th, 2004 08:45 PM

I take a multi-vitamin, and Flaxseed, but I'm never quite sure if I am doing the right or wrong thing.
Tried Spirulina but wasn't impressed.

**cowpie** · Oct 8th, 2004 09:08 PM

I didn't vote right. I take B-12, but I don't take it daily. I take it three times a week. B-12 is the only supplement I take, though...

**Aurora** · Oct 18th, 2004 06:37 PM

I take a multi vitamin, Vitamin C, Glucosamine and B12. I also take Udo's choice in my morning yoghurt, but will take your advice and get flaxseed oil next time I shop.

**Leigh** · Oct 18th, 2004 09:26 PM

My b/f and I don't take any supplements, but we do drink soy milk fortified with B12, Calcium, Folate, Iron and Omega 3....

**cedarblue** · Nov 9th, 2004 04:11 PM

what exactly is the benefit of glucosamine??

**Artichoke47** · Nov 9th, 2004 04:34 PM

I stopped taking vitamins recently, as I feel informed enough to get all of my nutrients from food (including oat milk or rice milk for B12 and D2).

**eve** · Nov 11th, 2004 08:04 AM

This article about vitamin E, in today's BBC on-line news, is rather disturbing. I don't take vitamin E tablets, but the final sentence states: "Vitamin E is found in nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and vegetable oils". Now I wonder if the article includes nuts etc, or whether it is only regarding supplements? The article is at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3998847.stm