i take spirulina in caps. i get them from the brand Superdiet. they say their caps contain each one 250mg of spirulina, and suggest you take 3 to 5 per day. i take 3 per day, and so far it seems to work well.
I've just started taking omega 2,6 & 9 veg' caps, but that's because i heard it was good for bipolar disorder and not believing in using medications. Not because i feel i would have a lack of it through diet.
I take 'Floradix' , it comes in pills but they contain shellac so I take the liquid 'tonic' stuff instead, just a cap every morning usually, seems pretty good and comprehensive.
they are sooo good! there is a natural food market that is in my local area that has them. i also saw something similar to it in Whole Foods, but it didn't appear to be vegan..may have had some dairy in it. I just happened upon this link to a site that carries what appears to be the exact same thing that I get. maybe if you can't find them in any stores in your area, you can order online. personally, i think they are well worth it!
I take Floradix Floravital, a liquid iron supplement, as I'm prone to low iron levels and I can't take iron supplements in pill form as they make me nauseous. I also take flaxseed oil capsules. I do have ground flaxseed, but I'm not very good at remembering to add it to my food on a regular basis
Floridax looks like something I should try. Has anyone seen it for less than $30 in the US?
Looks like you can get an 8.5 fl oz bottle on this site evitamins for $18.40. That was just from a quick browse. Unless you would prefer to get it at a store as opposed to online.
A quick word of warning: Floradix Floravital is vegan, but the regular one contains honey. I noticed evitamins say it's suitable for vegans even though honey is listed as one of the ingredients. Hmm.
Edit: Evitamins also stocks the vegan Floravital, although they don't say that's suitable for vegans . Dearie me.
A quick word of warning: Floradix Floravital is vegan, but the regular one contains honey. I noticed evitamins say it's suitable for vegans even though honey is listed as one of the ingredients. Hmm.
Edit: Evitamins also stocks the vegan Floravital, although they don't say that's suitable for vegans . Dearie me.
I've been taking Trophic's multivitamin for a while, but just realized it contains D3 (oops...); luckily I'm almost out, so I just ordered a bottle of DEVA vegan 1-a-day. I've also been adding Flora DHA flax oil to my smoothies, but my local source is inconsistently stocked so I've ordered some Nutru stuff instead. I really want to get more consistent with my DHA, rather than having it for a few weeks here and there.
I'm not taking any suppliments any more. I'm trying to eat healthier, and entering everything I eat into fitday to see what nutrients I'm getting enough of, and what I'm missing out on. Where I'm missing out, I try to find foods that incorporate what I need, and introduce them into my diet.
I'm not taking any suppliments any more. I'm trying to eat healthier, and entering everything I eat into fitday to see what nutrients I'm getting enough of, and what I'm missing out on. Where I'm missing out, I try to find foods that incorporate what I need, and introduce them into my diet.
oh that's pretty cool..so there is a site that will just tell you what you are lacking. maybe i should try that out, just even to see if i am getting as much as i should be. is it just fitday.com?
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.~ Mahatma Ghandi
Someone wrote to the weekend paper asking the resident doc if multivitamins are beneficial. The reply included that eating plenty of fruit and veggies are associated with a healthier life, then the doc added that if one's diet is deficient in certain nutrients - perhaps the result of a vegan diet - then supplementation is often worthwhile. I wonder what effect that had on readers of the paper?
I didn't read the whole thread, so just ignore me if this has been mentioned before....
Do people distinguish between supplements and fortified food? I figure fortified food is just food + multivitamin.... Why should I stress about trying to drink a bunch of soymilk when it's had most of its calcium added artificially anyway? I can just take a supplement.
I do get a bit annoyed by people talking smack about how they don't take vitamins or supplements... while they scarf down luna bars and fortified soymilk etc.
OTOH, I wonder if dispersing the chemicals/vitamins/minerals into the food actually makes it easier for you to process? Or, in the case of a multivitamin, prevents the different substances from reacting with each other and changing (I think in one of Korn's posts in another thread he mentioned that the B12 in multis was partially inactive for this reason...).
Thoughts?
"Lovers, givers, what minds have we made/ that make us hate/ a slaughterhouse for torturing a river?" ==AF
OTOH, I wonder if dispersing the chemicals/vitamins/minerals into the food actually makes it easier for you to process?
well, i am not entirely certain of all the details, but i believe that your body has a much more difficult time absorbing nutrients when they are in pill form. so when it is in a food or beverage source, it is more easily utilized. also, there are different things that will negate the effects of a supplement..for instance..caffeine, and i think too much sugar..not sure about that one though.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.~ Mahatma Ghandi
oh that's pretty cool..so there is a site that will just tell you what you are lacking. maybe i should try that out, just even to see if i am getting as much as i should be. is it just fitday.com?
Sorry veggiemaya - I only saw your post just today. Yes, it's fitday that I use. I think I'm addicted to it, to be honest lol.
Vitamins are a necessity....not only because you are vegan
I've spent some years trying to find out if there's a reason to take supplements because you're a vegan, or if the reason many vegans and many others may need supplements is that our lifestyle and globe is pretty nutrient depleted/unfriendly, and I'm 90-95% sure that vegans who need supplements don't need supplements because they are vegans.
Ooops, maybe this was unclear? What about this one: I'm pretty confident that the reason that some vegans who need supplements need them isn't that they are vegans as such, but rather our lifestyle and "de-naturalized" world/habits etc.
Non-vegans, who live on a mixed diet, OTOH, often eat animal products to such an extent that the result is too little of the stuff that's found only in plants, like fiber, phyto-chemicals, and antioxidants, and they are also often low is nutrients that are easily found in plants, like folate.
Most of our long time members know that I (and lots of others) mean this already... I just wanted to clarify because my above post could be interpreted read as if I suggested that no vegans will need supplements ever. That would be blind fanaticism.
I think supplements can be helpful to everyone (e.g not just vegans, and probably less for vegans than for meat-eaters who may not eat enough fruit and veg) just because of the way most of our food is grown, stored and transported these days.
I try not to worry as much as I used to, because worrying certainly didn't make me slim and healthy, but personally I do take Iron (as I have heavy periods), Magnesium (helps with Migraines) and a really decent Bvit supplement (helpful for low mood amongst other things).
I've not been a vegan for long and am wondering of everyone takes supplements.
Personally I don't want to, I know my diet now is far better than it was before I became vegan. I'm probably getting far more of what I need now than I was then.
so what do you think people : )
Edit: I forgot so say I dont eat chick peas and some others pulses (don't know if that makes a difference)
Last edited by Dizzycow; May 20th, 2008 at 09:07 AM.
Reason: just thought
Hi DizzyC,
When I first went vegan almost 2 years ago now I took the VEG1 multivitamin supplement produced by the Vegan Society.
When I went to the docs to check up on my iron and B12 etc. she told me to stop taking the multivitamin because my tests showed that I was doing perfectly well without.
I make sure that I eat some foods that are fortified with B12 and I grind up flaxseeds and mix them with orange juice with added calcium every day. I also always use salt that is mixed with seaweed for the nutrients.
I think that it is a good idea to have a blood test maybe once a year at first to check that you are doing alright.
All the best. I like your hair by the way!
Rosalind
It's good to hear that your diet is giving you what you need, I'm have taking tablets so trying to avoid that, I'm sure I can get what I need from what I eat.
This forum is great it's given me so much info and relevant links, I want to be clued up so when someone say's 'eww you won't be getting enough calcium'.....'potein'.... and so on, I know what I'm taking about in reply,lol.
Hi Dizzy, I sometimes eat nuts and drink soy milk so the only supplements I take are Flaxseed tablets (Omega 3, 6 and 9), 3 times a day, calcuim tablets, 2 times a day and 1- 2 iron tablets once a month, around when my energy feels its lowest due to my monthly cycle arriving.
2 months ago I was concerned of my calcuim not been sufficent when I was taking calcuim tablets and with my mum passing away due to cancer of the bone 11 years ago, I requested a thorough Blood test to check that everything was ok, after 3 days of waiting with antipation, I was told with elation that everything was within the normal range, my iron levels were normal too. I was quite amazed by the results and it certaintly gave me a sense of relief knowing that I am doing right.
Hi Puressence, I' sorry to hear about your mum very sad. I'm glan hear your ok though.
And thanks autierozzi, I'm trying,lol. I've just looked up the Veg 1 suplement, I might order some to have in my cupboard. I'm a single mother and student so cant afford to have cupboards full of different pills for different things (nor would I like taking them, yuk!) but the veg 1 is only £5 bargain!!
I take kelp 3 tablets each day due to having an underactive thyroid, the iodine content in kelp is said to help, and i take 2 vegan omega capsuals daily.
I do take great care with getting the right nutrients into my diet though.
Thyroid disorders tend to run in families, my mum sufferes with the same complaint. My thyroid is underactive which makes it difficult to keep my weight in control. Can also lead to depression if not treated as well as loads of other stuff. Im on meds for life due to mine as well as the boost from the kelp, good diet and exercise, all helps.
I take a multi-vitamin, Evening Primrose Oil & Zinc occasionally. I'm thinking of purchasing a Vitamin B Supplement as well...I definately notice when I haven't been taking a multi-vitamin though.
I've started taking a liquid vegan vitamin/ mineral until I can see a doctor for my fatigue and weakness. I actually found it at my local grocery store! I'm not sure its helping at all yet. Weird though, I've been smelling like vitamins, kind of like metal?!?
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ~ Alcott
I didn't take any vitamins/supplements for the first 4 years or so of being vegan. However then a couple of years ago I started getting some brown pigmentation on my forehead. Was a bit worried about it (don't like going to the doctors and haven't been) - so I started having the odd multivitamin to see if it might help clear it up. Used to just have the vegan society's multivitamin although a couple of months ago I bought a container of Deva multivitamins after seeing it online as it seems to have loads more vitamins in (ie B2, B3 etc). I hate the taste and smell of Deva multivitamins with a passion though. It almost makes me throw up! And they are so big compared to the vegan society ones... I have to just bite it in half and just have half! I don't have one every day. I did for a week or two, but am not really convinced that they particularly do much, so lately I've only had one every week or so. Feeling like I've got a cold coming now so had half a Deva multivitamin this morning and yesterday. Also brought a Luna Bar to work to eat since it's got loads of vitamins in. I also drink an energy drink every morning before work (usually just to wake me up after the late night the night before) and they have B12 and other vitamins. I have a soya milkshake with fortified calcium on Saturdays and Sundays. I don't eat that healthily as I'm particularly picky when it comes to food and tend to eat a lot of vegan 'junk food'. I usually sprinkle a bit of yeast on beans on toast and stuff like that though. I haven't noticed any change from when I didn't take any vitamins at all to when I do take them.
Last edited by ShariBlackVelvet; Mar 17th, 2010 at 12:31 PM.
i've just got a couple of things from Veganicity this week actually! Zinc, and Kelp! I don't think i "need" them at all, i just like the feeling i'm getting a bit of extra power in me with virtually no effort at all
Have fairly recently (10 weeks) started taking a multi-vitamin/mineral, magnesium and omega oils. Have not noticed any difference...except financially.
"You can discover more about a person in one hour of play than in a year of conversation" ~ Plato
Re: Do vegans need supplements? Do you take any?
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veggiemaya
by people talking smack about how they don't take vitamins or supplements... while they scarf down luna bars and fortified soymilk etc. 
? Or, in the case of a multivitamin, prevents the different substances from reacting with each other and changing (I think in one of Korn's posts in another thread he mentioned that the B12 in multis was partially inactive for this reason...).
very sad. I'm glan hear your ok though. 
)
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