Vitamins/Supplements for a vegetarian

[GemmaB78]

Hello!

I've just decided to give up eating meat. My diet is pretty good and fairly well-balanced, but I'm just wondering whether there are any supplements/vitamins that would be a good idea to take?

Thanks!

[Ted_Hutchinson]

The Naive Vegetarian (http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/vegetarian.html)

Personally I think everyone who is a vegetarian or vegan should be treated as if they had an eating disorder.

I do not believe there is an adequate effective efficient vegetarian substitute for D3.
I am fully aware that doctors prescribe D2 the synthetic vegetarian form of vitamin d but it isn't as good. It isn't as safe, it doesn't last as long, it isn't as effective , it isn't as efficient, it is more expensive and some people can NOT use it at ALL.
While you may lay NAKED in the sun at NOON for 20~30minutes every day to get your 3000~4000iu from March to September I cannot see how anyone can manage to remain optimally healthy without D3 from October to March.
D3 depletes at 50% every 3 weeks.
That's 17% every week.
You may want to risk cancer, heart disease and diabetes but I think that's mad. I really am not convinced that D2 can be guaranteed to raise 25(OH)d3 status to 60ng 150nmol/l and that is what is needed if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, MS etC

I haven't followed the B12 story as I have the D3 research but this person has (http://roseannster.googlepages.com/home) I am not convinced vegetarians can correct B12 deficiency.

DHA the omega 3 fatty acid that we get from fish oil ?
I do accept understand and recommend that ground flaxseed can be used as the basis for omega 3 EPA. I haven't seen the evidence that sufficient gets converted to DHA. DHA is the main fat in our brain.
I'm not sure if krill oil counts as veggie.
I can't see a way round the DHA problem.

[Fat Fairy]

funny that so many doctors recommend vegetarian/vegan diets then.........

my last G.P went veggie for health reasons!

i've been meat free for over 20 years, vegan for 10, my vitamin levels are all good, cholestorol low, blood pressure is low, i'm fit, healthy, rosy cheeked and have strong hair, teeth and nails and have never broken a bone!.

Anyway, Gemma, its a good idea to take a multi vit and an omega supplement (everyone should do this as a precaution as soil these days is depleted of many nutrients so even some veggies aren't as nutritious as they could be). I can recommend the Seven Seas vitamins for vegetarians (in a green box, in chemists and supermarkets), they also do a veggie friendly omega capsule.

Look on the vegetarian society website for more general info.

Ted Hutchinson - many forms of cancer are linked with meat eating, as is heart disease.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

funny that so many doctors recommend vegetarian/vegan diets then......... No it isn't. It's the same reason bankers suggest you get a loan. It's good for business they aren't daft. That why they suggest you sunbathe when you can't get D3. It's the same reason they say eat a low fat diet. They know it causes more chronic illness and guarantees their job security. For goodness sake look at the side effects of statins and you can see why they are prescribed in such numbers.

Ted Hutchinson - many forms of cancer are linked with meat eating, as is heart disease.CODSWALLOP. Stephan Whole health source blog (http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=red+meat)

Meat and mortality Eades (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/fast-food/meat-and-mortality/)

[the devil made me do it]

I've been a veggie for approx 24 yrs & I'm also fit & well.

I don't want to get into the meat vs meat free diet argument. However, it is advisable to make sure you take a vitamin B complex (particularly vitamin B12); eating a handful of nuts a day is also good for us veggies.

I also take Tesco's own vitamins & minerals suitable for veggies.

[Fat Fairy]

No it isn't. It's the same reason bankers suggest you get a loan. It's good for business they aren't daft. That why they suggest you sunbathe when you can't get D3. It's the same reason they say eat a low fat diet. They know it causes more chronic illness and guarantees their job security. For goodness sake look at the side effects of statins and you can see why they are prescribed in such numbers.

CODSWALLOP. Stephan Whole health source blog (http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=red+meat)

Meat and mortality Eades (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/fast-food/meat-and-mortality/)


you are ridiculous :rolleyes:
(and i pressed thanks by mistake!)

[GemmaB78]

Well thank you for your opinion on whether I should eat a vegetarian diet or not. I don't seem to recall asking for it........

Regardless of whether it is the 'right' thing to do or not, it is MY CHOICE.

Thanks for the tips.

[melancholly]

well i couldn't imagine giving up bacon sandwiches (sorry!) - but if you are going to have a huge change of diet or lifestyle, it's usually adviseable to see your GP. i'd also recommend iron tablets unless you're a broccoli fiend (i eat very little red meat so take them anyway since women are so much more prone to anemia - although a good multivitamin may cover that anyway).

[Loopy Girl]

Well thank you for your opinion on whether I should eat a vegetarian diet or not. I don't seem to recall asking for it........

Regardless of whether it is the 'right' thing to do or not, it is MY CHOICE.

Thanks for the tips.

Ignore him. He's obsessed and thinks that Vit D will cure everything from dental decay (which I particulary found hilarious as I work in dental and it was a load of nonsense) to bi-polar (no kidding).

He had no right to comment on your choice of eating particularly as he is following the Atkins which has had extremely bad press.
Everyone makes their own decisions on their lifestyle and if you are happy with yours then do what most people on here do when it comes to Ted.......;);)

[melancholly]

Ignore him. He's obsessed and thinks that Vit D will cure everything from dental decay (which I particulary found hilarious as I work in dental and it was a load of nonsense) to bi-polar (no kidding).

He had no right to comment on your choice of eating particularly as he is following the Atkins which has had extremely bad press.
Everyone makes their own decisions on their lifestyle and if you are happy with yours then do what most people on here do when it comes to Ted.......;);)

don't forget cancer and autism and that it removes the need for any immunizations ;)

[Loopy Girl]

don't forget cancer and autism and that it removes the need for any immunizations ;)

Personally I'm up for lying NAKED in the sun at NOON...much more fun that taking a pill;)

[Loopy Girl]

It's good for business they aren't daft.


Much like your American company that has put their test up by $10.00 'but they aren't making a profit'? Just how deluded are you? You think this company has been subsiding the tests by $10 for years out the goodness of their hearts? And then you have the cheek to patronisingly say to folk to pay the difference if they are locked into a 5 year @ $30 'if they can afford it'.

No profit making there at all eh? btw, these are rhetorical questions...

[melancholly]

Personally I'm up for lying NAKED in the sun at NOON...much more fun that taking a pill;)

only if i can do it at work in front of all my colleagues and then try to maintain a professional working relationship with them all :rotfl:

[Ted_Hutchinson]

don't forget cancer and autism and that it removes the need for any immunizations ;)
http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/1PsyaYNX1dw/default.jpgVitamin D and Cancer Prevention (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PsyaYNX1dw)

The Link Between Autism and Low Levels of Vitamin D (http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/apr2009_The-Link-Between-Autism-and-Low-Levels-of-Vitamin-D_01.htm)

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/download/id/41140/thumbnail/x_large/name/jr_vitamind_chart.gifSunshine vitamin diminishes risk of colds, flu (http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41121/title/Sunshine_vitamin_diminishes_risk_of_colds,_flu)

You forgot diabetes
http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/wTtmvMvgfl0/default.jpgVitamin D and Diabetes-Can We Prevent it? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTtmvMvgfl0)

When and only when you present evidence that any of the above is wrong will I take any notice of you.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Much like your American company that has put their test up by $10.00 'but they aren't making a profit'? Just how deluded are you? You think this company has been subsiding the tests by $10 for years out the goodness of their hearts? And then you have the cheek to patronisingly say to folk to pay the difference if they are locked into a 5 year @ $30 'if they can afford it'.

No profit making there at all eh? btw, these are rhetorical questions...Grassrootshealth isn't a company but a charity.
they have not been in existence for years.

I think if you watch the
http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/bsxXzfowOtk/default.jpgCarole Baggerly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsxXzfowOtk) you will understand why she is so passionate about doing something positive to reduce cancer incidence.

this is a text I got from her regarding the price rise.
4/11/09
For sure, it was posted for a while...everyone who signed up for a 1 or
5 year subscription at $30 will be charged $30. It's the 'new' ones
that will be $40. We are still just covering our costs (i.e., not
making anything on the test). At $30, we were subsidizing each test at
$10 and just couldn't keep doing that.
I think it's still the least expensive test on the market...
Thanks for asking.
carole

I do believe what she is saying.

[marrowgirl]

Ted_Hutchiungson
This thread is called "Vitamins/Supplements for a vegetarian". I understand you may be passionate about eating meat but that was not the question asked. May I respectfully ask that if you want to discuss this subject you start your own thread.

As to suppliments.....
I take an Iron suppliment (as I was anemic when a meat eater so carry on now i'm veggie). You will need to take it with vitamin C -I usually have some orange juice. Mmmmm. ;)

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Ted_Hutchiungson
This thread is called "Vitamins/Supplements for a vegetarian". I understand you may be passionate about eating meat but that was not the question asked. May I respectfully ask that if you want to discuss this subject you start your own thread.

In my first post to this thread I explained the vitamins, I thought were missing from vegetarian diets. My later posts were fair comment replies on the value of Vitamin d to provide evidence in response to the unsupported suggestions that I may be wrong.

It is Loopy Girl, melancholly, and Fat Fairy, who took the thread off course by making claims they cannot substantiate.

I back up everything I write with the source of my claim. If you and they, can't face the truth that's your/their problem, not mine.

[Fat Fairy]

In my first post to this thread I explained the vitamins, I thought were missing from vegetarian diets. My later posts were fair comment replies on the value of Vitamin d to provide evidence in response to the unsupported suggestions that I may be wrong.

It is Loopy Girl, melancholly, and Fat Fairy, who took the thread off course by making claims they cannot substantiate.

I back up everything I write with the source of my claim. If you and they, can't face the truth that's your/their problem, not mine.


I could find enough links from doctors, nutritionists, and other vegetarians to fill several threads but to me its commone sense. I have never heard mothers/teachers or even the government encouraging us to eat our '5 a day' of carcass meat or cholestorol packed dairy and eggs :rolleyes:.

Anecdotal i know, but Donald Watson, founder of the Vegan Society, lived into his 90s and was fit and active pretty much right to the end - he was vegan for 60 years, and vegetarian for 20 years prior to that. Amazing how he managed with that huge lack of vitamin D, eh?

[Ted_Hutchinson]

I could find enough links from doctors, nutritionists, and other vegetarians to fill several threads but to me its commone sense. I have never heard mothers/teachers or even the government encouraging us to eat our '5 a day' of carcass meat or cholestorol packed dairy and eggs :rolleyes:.That precisely why you need to know the truth.
http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/v8WA5wcaHp4/default.jpgBig Fat Lies (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WA5wcaHp4&feature=related)

[marrowgirl]

I have reported the post from Ted_Hutchinson for Abuse as I find the tone of his comments on this thread and others neither constructive nor friendly. I believe this is tantamount to bullying.
I hope we can now carry on this thread the way it was supposed to be with constructive advice.

[Mercy]

I can say from my own real experience that taking vitamin D in effective doses has changed my life for the better. I use the sun when I can but that's not always possible - English weather, working full time, English weather :)

I truly believe that whatever your diet of choice you need more vit D.

My circulation has improved dramatically, I rarely get colds or sniffles - and I used to get a lot. When I'm out in the sun I don't burn like I used to (pale and interesting anglo saxon) and now get a great tan at the least provocation :)

Imagine my glee!

I have to echo the B vits thing, you need to eat meat to get enough otherwise.

Good luck in your change of diet. I hope you enjoy it and get what you want from giving up meat. We are all different. My Bro is a veggie and is happy to take D3 as he gave it a go and is seeing the benefits.

Be happy hunni! Eating isn't everything although it's what makes us us :) Happiness is likely the most important thing. Could be run over by a bus tomorrow :)

Mx

[absolutebounder]

I have reported the post from Ted_Hutchinson for Abuse as I find the tone of his comments on this thread and others neither constructive nor friendly. I believe this is tantamount to bullying.
I hope we can now carry on this thread the way it was supposed to be with constructive advice.
Why report someone just because you dont agree with them. I dont always agree with ted but he does provide links and argues his case well at times. he is not bullying he just believes in things passionately. Whats wrong with that.

[brokeinwales]

I think, with a little bit of guidance,you need to work out for yourself which supplements you need to be taking, as everyone is different (in food preferences, in reasons for being veggy just two for starters) - personally I've always found I felt worse for taking a general multivitamin, and that taking Vitamin B complex seems to aggravate my mouth ulcers, so I stopped.

B12 is the most common deficiency concern for vegetarians as it isn't found naturally in non-animal produce- although if you continue to eat eggs and dairy produce, and fortified cereals (and - yuk - Marmite) you shouldn't need to supplement - it's not a bad idea to get tested every now and again for this deficiency though.

Iron is a very common concern, although deficiency is statistically no more common in veggies than the rest of the population (I could provide a link to back me up but I can't be faffed - google yourself if you need to!). Chickpeas and other pulses are an absolutely excellent source of iron, and delicious too. (Green veggies are often cited as a good source, but chickpeas actually contain about three times as much.). My current GP seems to think supplementing with over the counter iron pills is a bit of a waste of time, as the amount of absorbable iron they contain is minimal.

Personally I do take an Omega 3 fish oil tablet to make up for the fact I don't eat oily fish - although this is going to depend on your reasons for going veggy (Mine are a mixture of taste and plain natural inclination rather than ethical). Although you can get vegetarian Omega 3, I believe the jury is still out on how effective it is. If you're going down the same route as me, I'd suggest the Seven Seas range - they do one that also contains vitamins D and E plus Cod Liver Oil, which seems to work for me. Although having said that - I went without supplements at all for years and nothing terrible happened. The fish oil just seems to pep my skin up a bit and reduce my aches and pains after exercising.

To be honest with you OP, I've never heard of anyone dropping dead prematurely purely from being vegetarian, regardless of whether they take supplements or not (the poor child that died a few years back after his parents fed him on a ridiculously restricted raw food vegan diet does not count as "vegetarian" although many people seem to site it as an anti-veggy argument.). So I would recommend a little trial and error, see what works for you, and if you get along fine without any supplements - stick with it.

[sarah84]

I'm vegetarian and have never needed any supplements. I feel much better and healthier for giving up meat. I'm baffled by the anti-veggie arguments-if you don't like the idea of being vegetarian, then don't be vegetarian-just respect that some people are, and have a right to their own choice.