Vegan Supplements or not?

GonzoAston

Hiya everyone,

I hope this is posted in the correct place, if not, please move.

I have just found out, whilst seeing a different specialist for a seperate problem as it didnt explain all my symptoms, that I am allergic to most animal proteins.

So I have started on a vegan diet. Which im actually happy about to be honest.

After researching there is so much conflicting information on whether to take supplements, or if they arent needed.

Im hoping that there are some Vegans on here who could give me their experience. Supplements tend to be expensive, so if they arent really needed, then obviously ill not take them.

I will be eating a varied diet of some raw, some cooked veg, fruits, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, soy milk, tofu occasionally (not a big fan really) leafy greens, humous (which I LOVE anyway) salads, spices, Chia seeds etc etc etc.

Ive read conflicting reports about B12 & Omega 3, whether they're needed or not. So im confused

Thanks

A.Penny.Saved

Vegans need to supplement B12 because they cannot get it from vegetables.

GonzoAston

A.Penny.Saved wrote: »

Vegans need to supplement B12 because they cannot get it from vegetables.

Thanks, ill post one of many links I have been reasing which is comfusing for me (I may be just thick though )

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/everyvegan

Copy from the same link

"
To get the full benefit of a vegan diet, vegans should do one of the following:

1. Eat fortified foods two or three times a day to get at least three micrograms (mcg or µg) of B12 a day or
2. Take one B12 supplement daily providing at least 10 micrograms or
3. Take a weekly B12 supplement providing at least 2000 micrograms.

If relying on fortified foods, check the labels carefully to make sure you are getting enough B12. For example, if a fortified plant milk contains 1 microgram of B12 per serving then consuming three servings a day will provide adequate vitamin B12. Others may find the use of B12 supplements more convenient and economical."

Do you see why im confused. Its saying different amounts completley

Emuchops

I'm a vegan and I just take a bog standard multi vitamin (from Aldi because they were on offer) when I remember to. In my opinion we need to supplement B12 (although many disagree). To get the O3's I have about the equivalent of about 1 heaped teaspoon of ground flax a day (in various things-smoothies, muesli etc). I had to have various blood tests a short while ago and they all came back normal-no anaemia or b12 deficiencies etc. I went vegan because I wanted to distance myself from the horrors of mainstream meat and dairy production, but incidentally I have never felt better-wish I'd done it many years ago.

GonzoAston

Emuchops wrote: »

I'm a vegan and I just take a bog standard multi vitamin (from Aldi because they were on offer) when I remember to. In my opinion we need to supplement B12 (although many disagree). To get the O3's I have about the equivalent of about 1 heaped teaspoon of ground flax a day (in various things-smoothies, muesli etc). I had to have various blood tests a short while ago and they all came back normal-no anaemia or b12 deficiencies etc. I went vegan because I wanted to distance myself from the horrors of mainstream meat and dairy production, but incidentally I have never felt better-wish I'd done it many years ago.

Thanks for this. How do you supplement the B12? Do you get the fortified foods, or do you take a daily tablet or get the injection? Sorry for the questions. As you seem to be healthy having just had bloods done, id value your opinion on it. I dont mind which way I have to take them to be honest, just as long as my body is getting what it needs and no animal products, im happy.

Emuchops

GonzoAston wrote: »

Thanks for this. How do you supplement the B12? Do you get the fortified foods, or do you take a daily tablet or get the injection? Sorry for the questions. As you seem to be healthy having just had bloods done, id value your opinion on it. I dont mind which way I have to take them to be honest, just as long as my body is getting what it needs and no animal products, im happy.

I don't stress too much over it-a lot of soya milks are fortified with B12 (and cereals) and most multi vit tablets have B12 in them. Just aim for a healthy balanced diet, lots of greens if possible and don't forget your fats-nuts, seeds, avocados etc.

A.Penny.Saved

The need for B12 varies considerably depending upon a persons ability to absorb it! That is the critical factor.

The RDA of B12 is set too low anyway even before you factor in the poor absorption that is very common. 1.5mcg for a healthy person can be useless for any adult if they do not produce sufficient stomach acid. Without enough B12, the nervous system degrades causing permanent nervous system damage. It also facilitates methylation which is an important bodily process. Taking a Methylcobalamin (B12) tablet/capsule ensures that you get absorbable B12 no matter the state of your stomach acid. 1mg/1000mcg and 5mg tablets and capsules are available. A vegan diet might not encourage stomach acid production which could cause difficulties absorbing B12 in food.

BTW you have not taken account of saturated fats because those are very important. The body can produce some but it is believed by some nutritionists that the human body needs some saturated fat in the diet to remain healthy. It's not easy to find with vegan/vegetarian foods except for coconut oil.

You should disregard the information of the last 50 years for saturated fat, which is still widely being disseminated, especially by companies selling the oil products which falsely claimed that saturated fats were linked to heart disease! Most of this came from the WHO who were influenced/paid by the American oil manufacturers to spread this misinformation in order to sell their damaging oils.

Saturated fats have very recently been proven to be safe and beneficial to the body, unlike Omega 6 oils which contributes to many unhealthy body processes. As a vegan you will put yourself at risk if you are not very careful in what oils you consume because O6 is widespread throughout the food industry. The consumed O6:O3 ratio is far too large for good health. Ideally it should be 1:1 but is more like > 10:1 to as high as 25:1.

Flaxseed oil is one oil in which the ratio is fairly good @ 0.3:1 but it is a highly unstable oil which goes off very quickly. I used flaxseed oil for many years for other reasons but finding a source which was not rancid was difficult. It develops a bitter taste when it goes off which can be a matter of a couple of weeks.

faerielight

I'm vegan too and I do the same.. a cheap multi vit and b12, I take jarrows sublingual b12 from ebay, it's really good. Plus I get my omega 3s from flazseed hempseed oil and eat a mix of sunflower pumpkin and seseme seeds, a tblsp or 2 a day.

maddiemay

I felt that I should post regarding the need for adequate B12, but am pleased to see that A.Penny.Saved and Faerielight have very eloquently beaten me to it, thank you both.

Diagnosis of B12 deficiency, however it it occurs and treatment is very patchy, irrecoverable damage can be caused and often the treatment offered does not make a lot of people well and able to continue with their previous lifestyle, so I would caution everyone to make sure they have an adequate/even slightly excessive intake as the body does not hold any surplus, it is excreted in urine, so haphazard intake is not a good idea.

The sublingual B12, as mentioned is excellent as it is absorbed via mouth tissue, so those of us who have absorption issues can get a better uptake. This really is a case of prevention being better than cure.

GonzoAston

Thanks for the replies. I will get some multi vitimins and B12 also.

Thanks to everyone

Fluff15

If you like marmite, it's really good for vitamin b12 - I followed a vegan diet for a while (working out what foods I was intolerant to) and ate marmite as my source of B vitamins. I used it to replace beef stock in things like chilli.