I'm a vegan - do I need supplements?!

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To be a healthy, successful vegan you must have a lot of variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains in your diet with the right balance of carbohydrates. With this being said, a vitamin supplement should not be necessary as you'll be getting it from the variety of vegan food you eat. This does not include processed foods, either... However a vegan or vegetarian may take a multi-vitamin or other vitamin supplements for the extra security. I do sometimes when I feel I haven't gotten sufficient variety for the day.

Vegan

No vegans do not need any supplements. First go to a doctor to see if you are lacking in any nutrients. Then go to a nutritionist so they can help you figure which foods to eat that will bring your nutrient levels up. If and only if a nutritionist tells you that you are extremely deprived of certain nutrients and should take supplements for a while, should you do so.
Prolonged usage of supplements can lead to health problems in the future. All of your nutritional needs should be acquired through food.

Once again Daisy has put her foot in her mouth. "It's set in stone"? Really? Plenty of vegans never take any supplements and are more healthy than you'll ever be. They also don't say stupid and ignorant things like you always tend to do.

vegan :D

Go and ask your doctor for advice.

@ Daisy - "It's set in stone, if you don't eat any animal products, you need supplements." Obviously false seeing as millions of vegans dont take any supplements and they're healthy.

Edit - Im not talking about the US, im talking about Worldwide. I have talked to many vegans, they dont take any supplements, they're in great health. I dont take any supplements, im in great health. Vegans dont need to take any supplements.

All vegans need B12 supplements, and iodine/a multivitamin is a good idea for everyone, veg or not.

The Trader Joe's by me makes a good multivitamin I take, and Deva and VegLife make some good ones too, but you will probably need to order those brands online- never seen them in stores.

For B12, you could also try fortified products, such as nutritional yeast, Luna/Clif bars, many breakfats cereals, and some plant milks.

Karine is right
If you think you are deficient in any nutrient then eat more of the foods that contain those nutrients.
Some people need more of some than others.
You can get them all from a vegan diet.
Get checked to make sure first.

Check with your doctor but probably you will need some type of supplements. He/she is the best one to direct you on which to use and/or stay away from.

Not usually

http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/l…

I think it's better to take advice from your doctor.

I would consult your GP or pharmacist for the best advice.

Yes. There's no if or maybes or perhaps here. It's set in stone, if you don't eat any animal products, you need supplements. At the very least supplements for B12. Vitamin B12 is not available in any plant source. You'll have to supplement with shots, pills or eat highly processed fortified foods. And fortified foods are not reliable.

From VeganHealth: "B12 is generally found in all animal foods (except honey). Contrary to rumors, there are no reliable, unfortified plant sources of vitamin B12, including tempeh, seaweeds, and organic produce. The overwhelming consensus in the mainstream nutrition community, as well as among vegan health professionals, is that plant foods do not provide vitamin B12, and fortified foods or supplements are necessary for the optimal health of vegans, and even vegetarians in many cases..."

Iron in vegetables is non-heme iron and not nearly as well absorbed/used by your body as the heme iron in meat. So, yes, that's a concern, too. Calcium is an issue for vegans. Protein can be, too, if you don't eat a wide variety of veggies to get all the amino acids to make the complete protein your body needs. Animal products contain complete protein, BTW.

And not everyone's body absorbs and uses supplements well. This young woman found that out the hard way: http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-ve…

Craig and Karina: Proof again that vegans don't know squat about their own diet. I doubt there are "millions of vegans" in the United States. Certainly not long term healthy ones. And my source is a major VEGAN website. Are you saying Jack Norris, a registered dietician, a VEGAN is lying about the need for vegans to supplement for B12????

ADDED: So why would Dr. Jack Norris lie about something like that. Why does the Vegan Society recommend B12 supplementation? Are they liars, too?
From the Vegan Society: "Vitamin B12 - Readily available in fortified foods such as yeast extract, soya milk, breakfast cereal and margarine. Alternatively a supplement can be provided. Daily amount: 3 micrograms."

The Vegetarian Resources Group (VRG) says: "....Thus, vegans need to look to fortified foods or supplements to get vitamin B12 in their diet. Although recommendations for vitamin B12 are very small, a vitamin B12 deficiency is a very serious problem leading ultimately to anemia and irreversible nerve damage. Prudent vegans will include sources of vitamin B12 in their diets. Vitamin B12 is especially important in pregnancy and lactation and for infants and children."

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vita…

Hi Kelly,
A common problem with females with any diet is low iron, because when you have your monthly period, you lose iron. That's why women need more iron than men in their diet. It's probably the most common deficiency in the world. Yes, even for meat eaters. There are more iron-deficient meat eaters in the world than vegans or vegetarians, because it doesn't only have to do with how much you're eating. The iron from a plants-based diet is nonheme, and so it digests differently. It's thought that you may need roughly 1.8 times the recommended amount (one point eight times-- not eighteen) of iron. So that means you need to get quite a bit of it in your diet. If you eat a lot of junk food, or don't eat enough food to meet your daily needs, that's not going to cut it. Since you were already told it's an iron problem, ask your doctor about taking an iron supplement to correct your iron. Then adjust your diet to include more iron-rich foods, along with foods rich in vitamin C, which can help absorb even more iron.

You do need a vitamin B12 supplement, or fortified food similar to the way everyone else has iodine in their salt and vitamin D in their milk. Vitamin B12 is a problem because it is the only known vitamin to come only from microorganisms-- bacteria. It ends up in animal flesh and products like milk and eggs because the animals digest the B12 from the bacteria. Those animals can have problems with it too. The diet of a cow, for example, is supplemented with cobalt to help the bacteria in their guts produce vitamin B12. Because of modern agricultural methods, water treatment, and good hygiene, we're not picking up the tiny amount of B12 we need each day unless we get it second-hand from animals. If we were out living naturally as we did for ages before the benefits of agriculture, we'd be picking it up all over the place. So you need vitamin B12. If you have been vegan for a long time, your doctor may recommend 2,000 mcg per day for a short while, then cutting back to a normal amount. Many meat eaters over age 50 also have problems digesting vitamin B12 out of food, because of changes in the body as we age. I personally think everyone should include a vitamin B12 supplement or fortified food in their diet, and have done so for years- even when I was vegetarian. I'm now eating a vegan diet. It's especially important for vegans-- who are not getting it secondhand from animals.

The right plan for you is to see your doctor, because you have tingling. They will tell you the appropriate amount of iron. It will be more than your typical multivitamin has in it. The standard treatment from what I understand is 60mg (325mg as ferrous sulfate) with a duration to be determined by your doctor. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional…
You want to include plenty of greens in your diet. Here's a page on iron from Vegan Outreach http://veganhealth.org/articles/iron

I have found a doctor who is actually vegetarian as well, and provided me with this advice regarding iron: 32 mg/day for vegan females of menstruating ages, 14 mg/day for males. Lots of leafy greens except for spinach, swiss chard or beet greens which may be harder to get the iron out of. Dried fruits, cereals like grape nuts or Total for vegetarians (these are not entirely vegan), quinoa, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, beans, peas, lentils. If you're into processed food, which I am not, Yves veggie dogs and similar products have a bit of iron. Ask a dietitian if you can't figure out good iron sources with the internet and books.

I have been vegetarian or vegan for decades and have never had an iron deficiency as a male. Nor have I ever had a deficiency of any other kind. I use a small vitamin B12 supplement, and if I'm spending a lot of time indoors, I have gotten into the habit of using a vitamin D-- the sunshine vitamin-- a problem for both meat eaters and vegetarians/vegans. I also use iodized salt, also good for both meat eaters and vegs.

You just need to eat like a normal person and not a wacky veg-head. Problem solved.