Help please!?

Question

I am vegetarian and was just wondering if anyone can recommend a good supplement that helps replace the vitamins and minerals that don't have a high consistency in a vegetarian diet, that doesn't break the bank? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

if you are a true vegetarian you should be getting all the vitamins and minerals you need from the foods you eat. I have study herbs and diet for the last 15 yrs you should have what you need already.

Answer 2

That is why i ask people to do some research before becoming a vegetarian. You need to know what food give you the what kind of vitamins and minerals you need daily.

I found out that most vegetarians have very little knowledge about vitamins and mineral. A true vegetarian is well verse with their nutrition.

You cannot get B12 in vegetarian diet because it is only found in meat. So synthethic is the only way to go. Do you research because is more serious than you think.

Answer 3

A nutritional supplement when you are vegetarian/vegan is a good idea in the preventive way. You can get all your nutrients from the foods that you eat, but in today's stress filled world that may not be enough. My multi supplement is VEGLIFE's multivitamin and mineral. All of veglife's products are not made with any animal by-products and their vitamins are naturally found (not synthetic laboratory made stuff). Now they are not the cheapest things, but cheaper than some other brand name companies who are making vegetarian kind of their usual supplements. What I do sometimes is if I have eaten really well for the day, then I will not take the supplement. This way they last longer, and they can help your body when you are not eating well on the other days.

Answer 4

It's a common misconception that you need supplements to support a veggie diet - you don't. You can get more than enough nutrients from the food you eat. Good sources of protein are beans, lentils, soya, chickpeas, nuts and seeds. Make sure you eat some of those everyday, as well as several helpings of grains and lots of varieties of fruit and veg. If you do that you'll be completely fine. Ignore the people who say you should be eating meat - it's totally untrue and the exact opposite. The human body is not conditioned to eat large quantities of meat, and a veggie diet is all we need.
If you really do want supplements consider taking a good vegetarian multivitamin and mineral which will cover evetything you need. I can't give you any names as I live in the UK and assuming you don't? Our brands are probably different. But remember, diet is best for getting the nutrients you need.

Answer 5

I'm not vegetarian, however I have a genetically inhertied disorder of the protein metabolism called PKU. The result of this is that I cannot eat any high protein foods, which means my diet is more limited than a vegans. I can't eat fish, meat, eggs, bread, wheat, nuts, milk or dairy produce, aspartame, *place some more food here*

I have no choice but to take vitamins to provide what I'm not getting from ordinary food. Up to 12 I took Ketovite and after 12 I took Forceval, both of which provide a high amount of vitamins including B complex (including B12 found in meat), and folic acid (good for women). Many vitamins are a poor substitute for vitamins found in real foods. Brocolli, greens, oranges are all good providers of different vitamins. Apples (as well are a few others) are negative calorie foods which mean you burn more calories from chewing and digesting the food, then you actually gain from eating it.

Answer 6

If you're vegetarian you could be low on iron which is supplied mainly by red meat. Choose a breakfast cereal that is fortified with iron and other vitamins to replace those you may not be getting enough of. Not eating fish or meat may also result in a lack of protein but that can be replaced by eating cheese, yoghurt, nuts and drinking milk. Milk is also a great source of calcium.

Answer 7

You can get all the vitamins and minerals you need from a vegetarian diet. Have a look see at the vegetarian food pyramid.

Answer 8

Sorry but this is not a straight answer to your clear question....

You don't need vitamins or suppliments. In fact, you don't need to try very hard at all to have a good veggie diet.

I've been veggie for 26 years, and live an active, outdoor life and have never felt the need for any suppliments.

To be honest, and shame on me, i don't check any of the goodness in the food i eat, i just make sure its veggie.

ignore "hakuna matata" ( below ). How can something that has been going for thousands of years be a fad ? And I'm sure most people are stronger that just changing thier diet to appear cool to peers. That would never have occured to me, I guess it says more about "hakuna matata" than it does about veggies.

I've only starting hearing of "Omega3" being essential for us this last couple of years, so to me thats more of a fad than a veggie diet. And i reiterate, there is no need to take suppliments, obviously you couldn't take cod liver oil suppliments as a veggie anyway, you might as well eat burgers ! If you really want Omega 3 there are veggie versions derived from cereals.

I'm not sure how down-rating Mikes answer (see below ) validates his point, seems an illogical statement to me, it like saying "the more wrong you say i am the more right i am"....how does that work, does that mean Hitler was absolutely right because quie a few million said he was wrong ?..perhaps a mildly flawed arguement

i don't think there are many people here saying oily fish isn't good for you, is there ? Its just that a veggie cannot eat fish, so recommending a veggie to eat cod liver capsules is, well, pointless.

Molly M: do i look sick, after 26 years ? No , didn't think so. No suppliments are needed. If you need suppliments it is to do with your general dieting balance and not to do with the fact that you are missing meat, poultry and fish

There are a million and one suppliments on the shelves of supermarkets these days, 98% of them seem to be aimed at non-veggies as they are not veggie themselves.....doesn't say much for the meaty diet does it.

Answer 9

Vegetarians can develop defficiency in vitamins B12, B2, and D. B12 is only present in animal products. Reduced levels of B12 can cause anemia and degenerative changes in the central nervous system. Vegetarians must get vitamin B12 from either a vitamin supplement or soy milk. Or they can just be sure to eat broccoli, asparagus, and almonds.

Calcium, iron, and zinc, are all major minerals. It's difficult to get calcium without consuming dairy products. Mustard greens, broccoli, and fortified tofu contain calcium but substances in some vegetables, such as oxalic acid, usually decrease the absorption of calcium.

There are nine essential amino acids that act as a building block for protein. No single plant contains all these acids, except for soy beans. It is important for a vegetarain to eat a wide variety of protein-rich foods, such as nuts, legumes, and seeds, to avoid loss of these amino acids.

I personally take GNC Ultra Mega® Multivitamin once a day.
So I don't have to worry about not getting enough vitamins.

If your not taking vitamins... You're probally going to get sick.

Answer 10

a doctor told me 15 years ago when i became vegetarian that as long as i ate a wide and varied diet, the only supplement i might need was vitamin B12 and i could get that from marmite or vegemite.