Becoming Vegetarian. Do I need to take vitamins?

Question

I have heard that you need to take protein pills and vitamins in replacement of meat. Is it really nessesary? And if so, what do I need to take?

Answer 1

If you're a vegetarian, you may not consume enough calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins B-12 and D. You can get these nutrients naturally from nonmeat sources, such as fortified soy products, green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole-grain products and nuts. If you aren't able to regularly consume these foods, dietary supplements may be necessary. Vegetarians have to be careful to include the following key nutrients that may be lacking in a vegetarian diet:

iron
calcium
protein
vitamin D
vitamin B12
zinc

and here is a website with all kind of vegetarian vitamins to choose from ...
http://smallplanethealth.com/vegan-and-vegetarian/all

Answer 2

Vegetarian diets can sometimes be relatively low in protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids .

Nonetheless, there are good vegetarian sources for most of those.

I drink Orange Juice for some of those nutrients. I drink Minute Maid Premium Kids +. Its made for Kids but adults can drink it also. It contains 25% vitamin D, 35% calcium, and 2 grams of protein.

The sun is also an excellent source of Vitamin D. I would not over do it though. No more then 30 minutes out in the sun without any sunscreen is enough.

The Omega-3 fatty acids you can get from two places. Smart Balance peanut butter and Flax Seeds.

The b12 you can get from dairy; however, if you is not a lacto-ovo vegetarian then it will be hard to get your b12 vitamins via the diet. For B12 I recommed Taking a B complex supplament.

The zinc is hard to get from the diet. You can take a supplament for that as well. You shoudl not overdo it though, a little goes a long way! 18 miligrams of zinc a day is the rda for all.

As far as the iron goes, a lot of the sources I mentioned for other things also contain iron. The raw soybeans, Flax seeds, and beans all contain some iron.

For protein, thats not so hard to get. You can get protein from raw soybeans, peanut butter, most all nuts, bananas, wheat thins, carrots, wheat germ, and beans.

Answer 3

You don't need supplements at all if you eat right . Protein is very easy to obtain..it's in almost everything so I would not worry about that at all. Great sources are whole grains, beans, nuts, soya products etc. The first poster is not exactly correct. The nutrients he listed are quite easy to get.

iron - dark leafy greens
calcium - dark greens, many beans
protein - Almost everything has it (beans, whole grains, nuts are great)
vitamin D - the sun
vitamin B12 - eggs and cheese (vegetarian friendly of course)
zinc - beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals

Answer 4

It would be a good idea. Also, lots of beans for protein. I'm sure there are vegetarian websites which could give you advice. Also, if you have an independent vitamin store, whole foods market, etc, nearby, they usually have knowledgeable people.

Answer 5

Just a little fun fact for ya, becoming a vegetarian changes the taste of your bodies joy juices for the worse.

Answer 6

If you turn vegan, yes you will have to.