Guest guest Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 A balanced vegetarian diet (or any balanced diet, for that matter) should not require the person following it to take supplemental vitamins and/or minerals, at least imho and that of many experts' nsho The exceptions might reasonably be: Vitamin D through the winter months and in older people year round and Calcium (year round for those who can't get enough through their diet), but those exceptions are applicable to non-vegetarians too. What you might need eventually, should you go beyond ovo-lacto vegetarianism, is Vitamin B12 - for those who have been following a vegan diet for three years or more. Right now I am taking Vitamin D and Calcium because of age plus B12 because of longer-term veganism. However, many vegans do very well without supplementing at all, by taking their B12 in food form such as the nutritional yeast added to various recipes, etc. etc. So the quick answer is some supplement and some don't, but barring exceptions for age, climate, veganism or of course unconnected medical conditions, you should keep fit and healthy on a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. What are your favourite things to eat now you're vegetarian, Hannah? It's quite an adventure, isn't it! We look to hearing more from you. Best, Pat (Co-owner with Piers) > Hello group, I am new and my name is Hannah. I just recently became a > vegetarian and I am supplementing with vitamins. I am currently taking > half of a Women's One-A-Day (due to previous hypervitamintosis, I knowI > am not lacking in so much vitamins that I need an entire one), and I was > wondering if that is a recommended vitamin for vegetarians or is there > another kind specific to this type of diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 I'm a new vegan( was veg for 23 years) and I eat nutritional yeast by making a paste with it and eating it with a spoon. I just love it and have eaten it for about 28 years off and on. Patricia --- On Sun, 1/3/10, Pat / 'River' <drpatsant wrote: Pat / 'River' <drpatsant Re: Vitamins and vegetarianism - Hannah Sunday, January 3, 2010, 7:09 AM A balanced vegetarian diet (or any balanced diet, for that matter) should not require the person following it to take supplemental vitamins and/or minerals, at least imho and that of many experts' nsho The exceptions might reasonably be: Vitamin D through the winter months and in older people year round and Calcium (year round for those who can't get enough through their diet), but those exceptions are applicable to non-vegetarians too. What you might need eventually, should you go beyond ovo-lacto vegetarianism, is Vitamin B12 - for those who have been following a vegan diet for three years or more. Right now I am taking Vitamin D and Calcium because of age plus B12 because of longer-term veganism. However, many vegans do very well without supplementing at all, by taking their B12 in food form such as the nutritional yeast added to various recipes, etc. etc. So the quick answer is some supplement and some don't, but barring exceptions for age, climate, veganism or of course unconnected medical conditions, you should keep fit and healthy on a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. What are your favourite things to eat now you're vegetarian, Hannah? It's quite an adventure, isn't it! We look to hearing more from you. Best, Pat (Co-owner with Piers) > Hello group, I am new and my name is Hannah. I just recently became a > vegetarian and I am supplementing with vitamins. I am currently taking > half of a Women's One-A-Day (due to previous hypervitamintosis, I knowI > am not lacking in so much vitamins that I need an entire one), and I was > wondering if that is a recommended vitamin for vegetarians or is there > another kind specific to this type of diet? --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Well, I'm quite picky which I don't know will work in my favor or not. I love fruits (except grapefruit) and few veggies (carrots, corn, spinach, cucumber and lettuce). I like cheese, pastas and bread-- so lots of carbs! I am starting a healthier diet by reducing my carb intake and eating smaller more frequent meals and I will also exercise 2-3 times per week. It's hard to get motivated with the exercise b/c I have no one to walk with. The sweets and carbs are easy to give up. The caffeine I've been having a problem with, but I think giving up soda will benefit me greatly in the long run. Since I am so picky, I think that is one of the other reasons I started taking vitamins. > What are your favourite things to eat now you're vegetarian, Hannah? It's quite an adventure, isn't it! We look to hearing more from you. > > Best, > Pat (Co-owner with Piers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Even many people who are not vegan do need extra B12-vitamins. It's not uncommon for B12-deficit among older people, who often have a history of gastric atrophy, have had a gastric resection (and probably all who have made a gastric by pass-operation) and people with problems with the small intestine. For the body to be able to get enough B12 there is a need for an intrinsic factor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_factor and if you don't have it, you will get B12-deficit, regardless of your diet. /Helga Pat / 'River' wrote: > > > What you might need eventually, should you go beyond ovo-lacto > vegetarianism, is Vitamin B12 - for those who have been following a > vegan diet for three years or more. > > Best, > Pat (Co-owner with Piers) > > > -- My blog: http://ladynightowl.multiply.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Quite right. A medical condition might very well mean that certain supplements be taken, sometimes orally, sometimes by injection. That would be something that would pertain to people who are eating a non-vegetarian diet too. However, here we must assume that medical conditions such as those you mention do not exist, or we could never give any information or advice, right? :-) To get away from the B12 issue for a moment, allergies could also mean that certain foods cannot be eaten and that supplements might be needed, as with any diet, veg or not. So thanks for adding that. Although we don't give medical advice in this group, it is good to be reminded that not everyone is young, healthy and fit. Best, Pat , Helga <lady.nightowl wrote: > > Even many people who are not vegan do need extra B12-vitamins. It's not > uncommon for B12-deficit among older people, who often have a history of > gastric atrophy, have had a gastric resection (and probably all who have > made a gastric by pass-operation) and people with problems with the > small intestine. For the body to be able to get enough B12 there is a > need for an intrinsic factor > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_factor and if you don't have it, > you will get B12-deficit, regardless of your diet. > > /Helga > > Pat / 'River' wrote: > > > > > > What you might need eventually, should you go beyond ovo-lacto > > vegetarianism, is Vitamin B12 - for those who have been following a > > vegan diet for three years or more. > > > > Best, > > Pat (Co-owner with Piers) > > > > > > > > > -- > My blog: http://ladynightowl.multiply.com/ > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.