Nutrition & Diet What supplements do you take?

[Scorpius]

my guess would be that some things you consume have b12 in, like non-dairy milks.

Nope, I don't drink that much soy (or rice of almond) milk at all. The only things I can think of that may have added B-12 are fortified cereals or Luna Bars, but it's not like I eat a box of cereal and 12 Luna bars a day. I'm not that bad of a vegan.

 

[Digger]

Do get the Vitamin D looked after quickly, Scorpius. You are quite deficient and believe me, you don't want to mess around with that.

 

[Dropkick]

I take a multivitamin along with my parents. They take a glucosimin tablet along with me. I also take a B12 with my Mom.
We take them every day after dinner along with their other pills.

 

[CrazyCatLady]

So many multivitamins to choose from. Trying to decide which ones before I get some this weekend :-S xxx

 

[Lord Snot]

I take a B12 when I'm remember, but I'm not very good at it.

 

[Nightshade]

I take a vegan multi-vitamin which specifically excludes folic acid, B12, Deva Omega 3 DHA/EPA and I should be taking an additional D2 supplement but I'm lazy about that.

 

[PTree15]

I take a vegan B12 supplement.

 

[silva]

I take a vegan multi-vitamin which specifically excludes folic acid, B12, Deva Omega 3 DHA/EPA and I should be taking an additional D2 supplement but I'm lazy about that.

Check this multi calcium, magnesium, and D2 by Deva:
http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vi...351353319&sr=8-7&keywords=deva+vitamins+vegan
I'm sold on needing extra calcium, as osteoporosis is in my family. These are 3/4 inch long, 1/4 inch wide, and smooth-easy to swallow. I take one, three times daily.

Did you mean excludes folic acid? Why?

 

[RabbitLuvr]

I've resumed taking my daily B12, have finished my prescription of B6. (I had to stop the B12 for awhile due to the sugar content.)

I found half a bottle of B-complex in the cabinet, so I'm taking one of those with lunch, along with my vegan multi- and 3x D2 tablets.

 

[RumblePurr]

I take B12 and a multivitamin.

 

[CrazyCatLady]

How did everyone decide what to take? Did u ask your doctor? Did u go to a shop like Holland and Barrats and ask? Or did u just search online then trial and error? Xxx

 

[Calliegirl]

How did everyone decide what to take? Did u ask your doctor? Did u go to a shop like Holland and Barrats and ask? Or did u just search online then trial and error? Xxx

I have a B12 deficiency, not diet related, just can't absorb it. It was diagnosed by a doctor, so I have to take a supplement. I don't take anything else. I figure I eat enough healthy food to get everything else I need.

 

[Nightshade]

Check this multi calcium, magnesium, and D2 by Deva:
http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Vegan-Vitamins-Calcium-Magnesium/dp/B001GAOI06/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1351353319&sr=8-7&keywords=deva vitamins vegan
I'm sold on needing extra calcium, as osteoporosis is in my family. These are 3/4 inch long, 1/4 inch wide, and smooth-easy to swallow. I take one, three times daily.

Did you mean excludes folic acid? Why?

I meant excluded. Folic acid is a synthetic substance that's been linked to several kinds of cancers as well as respiratory problems in children. It's a legacy of animal testing whereby scientists believed that, since mice can convert synthetic vitamins into the real thing because of a specific enzyme they have, humans could do the same thing because we also have that enzyme. Too bad their testing didn't show that we don't have it in large enough quantities to do that conversion. People are better off not taking anything with folic acid in it and getting real folate from beans and greens. This is a good explanation of why it's harmful: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-folic-acid-be-harmful/

I take this instead.

 

[CrazyCatLady]

Just bought my first box of tablets. I got seven seas multi vit plus minerals for veg*ns. H&B had a penny sale on but unfortunately these weren't included :-(
429% of vitamin B6 seems a bit excessive!! Anyone know the reason behind this? Xxx

 

[Lord Snot]

Just bought my first box of tablets. I got seven seas multi vit plus minerals for veg*ns. H&B had a penny sale on but unfortunately these weren't included :-(
429% of vitamin B6 seems a bit excessive!! Anyone know the reason behind this? Xxx

When you put vitamins in tablet form like that, we don't absorb them as well as if we got them directly from food. So if they put in way more than you actually need, you're more likely to get your full requirement for the day

 

[CrazyCatLady]

When you put vitamins in tablet form like that, we don't absorb them as well as if we got them directly from food. So if they put in way more than you actually need, you're more likely to get your full requirement for the day

An I see.
I also noted there's not 100% calcium in there. Is there a reason for this other than it should be easy enough to access elsewhere?

Just need to find me some omega 3...as I do think I'll be good enough to make sure I get that. Not sure about this whole iodine thing either...not too much, not too little. Jesus! Never cared this much when I was omni! Xxx

 

[SummerRain]

How did everyone decide what to take? Did u ask your doctor? Did u go to a shop like Holland and Barrats and ask? Or did u just search online then trial and error? Xxx

An I see.
I also noted there's not 100% calcium in there. Is there a reason for this other than it should be easy enough to access elsewhere?

Just need to find me some omega 3...as I do think I'll be good enough to make sure I get that. Not sure about this whole iodine thing either...not too much, not too little. Jesus! Never cared this much when I was omni! Xxx

Hey CrazyCatLady... I first just took random multivitamins, naively thinking that being a vegan I should "make sure" I get enough vitamins. Recently I had a look at the vegansociety website, and read their book Plant Based Nutrition and Health which I found really good at giving practical, understandable, and clear advice. It can be really confusing, especially as the potential problem areas in a vegan and non-vegan diet are quite different. I also looked at the advice the NHS gives.

The book in particular I think is very clear and easy to understand, and gives the right amount of information. Omega fats it says "it is important to consume adequate amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturates. White it is difficult not to get enough omega-6 on a plant based diet, it is easy to get too much omega-6 relative to omega-3. Replacing high omega-6 oils such as sunflower, soya, safflower and corn oil with oils rich in monounsaturates such as olive oil and rapeseed (canola) oil is the most important step to avoiding excess omega-6 consumption."

I found this really interesting, as I cook myself I think I have probably made quite a big change in switching from cooking with sunflower oil to canola.

Personally, from the info I've read (and I'm no expect... I posted a couple of articles further back in this thread) it seems to me best to get nutrition from diet where possible, and to take as few vitamin supplements as possible. I take the vegan-societies veg1 vitamin designed for vegans at the moment, because I know they designed it for vegans based on research, and I guess I trust the vegan society. Certainly it seems vitamin B12 and D it is best to take vitamins for, but the others I'd try not to take if I wasn't recommended to take them by a doctor or anything.