Vegans

[Charlotte]

Should vegans take supplements? If so which? 

 

 

(Apologies for my bombardment of Q's lately #sorrynotsorry) 

[Paulus Amadeus]

depends on what you eat ofcourse. I think it is very much possible to be vegan and not supplement. But I would say just listen to your body. I have been going largely vegan lately and I have not been supplementing nor have I been planning the amount of protein I take in etc. Just been listening to my body and it's been going great. Feeling lighter and more energetic than ever. Did loose some weight but I've also cut out a lot of carbs so that makes sense I guess

[Michael569]

B12 (mandatory) is absolutely essential. 500mcg per day of cyanocobalamin (not methylcobalamin). Or 1000 mcg ever other day. I use Solgar brand they are on UK amazon and have a sublingual (under tongue) 1000mcg product. which I take every other day. The problem is that it takes years for deficiencies to show up as the liver has massive stores of it but once you get deficient.... that messes up your central nervous system pretty bad...I do hope that every vegan has a source of B12. 

Vitamin D3 (quite important) - depending on how often do you get on sunshine, 2000 i.u (international units). Perhaps not as necessary these days with a lot of sun but quite important in days when you don't get out. Make sure to eat it with a source of fat (very little is needed, perhaps like 1 walnut) or oil as vit D is fat soluble.  

Omega 3 (optional) - this depends on if you already have other source such as flaxseeds or chia seeds (1tbsp a day is fine). if you do, there is probably no need to although Dr Greger recommends adding a long-chain Omega 3 such as Algae oil around 250mg of DHA (have a look at the original from nutritionfacts.org video to be sure).

Everything else you can get from food. And it would pretty much depend if you have any ongoing condition or malnutrition or damaged gut and malabsorbtion. Turmeric is not a bad one to take in as it is an extraordinary herb. 1/4 of teaspoon along with 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper (helps with turmeric absorbtion) mixed in water once a day is not a bad idea. 

 

[Charlotte]

@Paulus Amadeus If it's working for you then fair enough! I'm just a little weary about what's going on inside and me completely unaware of it until years later. 

@Michael569 Yeah I think I'll definitely get some VIT D as I live in an area which doesn't get a lot of sunshine ?. I'll also get some B12 as you mentioned. I've just started with the chai seeds again so the omega intake will be okay for now but I'll definitely look into the link you've posted thank you. Pretty sure I have some turmeric powder in the cupboard also. 

 

Thanks so much @Michael569 you little genius you...

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Charlotte said:

@Michael569 Yeah I think I'll definitely get some VIT D as I live in an area which doesn't get a lot of sunshine ?. I'll also get some B12 as you mentioned. I've just started with the chai seeds again so the omega intake will be okay for now but I'll definitely look into the link you've posted thank you. Pretty sure I have some turmeric powder in the cupboard also. 

 

good stuff, Vit D is really easy to accumulate even if you are slightly deficient but B12 is really tough once it gets too low. People who are deficient often end up getting injections that don't do shit. The massive doses are because we only absorb less than 1% of it and since B-vits are water soluable the rest 99% goes down the toilet. I think there are also some highly absorbable ones but they are freakishly expensive and hard to tell if they work at all.

Cool, Omega 3 is super important for proper brain function, make sure you get it daily. 

[Charlotte]

@Michael569 Thankful ?

Out of interest Michael where did you gain all of your knowledge?  I learn so much from you and plutes ?

 

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Charlotte said:

Out of interest Michael where did you gain all of your knowledge?  I learn so much from you and plutes ?

 

aww thanks  I've signed up for a naturopathic course last year, 2 more years to go (learned a lot about anatomy there) everything else regarding nutrition pretty much by listening to experts on youtube, and from books

[pluto]

Hemp seeds convert much better than flax/chia. 30grams a day of hemp seeds = optimal daily requirements. (Ahiflower) is the best vegan supplement currently for omegas for supplementation if you're on the Go due to SDA which is 10x higher than Hemp and no SDA/GLA in flax or chia. Ahiflower oil is estimated to be 400% more conversion than flax seed oil.

Another reason why hemp is superior is highest source of magnesium which greatly helps absorption and multiple times vitamin/mineral nutrient density than flax/chia. I use hemp seed daily and ahiflower when traveling.

(B-12) circulates indefinitely IMO with healthy gut flora/bacteria and especially if you consume organic produce often and aren't afraid of a little dirt you shouldn't have issues or if you consume sea vegetables/algae often. Some fermented vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes also have abundant B-12.

Shilajit and Moringa and Aloe Vera also known to contain B-12.

Multiple studies show meat eaters and those who eat more processed foods are actually more deficient in B-12. It all depends on your gut/bacteria and how efficiently the body circulates. Some need to supplement, some don't.

Probiotics are life savers these days, yogurt, fermented veggies/soy ect..

Listen to your body, research the signs.

 

Edited April 27, 2018 by pluto

[Nathan]

What symptoms/warning signs are associated with these kinda vitamin deficiencies? I don't pay any regard to proper nutrition and have been vegan for a while 

[Charlotte]

@pluto @Shiva @Outer  apologies for my late reply I didn't get a notification. 

All information noted and appreciated. 

Cheers ears ♥️

[Michael569]

@Nathan B12 deficiency ranges from early to late stage symptoms

Early stage: tingling in extremities, twitching in muscles, increased irritation, sore / shiny red tongue, mild anxiety
Late stage: vision problems even loss, a lot of spontaneous movement, cognitive decline, loss of coordination. 

Some theories attribute it even to diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis that basically stem from destruction of central nervous system pathway from brain through spinal cord

[pluto]

What i find funny is that we never had to supplement when we ate meat and animal products or less health conscious approach/processed foods but when we decided to consume more whole foods, higher plant-based with significantly higher absorption/compatibility or more efficient delivery of nutrients we are told we need to supplement.

Cheeky Cheeky

Edited May 3, 2018 by pluto

[Michael569]

@pluto I'd say it also comes down to people being on standard diet knowing absolutely nothing about nutrition and often being defficient even on most common nutrients such as Vitamin C, A, Magnesium, Zinc etc..What we strive for is  first of all, make sure we are not deficient in anything but second also to thrive on this lifestyle... I wouldnt't say that people being on standard meat diet thrive...they may not be sick or anything but their bodies are not healthy...it is just not possible when someone eats rotten carcass...you only need to look in these people's eyes sometimes...red,  discoloured, full of broken veins and tiny bleeding capillaries. .

I agree with the argument that you can get all you nutrients in as long as you get out on sun but since we do not eat bugs and raw picked plants most of times, B12 being microbial poop can be difficult to get unless the person would have a garden and natural spring water somewhere next to them. Of course there are fortified foods like tempeh but they are not as rich of a source and we'd need them daily. 

So a small "cheat" in form of supplement is a nice workaround. 

[pluto]

Well said Michael

[Soulbass]

@Michael569 Why cyanocobalamin and not methylcobalamin ? What's the main difference ? Is Solgar the best option ? Do you know brewer's yeast ?

Edited May 4, 2018 by Soulbass

[Michael569]

@Soulbass to be honest, I am just following what Dr Greger recommends on this one. Most B12 studies were made on cyanocobalamin and the few on methylocobalamin show that it is quite unstable and has bad shelf life. But I don't really know for sure, perhaps both are ok  Solgar is the one I picked as they have good reputation here in UK and are easily accessible. They also had sublingual caps and at the amount I was looking for. 

I've never looked into Brewer's yeast, only in nutritional yeast. Both are very bad for people with chronic inflammatory bowel disease such as chron's or UC. I've tried once making sauce with brewer's yeast and got really nasty smelly discusting burps and weird stomach feeling, since then haven't tried it again. 

[Garuda]

vit b12  (methyl)

cheap a-z multivit and minerals

Vit D (if necessary)

All of that above should cost <30 cents a day

Sort out your diet and then Take a blood test to see if you are low in anything and supplement that.

and If you want Omega 3 EPA and DHA you can get it form Plant based algae but it is a bit pricey,

 

[Charlotte]

@Garuda ?♥️

[Girzo]

I supplement my mostly-vegan diet with meat. No joke. 

I get about 10-20% of my calories from meat. Just like monkeys do.

It's convinient.