Do vegans have to take supplements?

Vegans need to suppleent their diet for, at least, vitamin B12. No plant maks B12. It's only found naturally in animal foods: meat, eggs, dairy products. Some vegans pretend eating "fortified" foods is not supplementing. They're wrong and dishonest to make that claim.

Here's a link to a VEGAN registered dietitian's recommendations of what vegans need to eat every day and/or pills they should consider taking. There are also links on that site to help you with other nutrients not readily available in the vegan diet. Take some time to read them.

Do you HAVE to? Of course not but that would be the WRONG decision. Vegans CANNOT get Vitamin B12 without supplementation OR eating fortified foods. Vegans DO NOT absorb calcium and iron very well because of digestibility issues. Those are the supplements I recommend, hope this helps!!

Wow, you got a lot of great answers already.

You don't HAVE to take a supplement. but i think everybody should take at least a multivitamin.

DEVA makes a good vegan muti. they have one that is sort of a minimalist multi and one that is more comprehensive. Dr. Furhman also has a good line of vegan supplements.

I've always been borderline anemic - so I take a multi with iron. My Doctor recommended to ME to take a lot of Vitamin D. So i do that. I add Omega 3 ALA to my diet with ground flax seed and I also take some EPA/DHA, too. I don' t need the calcium but I take a Tums before bed to prevent GERDs while I'm sleeping.

I've been monitoring my diet (trying to lose weight) with Cronometer, and I meet the mRDAs in almost every category almost every day.

"Do vegans have to take supplements?"

The only way a vegans who follow the strict vegetarian diet have to take any supplements is if they're not meeting all of their daily adequate intake requirements. Now before I go any further, I'll take a moment to clarify a couple pf things. First off, I AM NOT a nutritionist, medical dietitian, or even a medical professional. However I have spent many years, and read through (and I still do), a great deal of nutritional science material. I've done this on my own time. When it comes to nutrition, I don't take sides. Needless to say, this can, has, and will on many occasions, put me at odds with all dietary preferences. Now I'll go a bit more indepth, with my answer, But I can't cover all of the various nutrients in any depth. So I'll hit on a couple of them.

However it's very strongly recommended by nearly all vegetarian, and vegan groups that vegans take at minimum a vitamin B12 supplement. Anything beyond that though, is up to the person. However just meeting the adequate intake level with fortified foods, it's still very possible to come up short, on vitamin B12. The are a few reasons as to why. First the form most commonly used, is a synthetic form, and not all of the vitamin B12 is absorbed. Then what is absorbed has to go through a series of steps, to be used by the body. During each of those steps a little is lost.

Then there are also other co-factors, that are involved as well, and if a person ends up twenty five percent of what they started out with, over a period of they'll start to become low, or drop to subclinical levels, and even eventually become deficient in vitamin B12. However depending on the person, that can take years to happen. Among the water soluble vitamins vitamin B12 is somewhat unique, in that nutritional science, has found that the liver is able to store vitamin B12. But for some reason, not everyone's body is efficient enough, to be able store it in significant amounts. Also the body doesn't recover, or recycle one hundred percent of the vitamin B12, that's not used as efficiently as others do. That's done by the ileum, and then the vitamin B12 that's recovered, is then stored in the liver, along with the heart, kidneys, and pancreas.

Now although this knowledge is something that's come to light in more recent years, the long standing strong recommendation by various vegetarian and vegan groups to take at least a vitamin B12 supplement, is even more sound, than what many realize. A five hundred microgram tablet once a day should be enough to more than meet the adequate intake level, or thew daily recommended minim allowance. However now, and I'll say this bluntly as someone who eats meat, many who also eats meat, are coming up short as well. The main reason is that many have gone to eating more and more lean meats. This is especially true, with those who eat a lot of chicken breast. The lean meats while healthy,m however aren't that nutrient dense, when compared to the organ meats, such as the bone marrow, brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

Vitamin D, is perhaps the most common micronutrient, for people to either be at or below the recommended blood serum levels. Estimates range from eighty percent to ninety percent, with some more recent findings to as high as ninety five percent. Now while it's true our body's can produce it, by getting the proper amount of exposure to the sun, very few actually do. Those who spend enough time in the sun however aren't guaranteed even to have their body produce enough. Age, weight, skin pigmentation, among other various factors, plays a role in just how well our body will make it.

However there are also number other nutrients, that can be difficult to get, whether vegetarian, vegan, or with a diet that also includes some type of meat. The number or overall percentage of people, who are either at, or are below the subclinical levels for one or more nutrients, and this is for the modern developed first world nations, is very high. It's estimated that ninety nine percent or higher, are either at, or below at least one or more of the nutrients, especially at the micronutrient levels. So it's NOT just a vegetarian, and/or vegan issue. Some I had STRONGLY suspected, many were low in, but not at nearly the levels that are being found. Some of that though, has come in more recent years, due largely in part to many pushing either a low or no fat diet. The reason is that three of the four biggest vitamins for being at or below subclinical levels are in the fat soluble vitamins. The fourth one though, there is no current way to properly assay for. However it's become more recently, a homologue, or sub-type of the vitamin K isomer, vitamin K2.

Now myself and a vegan, have suggested taking a good quality supplement, as a cheap form of insurance to help guard against shortfalls in the diet. However I suggest adding a couple of other micronutrients. First is vitamin K2, and in the specific form of vitamin K2-MK7. The vitamin K2 isomers, has become of more increased interest, in more recent years. Of the fat soluble vitamins, it's unique, in that the body doesn't store it very well, or in any amount of significance. Vitamin K1, is stored primarily in the liver, and is used mainly for proper blood coagulation. Very little if any is detected in the blood within a few hours. I usually encourage adding a supplemental vitamin K2. The reason is that vitamin K2, plays an important role with vitamin D, and magnesium, in helping to regulate where the calcium is, and isn't deposited. We both tend to agree, on adding an omega three DHA, and EPA supplement, although neither one of the two, are currently listed as either essential, or as being even conditionally essential.

The other one I suggest adding, and at least three hundred milligrams, is choline, which is also sometimes referred to as vitamin B4. I suspected that vegetarians, and vegans were at risk of being low, or subclinical levels. Yet I was shocked at the number, or percentage of the population, that is at or below the subclinical levels. It's nearly up there with vitamin D, and vitamin E. Both of which are at or near the ninety percent range, of the population. Now I'll give the full list list of the top micronutrients, that people are at, or below the subclinical levels.

Vitamin A (the retinol form)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B4 or choline
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B9 or folate/folic acid
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D3
Vitamin E
Phosphorus
Potassium
Selenium
Zinc

Now what I've gone over, just barely even begins to make a start at covering things. I'm not some guru, or expert on nutrition, nor will I profess to such. I'd also be very inclined to laugh heartily at such a suggestion. My reason though is simple. The more I know, the more that I know I don't know. Also what was, and is taught in school, is JUST BARELY a starting point, where nutrition is concerned.

Edit point:

No commercially made bread, that I know of, is fortified with vitamin B12, I've looked at the labels, enough times. Also many cereals are fortified with vitamin B12, but not all cereals are. For example Cream of Wheat, Coco Wheat, grits, and many of the bulk packaged oatmeal brands, such as Quaker Oats, aren't fortified with it.

yes its true..there is NO plant source of B12. For some folks, iron and Vitamin d can also be difficult to get.
If you happen to eat a lot of vegan foods that have been fortified(and there are quite a few) you probably won't have to supplement but a good daily multi vitamin isn't a bad idea.

I take some B12 every day

No, you don't have to but it can be beneficial to. B12 is the main supplement.

Nope, although that'd be easier. You can get everything you need from the food that you eat.

Including B12, which you can find in fortified grain products. Like bread. Or in a box of cereal (I eat raisin bran, but virtually every other box of cereal has it) But people who aren't vegan are going to totally and conveniently forget that, because they've never even tried before. Or they do know (because this question is asked a lot) and they want to convince you not to for some reason

Buuut, popping a supplement is easier if you eat a lot of crap like I do. And it's cheap.

If you don't eat a lot at first, that's fine, B12 anemia doesn't occur until after a few months of NO intake. Your body stores a lot of B12 and it takes a long time to use all of it up.

I still consume milk products, though it is something I would like to move from.
It is "said" that B12 is within animal and milk products and that without it, your nerves will degenerate in some distant time.
All that is ever "said" usually has something more to it.
but anyway, it seems one or the only thing that is known to also contain B12 is Seaweed.
Even if you took B12 "supplements", they would be from animals.
Move to the ocean and research edible seaweed.
I have read and watched videos of people claiming that "most" if not all of seaweed that is attached close to shore is edible but, anything that washes up could be from deep sea seaweed, which could be poisonous.
Still, there are wild edible books.
I have one that mentions some but I would have to find it. I will check this later to see if you are interested and tomorrow I will find the book that I have and let you know.
Other than that, just drink water and maintain a calorie intake with healthy foods which satisfies your weight (for the time - more to be said about that).
Also, supposedly dairy has a lot of calcium.
I am not an expert on calcium so, a quick search shows me kale, sweet potatoes, collards
and I am sure there are many more.

Good luck!

yummy that fried chicken.

since your a vegan.

make sure you avoid dairy

eggs=baby checken

milk=cows need it to feed their babies

anything made out of milk.

tthats waht i call a vegan. if you eat eggs and drink milk but dont eat meat, your technically not a vegan.

Cholesterol in small amounts is essential for humans...it only comes from meat, eggs, and dairy. Some kinds of proteins can only be obtained from meats and animal products like milk and eggs. I think vegans can survive without supplements, but it wouldn't be easy or cheap obtaining all the essential nutrients.

no

You know you want some sausage ;)