Are vitamins necessary?

[js864]

http://www.vitacost.com/NewChapterONLYONE
That'd be about 100 dollars a year for a daily, veggie-friendly, organic whole food multivitamin.
http://www.vitacost.com/NewChapterBerryGreen-360g
http://www.vitacost.com/NewChapterCertifiedPValueBreathe
and those contain more of the nutrients we supposedly greatly benefit from that the multivitamin and our daily diets cannot provide.

That adds up to a hefty grocery bill. :think:
Is it worth it? or can I get all of this out of the foods I eat, without driving myself crazy, instead of swallowing it all in a little capsule?
Please post your opinions, thoughts on whole food vitamins and any advice you can offer on how to get these nutrients out of your diet without the support of pills.

[Quincy]

I printed out a list that shows all of the ways that vegans can get the necessary nutrients, without supplements. A lot of people tell me that I should be taking them, but I really don't want to. I used to take a multivitamin a few years ago, but even after I had it with food, it gave me an upset stomach.

I'm trying to eat a lot better and get all of the recommended nutrients and vitamins through a healthy diet.

[Medesha]

You can get all the nutrients you need through food with hardly any planning if you're a lacto-ovo vegetarian. If you're vegan, it's a little trickier (like pairing nonheme iron-rich foods with vitamin C rich foods, and worrying about B12), but with fortified cereals and fortified soymilk, it's really not that hard. A lot of long-term veggies I know don't take vitamin supplements, and they're perfectly healthy.

[wildflower]

i would say unless you can get ALL your vitamins and minerals from food, then yeah.

i take a multi-vitamin. no side effects. its good for some things, like its got 100% iron in it, so i dont get iron-defficient, and its got 50% B12, so i dont have to worry my head off, trying to find food with B12 in it (also, and this is quite handy, my soy margarine has like 60% B12 in it, or something)

:)

so yeah, i think they are useful. BUT, if you prefer not to take them and have time and effort to run about looking for all the different foods you should eat to get all your vitamins, then go for it :)

[js864]

I am a lacto-ovo veggie, so getting my B's isn't too much of a concern. I'd rather be vegan, but that doesn't seem like such a practical or realistic option while I'm still in high school.

I would love to use the New Chapter Organics whole foods supplements, but that would be such a big expense. If I bought them to take a tablet every day, it would work out to $210 per year. If only.

Does anyone know if things like One a Day are good for you, or are they just loading a bunch of garbage into your system?

[VegWithEdge]

As a lacto-ovo vegetarian who rarely eats dairy, i think i do pretty well on my nutrients. most days i eat very balanced and i always take a multi-vitamin. My doctor says hes a vegetarian (he eats fish and chicken) and said that Centrum A-Z is a good multi vitamin so thats what i take.

[js864]

As a lacto-ovo vegetarian who rarely eats dairy, i think i do pretty well on my nutrients. most days i eat very balanced and i always take a multi-vitamin. My doctor says hes a vegetarian (he eats fish and chicken) and said that Centrum A-Z is a good multi vitamin so thats what i take.

How do you do it? without milk. Can you give me an example daily menu? I'd love to be able to get enough calcium and protein without the milk.

[wildflower]

you can get protein from loooads of stuff, like nuts, peanut butter, humous etc. and you can get calcium from green leafy veg, like spinach & so on :)

[rawgirl]

I don't take a multi, but I take other supplements (probiotics, enzymes, blue green algae, and B12). I probably spend about $500 per year at least on supplements. $210 per year really isn't that bad if you think about it. It's only about $17 per month or $0.58 per day. Ultimately though it's up to you to decide if you feel you need a multi.

[js864]

I don't take a multi, but I take other supplements (probiotics, enzymes, blue green algae, and B12). I probably spend about $500 per year at least on supplements. $210 per year really isn't that bad if you think about it. It's only about $17 per month or $0.58 per day. Ultimately though it's up to you to decide if you feel you need a multi.

Do you get your vitamins from this company?

[rawgirl]

The stuff I take is the trademark brand of Hippocrates Health Institute, where I work. I would recommend their stuff except that it's not in health food stores yet. The plan is for it to be available in health food stores in the future. But of the stuff that's in health food stores, that's the best brand in my opinion. We also sell some of that line at Hippocrates.

[Medesha]

How do you do it? without milk. Can you give me an example daily menu? I'd love to be able to get enough calcium and protein without the milk.

Fortified soymilk, tofu, and kale are all great sources of calcium. Protein is in everything.

[Gita]

Yes you can get most of your water soluable (essential) vitamins through food as long as you get a mix of different colored vegies-- oil soluable vits are stored in your body for quite a while. Minerals as well come in essential and unessential. All you need is a simple inexpensive multivitamin, and as an OLV if you are in good physical condition and get a good mix of food, you really might not even need that. It is really a good idea to do some advance study into vitamins, and your nutritional needs. I know if I was younger I would have gone into it as a carrier in a heartbeat.

[DelicGrape]

Yes...even when you are not vegetarian you should be taking a vitamin.

[Quincy]

Yes...even when you are not vegetarian you should be taking a vitamin.

how come?

I think a well-balanced diet; getting nutrients and vitamins the natural way, is the only way to go!

I don't think that EVERYONE out there needs to be taking vitamins...

[wildflower]

maybe most people do, because most people have horrendous diets.

i personally feel better taking one..but i definitely dont spend loads of money on them! my mum bought me the last bottle i had, which was a big one, had 60 tabs in it, so lasted me 2 months. but i sometimes forget to take it..so lasts nearly 3 months.

when they ran out, my local health food store was having a sale, and i got the normal size bottle with 30 tabs for half the price :) cheap enough i think.

[organica]

Does anyone know if things like One a Day are good for you, or are they just loading a bunch of garbage into your system?

The latter. These cheapo brands are usually loaded w/ fillers, artificial colours, & low levels/poorly assimilated forms of nutrients.
My nutritionist & naturopath say everyone living a modern, stressful life should be taking vitamins & other supplements.

[Quincy]

I like to go natural and try to get what I need without vitamins. I just don't like putting pills/crap into my body. That probably explains why I don't take any pain killers or anything, unless I'm in extreme pain or it was prescribed.

however, I can vouch for the fact that many Americans have awful diets! *sigh*

[veggie_chilli]

I like to go natural and try to get what I need without vitamins. I just don't like putting pills/crap into my body. That probably explains why I don't take any pain killers or anything, unless I'm in extreme pain or it was prescribed.

I'm with you on that one. I hate the thought of having to take pills to get all my vitamins and I'm glad to say that I've never had to take pills. I eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruit and veg. I hate ready meals, so I prepare nearly everything from scratch. I think that as long as you're eating a well-balanced diet with lots of different foods, you won't need to take supplements. As for B12 I'm a lacto-ova vegetarian but I don't eat that much eggs or dairy and I've never had a problem getting B12.

[animallover7249]

I only take a special vitamin because I am anemic and have iron problems...I know many vegetarians that do not take vitamins. As long as you get a balanced diet you should be ok but vitamins are just extra help. Plug in your foods at www.fitday.com to make sure you get everything