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vegan health

Jimmy the Gun

Jimmy the Gun

Bluelighter
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Oct 2, 2001
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the salty lake
from my reading, vegans need to supplement-
-omega-3 fatty acids (flax seed is the best vegan source of this)
-DHA (a fatty acid that the body can not synth on its own) (unfortunately, this only comes in gelatin caps :()
-calcium
-vitamin D
-vitamin B 12

as always, eat lots of whole foods and colorful/tasty/fragrant food for vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals

does anyone have anything to add?

peace :)
 
True, but your level of activity also dictates your carb and fat needs...I don't really know much about the protein needs of body builders ;)

A normal, active vegan who eats a variety of foods (including nuts, whole grains, and legumes), doesn't need to worry about protein.
 
protein is not a problem, really
look for cases of protein deficiencies on the web and you'll be surprised to see how such a myth can be born of virtually no cases

there is of course less protein in a vegan diet than in an omnivorous one
but an omnivorous diet is much richer in protein than needed
americans eat on average 4 times more protein than needed
so that leaves vegans with just what they need (or even a surplus)

vit B12 is the only necessary nutrient that you can't get through a vegan diet if you live in a city
(vit B12 can be found in the dirt on the surface of unwashed vegetables if you live in the country)
it is the only supplement that is strongly recommended by all serious vegan "associations"

vit D is synthesized by exposure to the sun
so supplements are not necessary
an average of 15 minutes a day (face and arms) is enough for a white skinned person and 45 minutes for a black skinned person
if you get enough exposure during the summer, you won't suffer from the lack of exposure during the cloudy months

here's a link about omega-3 fatty acids and DHA's
i never worried about them and seem just fine
 
-Most americans don't have a good balance of omega-3 to omega-6. The average vegan's balance is even worse. Green vegetables, flax seed/oil, and hemp seed/oil are good ways for anyone to fix their balance.

-I was under the impression that the only source of DHA is microalge. Are you saying that the body synthesizes DHA on its own? I can't tell from my readings.

-Their are numerous studies which suggest that vegans have lower bone densities than non-vegans. It is recomended that vegans drink and eat fortified foods/beverages, take supplements, or eat TONS of spinach, broccoli, and kale.

-Vegan, you are right about D, but only if you live where it is sunny. If you don't, you need a D supplement.

-B-12 is synthesized by bacteria, and simply not washing vegetables doesn't provide adequate levels of B-12. It needs to be supplemented.

I got most of this information from, "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.
Thanks for the info Vegan.

peace
 
i would recommend some kind of algae or cereal grass juice. they have all the vitamins, phytonutrients, fatty acids, and high levels of easily assimilated protein. kelp is also really important (not just for vegans) because it has a full spectrum of minerals. thousands of years of agriculture has stripped our soil of minerals that are crucial to good health, so now the only way to get them is from sea vegetables. kelp being the most mineral rich one.
 
maine coast is my favorite brand. you can find them in most health food stores or order in bulk off their website. you can also buy kelp tablets at health food and supplement stores or online. i prefer to just eat it though, it's more vital that way and the taste is excellent.
 
Buy "Becoming Vegan" and read it to learn the nuances of eating a diet that provides all the different stuff your body needs. Useful whether you are a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore.

~psychoblast~
 
If there is an oriental grocery store anywhere near you, they will have a variety of seaweed/kelp products. I like the dried seaweed wafers. They taste like something somewhere between brussels sprouts and spinach to me.
 
I've read "Becoming Vegan". Its a great book, helped changed the way I eat :)

I'm still looking into kelp and other green foods, i'll keep ya'll informed.
 
the first say, year, that i was a vegan, i was too lazy to really watch my vitamin/protein/etc intake and i always felt really weak and would pass out if i stood up too quickly. bad.
 
Just with the protein thing it's a good idea to be aware of food combining. Grains, beans, lentils ect are not complete proteins within themselves (ie. they dont contain all the 8/10 essential amino acids as a singular food) but if you combine them with each other, say rice and lentils, then you're pretty much getting a complete protein.

But i'm sure you probably already eat like that anyways :)
 
This is somewhat misleading.
Firstly, all plant proteins contain all 8 of these amino acids, albiet in different proportions. For your body to synthesize protein with any efficiency, though, you need to consume these 8 amino acids in the proper proportions. Now, although you should eat from a variety of protein sources, you needent combine protein in every meal...you should just eat a variety throughout the day.

ebola
 
yea, it is no longer medically true that you need to combine foods in order to get a complete protein. i would like to know when this myth/theory was disspelled, and how it even started.
about DHA--i have never seen that be a required nutrient or hormone from any side of the diet spectrum, i.e the omnivore diet or vegen diet. I've never heard of DHA deficiency either.

on the note of proteins, i am amazed that the nutrients/registered dieticians i've talked to are not aware of how the raw foodist diet works. raw foodists eat nothing that is based on its protein amount for the sake of getting protein. they eat raw food rich in amino acids, which all fruits and vegetables are, because amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and that's their main source of protein and it works fine. These nutrionists think that you can only get protein if the food of choice contains a high level of protein, disregarding the amino acid level in the food,and that is totally untrue.
 
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