5 ms·

Vegans of HN: What do you supplement and why? Personally, I supplement VitaminD3 and Iron. And I make sure to eat salad, carrots and avocado every day. I cam

by mg 4y ago

Vegans of HN: What do you supplement and why? Personally, I supplement VitaminD3 and Iron. And I make sure to eat salad, carrots and avocado every day. I came up with this regime after getting my blood work done and after exactly tracking all my nutritional values for a while and comparing those to the suggested amounts. I also have a long running project in the "statistics of one" space, where I track a lot of treatment effect correlations: https://www.gibney.org/a_syntax_for_self-tracking https://www.gibney.org/a_syntax_for_self-tracking 27,899 entries in my log so far. From all supplements I a/b tested, Vitamin D3 and Iron look most promising at the moment.

jiggywiggy 4y ago
Please also check you b vitamins and B12. They are very hard to get and had some friends being defficient without knowing it. Most of the plant based fake meats put it in, so that saves most people. But they were health oriented and also didn't eat those.
hamax 4y ago
Just B12 and sometimes D3 and omega (I'm really bad at remembering it). I eat enough tofu to get all the iron I need as a man :) Recently I've been tracking proteins more closely but reaching recommended levels has never been an issue.
roebk 4y ago
B12, Omega 3 with both (DHA and EPA), and vitamin D during the winter months. I had some blood work done after 2 years of being vegan, largely to ensure my dietary shift hadn't caused any problems. This tested everything from cholesterol (lipid profile), iron profile, testosterone, B9 & 12, liver function, CRP and more. All markers we're either in the optimal or normal ranges. I eat reasonably well (I'm not perfect) and I try to keep processed foods - including fake meats - down to a minimum
nor-and-or-not 4y ago
B12 and Iron, depending on my levels of exercise also Magnesium.
iamapassenger 4y ago
definitely B12. D3 because I live in Estonia and there is not enough sun all year. I get blood work done once per year, so far all good.
rane 4y ago
Have you researched if choline supplementation is necessary?
eulgro 4y ago
None, but I'm only vegetarian. I get nearly all required B12 from dairy and eggs. For some reason I get >500% the daily suggested amount of iron. I'm pretty low on Vitamin D (~20%), I figured the worst case scenario is I get some mild depression during winter so no supplements either.
iyn 4y ago
B12 is the most important one. I've started getting some strange "tingling" in my arms a while ago, went to the neurologist, got a prescription for a higher dosage B12 and it went away. I was supplementing B12 already, but it wasn't regular. Some other supplements: - D3 (complemented with a "SAD Lamp" [0] in winter, can recommend) - Omega 3-6-9 - Magnesium + B6 (helps reduce cramps during/after heavy training sessions) - Vitamin C + Zinc when feeling that my immune system needs a boost (after traveling/flights) https://examine.com/ https://examine.com/ is useful to get a quick look at the aggregated/summarized research for supplements. [0] Random link with some explanation: https://psychcentral.com/reviews/sad-lamp https://psychcentral.com/reviews/sad-lamp
benjimouse 4y ago
B12 and B6 for vegan me. As I'm male, and live somewhere sunny, I think iron and d3 are less of an issue. B6 has been linked to anxiety, so it's mainly an experiment to see if it helps.
opan 4y ago
I thought D3 was the non-vegan one and D2 was vegan. edit: Double-checked, D2 is always vegan, D3 can be vegan but isn't always. My almond milk has some vitamin D, and I have nooch fairly often which is very full of B12. I don't take any pills/gummies currently.
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  Had never heard of or seen Nooch before. Going to try that. Great shout.
rosetremiere 4y ago
I'm taking the VEG 1 supplements (https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements) as I believe they essentially cover everything I need to worry about on that front (I hope it does).
watchdogtimer 4y ago
I'm a 58 year old male, and have consumed a vegan diet for almost 40 years now. I take a women's daily multivitamin, primarily for the iron. I also take a calcium-magnesium-zinc tablet, as the multivitamin is relatively low in calcium.
danielbln 4y ago
B12, Magnesium, multi-vit, Omega3 (from algae), D3. I'm pescatarian (although rarely, mostly vegetarian).
ornornor 4y ago
I supplement D (because lots of people are deficient, vegan or not), B12, and K (helps with B12 or D absorption, forgot which) For iron, I’d suggest switching to cast iron or carbon steel pans. They transfer iron to anything you cook in them and you absorb it. Works the same way as these little iron fishes to drop in the stew some ONGs gave (give?) to third world populations that are having iron deficiencies from not being able to afford or find a proper diet.
- selimthegrim 4y ago
  Those iron fishes are not actually terribly effective.
  - ornornor 4y ago
    Maybe if used once rather than for every meal. In any case, cooking every lunch and dinner on cast iron or high carbon steel pans solves the iron deficiency for us. Ask an MD to see if it’s an avenue for you too because the iron supplement pills or IVs are made out of animal blood afaik which kinda defeat the purpose of not killing animals.
bjoli 4y ago
There are enough people becoming b12 deficient on a diet that actually contains b12. Take a b12 supplement. Don't risk it. Fortified products are not enough. Deficiency can take years to develop. Personally I take a vegan supplement that contains b12, iron, d3 and zink. I also eat algae oil for the omega3. I also make sure to use fortified soy milk. I have personally found zink to be the hardest nutrient to get enough of, at least since I got kids and started cooking more kid-friendly food. I never had issues before starting to supplement iron despite giving blood, so I don't think it is a problematic nutrient for me. Every day I eat more than twice the RDI, but of course non-heme and together with the regular absorption inhibitors.

by mg 4y ago

jiggywiggy 4y ago

Please also check you b vitamins and B12. They are very hard to get and had some friends being defficient without knowing it. Most of the plant based fake meats put it in, so that saves most people. But they were health oriented and also didn't eat those.

hamax 4y ago

Just B12 and sometimes D3 and omega (I'm really bad at remembering it). I eat enough tofu to get all the iron I need as a man :) Recently I've been tracking proteins more closely but reaching recommended levels has never been an issue.

roebk 4y ago

B12, Omega 3 with both (DHA and EPA), and vitamin D during the winter months. I had some blood work done after 2 years of being vegan, largely to ensure my dietary shift hadn't caused any problems. This tested everything from cholesterol (lipid profile), iron profile, testosterone, B9 & 12, liver function, CRP and more. All markers we're either in the optimal or normal ranges. I eat reasonably well (I'm not perfect) and I try to keep processed foods - including fake meats - down to a minimum

nor-and-or-not 4y ago

B12 and Iron, depending on my levels of exercise also Magnesium.

iamapassenger 4y ago

definitely B12. D3 because I live in Estonia and there is not enough sun all year. I get blood work done once per year, so far all good.

rane 4y ago

Have you researched if choline supplementation is necessary?

eulgro 4y ago

None, but I'm only vegetarian. I get nearly all required B12 from dairy and eggs. For some reason I get >500% the daily suggested amount of iron. I'm pretty low on Vitamin D (~20%), I figured the worst case scenario is I get some mild depression during winter so no supplements either.

iyn 4y ago

B12 is the most important one. I've started getting some strange "tingling" in my arms a while ago, went to the neurologist, got a prescription for a higher dosage B12 and it went away. I was supplementing B12 already, but it wasn't regular. Some other supplements: - D3 (complemented with a "SAD Lamp" [0] in winter, can recommend) - Omega 3-6-9 - Magnesium + B6 (helps reduce cramps during/after heavy training sessions) - Vitamin C + Zinc when feeling that my immune system needs a boost (after traveling/flights) https://examine.com/ https://examine.com/ is useful to get a quick look at the aggregated/summarized research for supplements. [0] Random link with some explanation: https://psychcentral.com/reviews/sad-lamp https://psychcentral.com/reviews/sad-lamp

benjimouse 4y ago

B12 and B6 for vegan me. As I'm male, and live somewhere sunny, I think iron and d3 are less of an issue. B6 has been linked to anxiety, so it's mainly an experiment to see if it helps.

opan 4y ago

I thought D3 was the non-vegan one and D2 was vegan. edit: Double-checked, D2 is always vegan, D3 can be vegan but isn't always. My almond milk has some vitamin D, and I have nooch fairly often which is very full of B12. I don't take any pills/gummies currently.

hammyhavoc 4y ago
Had never heard of or seen Nooch before. Going to try that. Great shout.

rosetremiere 4y ago

I'm taking the VEG 1 supplements (https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements https://www.vegansociety.com/shop/veg-1-supplements) as I believe they essentially cover everything I need to worry about on that front (I hope it does).

watchdogtimer 4y ago

I'm a 58 year old male, and have consumed a vegan diet for almost 40 years now. I take a women's daily multivitamin, primarily for the iron. I also take a calcium-magnesium-zinc tablet, as the multivitamin is relatively low in calcium.

danielbln 4y ago

B12, Magnesium, multi-vit, Omega3 (from algae), D3. I'm pescatarian (although rarely, mostly vegetarian).

ornornor 4y ago

I supplement D (because lots of people are deficient, vegan or not), B12, and K (helps with B12 or D absorption, forgot which) For iron, I’d suggest switching to cast iron or carbon steel pans. They transfer iron to anything you cook in them and you absorb it. Works the same way as these little iron fishes to drop in the stew some ONGs gave (give?) to third world populations that are having iron deficiencies from not being able to afford or find a proper diet.

selimthegrim 4y ago
Those iron fishes are not actually terribly effective.
- ornornor 4y ago
  Maybe if used once rather than for every meal. In any case, cooking every lunch and dinner on cast iron or high carbon steel pans solves the iron deficiency for us. Ask an MD to see if it’s an avenue for you too because the iron supplement pills or IVs are made out of animal blood afaik which kinda defeat the purpose of not killing animals.

bjoli 4y ago

There are enough people becoming b12 deficient on a diet that actually contains b12. Take a b12 supplement. Don't risk it. Fortified products are not enough. Deficiency can take years to develop. Personally I take a vegan supplement that contains b12, iron, d3 and zink. I also eat algae oil for the omega3. I also make sure to use fortified soy milk. I have personally found zink to be the hardest nutrient to get enough of, at least since I got kids and started cooking more kid-friendly food. I never had issues before starting to supplement iron despite giving blood, so I don't think it is a problematic nutrient for me. Every day I eat more than twice the RDI, but of course non-heme and together with the regular absorption inhibitors.