Vegetarians help please?

Question

i'm newly a vegetarian, and i was wondering what vitamins i should be taking

i know iron, B12, calcium and protien, but are there others? should i just be taking a multivitamin?

please help, and thanks in advance

[i'm 13 by the way]

Answer 1

cookies

Answer 2

Proteins: Body's protein needs can be provided by either animal or plant sources. Mixed protein diet obtained from various plant sources is better than animal protein and is recommended in diabetes, renal diseases and liver diseases. Mixed protein diet from different plant sources has been the pattern of diet in India for all vegetarians.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are mainly found in plant foods; like cereals, grains, fresh and dry fruits, legumes, vegetable, greens, nuts etc. plant carbohydrates include' large amounts of starches, sugar and fibers which are important for gut functions. The body is better suited to a high carbohydrate diet than a low carbohydrate diet. In fact 55% of the food intake should be carbohydrate. All animal products do not contain carbohydrate which is essential for body.

Fat: Plant fats differ from animal fats in two different ways 1) they are cholesterol free 2) they generally contain more polyunsaturated fat and less saturated fats. Plant fats usually have higher polyunsaturated fat value than animal fats.

A diet which is low in cholesterol and which contains fat of a high PIS value is associated with a lower incident of coronary health disease.

Vitamins and Minerals: plant foods are rich in many vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D: Vitamin D is obtained by exposure of skin to sun light and this is not a problem in India.

Calcium: The vegetarians can meet their needs for calcium from dairy products. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) Dark green vegetables are good sources of Riboflavin as are legumes and whole grain cereal.

Iron: The problem of iron deficiency is relatively common but vitamin C significantly enhances absorption of iron hence it is advisable for vegetarians to include with each meal a food high in vitamin C which as lime, citrus fruits or juices.

Zinc: Zinc is found in large number of plant foods.

Fiber: Fiber is found only in vegetarian food like whole grain cereals, legumes, greens, fruits, vegetable etc.

Thus in vegetarian foods all requirement of nutrition for body growth and maintenance is fulfilled. One can have a complete and balanced diet provided we take enough food which is as close to nature as possible in maintaining sturdy and disease free body. It is equally helpful in curing many diseases.

ADVANTAGES OF VEGETARIAN DIET:

More & more evidence is surfacing that directly links a prolonged non- vegetarian diet to diseases as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, asthma just to name a few.

1. LOGEVITY: Vegetarian can expect to live 4-10 years longer then the non-vegetarians.

" Source: Seventh day Adventists study

2. LESS HEART DISEASE: Because of low fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content of the vegetarian diet the risk of heart disease is lowered. High blood cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

3. LESS CANCER: Up to 40% of all cancers are diet related. Cancer death rates have been associated with obesity and high fat / low fiber diet. Vitamin A & C are thought to be protective against colon cancer. Low fat diets protect against prostrate and breast cancer. Indoles, lignans, isoflavones, protease inhibitors which are present in plant foods and shown to be potent anti carcinogens.

4. LESS BOWEL DISEASE: Diverticular disease and appendicitis occur more frequently with low fiber intake as in meat diet.

5. LEES OBESITY & LESS INCIDENCE OF DIABETES: It is easier to plan a low fat diet for a vegetarian then for a meat eater. The fiber in plant food dilutes the energy & provides a satisfying meal without all the calories. Diabetes over the age of 40 seems to be related to

Answer 3

a good multivitamin is all just as long as your eating a balanced diet thats all you need even if your not vegetarian you should take a multivitamin any ways eat lots of veggies and fruits and check out morning star products my fav is the spicy black bean burger yummie  I also like Boca and vanila soy milk

Answer 4

Actually, you don't really need to take a separate vitamin pill if you are eating a variety of fruits and veggies.

Protein: The idea that plant foods are somehow devoid of protein is nothing but a myth, triggered by the high-protein fad diets and the meat & dairy industry. For example, broccoli is 40% protein! Read the protein myth article below for details.

Calcium: Tofu and other soy products are very much praised by health professionals these days for their soy protein, calcium, iron, and other vitamins/minerals.

B12: Drinking fortified soymilk such as organic Silk soymilk or fortified cereal (most cereal products are nowadays) provides enough B12 for daily needs. You only need a very small amount - 2.4 mcgs - a day and your body recycles this nutrient if abundant in your body - which would be if you're a newly vegetarian, so no need to worry too much. Also, if you're a lacto/ovo vegetarian, you're probably consuming enough B12 already.

Antioxidant vitamins raise the risk of heart diseases and other illnesses and I advise you not to depend on vitamin pills too much.

Please read the following to have a better understanding of vegetarian nutrition:

The Protein Myth: http://www.vegtaste.com/main/posting.php...

Vitamin supplements may increase the risk of death:

http://www.vegtaste.com/main/posting.php...

How to become a veggie!:

http://www.vegtaste.com/main/posting.php...

Nutritious foods can be tasty:

http://www.vegtaste.com/main/posting.php...

Answer 5

zinc

Answer 6

Eat some Hunt's snack pack puddin' cups!  I love puddin' cups!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/HUNTS-SNACK-PACK-PUD...

Continue to take your Flintstone's Vitamin Supplement.  Get plenty of rest, drink 8 cups of water per day, exercise, and read a book every now and then.

Answer 7

Generally, as long as you're eating a well planned diet, then you should need very little, if any, supplements. Iron is obtained through eating certain plant foods relatively easily, but be aware that large amounts of dairy foods inhibit iron absorption.  B12 supplement of some kind is necessary if you are vegan.

The Vegetarian Society and Veganhealth.org provide good details of nutrition for veggies, and should be easy to find on the Web.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You can get your calcium and B12 just by having 2 servings of soy milk a day (2-8 oz servings).  I have 2 bowls of cereal per day.  My cereal is fortified, so that takes care of a lot of my other nutritional needs.

I also eat 2 tbsp of peanut butter everyday too.

For dinner we always have some kind of protein, such as recipes made with faux meat, beans and such.

I do take an iron pill, but it's for girl reasons...I don't think a 13 year old boy wants to hear about that.  You can take iron if you want, but make sure it doesn't have animal ingredients in it.

Vitamins can be a good thing, but eating good food is more important.  Try the fortified breakfast cereal and soy milk.  That should help a lot and good luck.

It's never to early to take control of your nutrition and well being...and it's better for the environment.  It's your world too and it's good that you care about something other than what most teenage boys care about...girls, girls, and more girls...lol.  I know for a fact though that girls really like guys who have strong beliefs and stand by them...

Answer 9

I'm a teen vegetarian too! Kudos to you for making a great, healthy, environmentally friendly choice.

Basically, the most important thing is to eat lots of different fruits and vegetables. This will give you a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. The best indicator is how much color variety is on your plate, since different colored plants tend to have different nutrients

As far as protein goes, you won't need to take a protein supplement as long as you eat smart. Think beans,nuts, tofu, tempeh, and other soy products (like soy milk- EdenSoy has 11 grams of protein per serving!)

I take a B Complex supplement because my doctor recommended it, but you don't necessarily need to. Talk to your doctor!

Good luck!

Answer 10

im veg too (and im 13) my parents dont want me eating vitamins, but i always eat veggie burgers....proteins are probably most important.....also there is this drink called ensure, it's for old sick people, but it has TONS of vitamins in it