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Going vegan having negative long term nutrition consequences?
Replies
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If you are concerned talk to a nutritionist. They will be able to help you eat vegan but still get all the nutrients you need.0
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TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
RDA's cover something link 98% of people without a medical condition, regardless of gender, so 100% RDA should already cover a woman even if women have higher iron needs.
For those of us with low iron however, eating to RDA is not enough. I've seen more than one thread where someone was trying to correct a deficiency by taking their daily RDA.
I am taking a pill supplement that contains 65mg of iron. The daily RDA is 18mg. I am taking three and a half times the RDA in an attempt to get my iron readings up. I'm right on the borderline of deficient, and that's after months of supplementation.
For people who are anemic or have a known condition where they need supplementation, often natural sources just can't cover it.0 -
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TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
RDA's cover something link 98% of people without a medical condition, regardless of gender, so 100% RDA should already cover a woman even if women have higher iron needs.
For those of us with low iron however, eating to RDA is not enough. I've seen more than one thread where someone was trying to correct a deficiency by taking their daily RDA.
I am taking a pill supplement that contains 65mg of iron. The daily RDA is 18mg. I am taking three and a half times the RDA in an attempt to get my iron readings up. I'm right on the borderline of deficient, and that's after months of supplementation.
For people who are anemic or have a known condition where they need supplementation, often natural sources just can't cover it.
Those would be a medical condition.
Being a woman isn't a medical condition.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
The specific issue with omega-3 is how efficiently the body can convert ALAs into DHAs. ALAs are found in a wide variety of foods, DHAs are in seaweed (which I don't eat regularly and that is what I supplement). I vastly over-simplified the issue in my post above. This explains it pretty well -- http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3
Some vegans do need to pay attention to their iron and iodine consumption, although others do just fine. I personally supplement iron (I struggled with iron levels even prior to going vegan). Since I mostly cook with sea salt at home, I also take an iodine supplement three times a week.
There have been a few interesting GMO's for making more land based plants produce Omega-3's that are readily bio-available to humans. Unfortunately they aren't at commercial levels yet, and the primary drive for them seems to be to turn around and use them as fish feed for farmed fish.
I hadn't heard that. This would be useful not just for vegans, but for non-vegans who don't care much for fish.
http://www.monsanto.com/products/pages/sda-omega-3-soybeans.aspx
https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/07/09/gmo-cereal-plant-that-produces-omega-3-fish-oil-which-could-promote-healthier-diet-successful-in-landmark-trials/0 -
TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
RDA's cover something link 98% of people without a medical condition, regardless of gender, so 100% RDA should already cover a woman even if women have higher iron needs.
For those of us with low iron however, eating to RDA is not enough. I've seen more than one thread where someone was trying to correct a deficiency by taking their daily RDA.
I am taking a pill supplement that contains 65mg of iron. The daily RDA is 18mg. I am taking three and a half times the RDA in an attempt to get my iron readings up. I'm right on the borderline of deficient, and that's after months of supplementation.
For people who are anemic or have a known condition where they need supplementation, often natural sources just can't cover it.
Those would be a medical condition.
Being a woman isn't a medical condition.
I bring this up frequently because,
"Iron deficiency is very common, especially among women and in people who have a diet that is low in iron. The following groups of people are at highest risk for iron-deficiency anemia:...Women who menstruate..."
http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Anemia/Iron-Deficiency.aspx
and
"The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is 2 percent in adult men, 9 to 12 percent in non-Hispanic white women, and nearly 20 percent in black and Mexican-American women." http://www.aafp.org/afp/2007/0301/p671.html0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
The specific issue with omega-3 is how efficiently the body can convert ALAs into DHAs. ALAs are found in a wide variety of foods, DHAs are in seaweed (which I don't eat regularly and that is what I supplement). I vastly over-simplified the issue in my post above. This explains it pretty well -- http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3
Some vegans do need to pay attention to their iron and iodine consumption, although others do just fine. I personally supplement iron (I struggled with iron levels even prior to going vegan). Since I mostly cook with sea salt at home, I also take an iodine supplement three times a week.
There have been a few interesting GMO's for making more land based plants produce Omega-3's that are readily bio-available to humans. Unfortunately they aren't at commercial levels yet, and the primary drive for them seems to be to turn around and use them as fish feed for farmed fish.
I hadn't heard that. This would be useful not just for vegans, but for non-vegans who don't care much for fish.
Agreed. I supplement with fish oil because I don't like fish. I tried flax oil supplements, but my eyes swelled shut. I don't have issues with small amounts of flax seed, but apparently in higher concentration, not so much. Of course, I have the same problem with chamomile tea and no clue why.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
I also remember reading that iron and iodine are commonly missing from vegan diets. I think I get enough iron, but women's iron needs are higher than men's so that's something to consider.
I actually take a vegan multivitamin, even though I know it's probably mostly a waste of money, to hopefully cover anything I may be lacking in my diet, even if there are vegan sources available. I try to vary my diet up to get a wide range of nutrients, but I'm lazy sometimes.
The specific issue with omega-3 is how efficiently the body can convert ALAs into DHAs. ALAs are found in a wide variety of foods, DHAs are in seaweed (which I don't eat regularly and that is what I supplement). I vastly over-simplified the issue in my post above. This explains it pretty well -- http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3
Some vegans do need to pay attention to their iron and iodine consumption, although others do just fine. I personally supplement iron (I struggled with iron levels even prior to going vegan). Since I mostly cook with sea salt at home, I also take an iodine supplement three times a week.
There have been a few interesting GMO's for making more land based plants produce Omega-3's that are readily bio-available to humans. Unfortunately they aren't at commercial levels yet, and the primary drive for them seems to be to turn around and use them as fish feed for farmed fish.
I hadn't heard that. This would be useful not just for vegans, but for non-vegans who don't care much for fish.
Agreed. I supplement with fish oil because I don't like fish. I tried flax oil supplements, but my eyes swelled shut. I don't have issues with small amounts of flax seed, but apparently in higher concentration, not so much. Of course, I have the same problem with chamomile tea and no clue why.
Clearly flax oil is bad for everyone, ever.0 -
TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
The problem with omega-3 from plant sources is that it is in the form of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), not EPA and DHA, the forms thought to be most beneficial for human health. We don't convert ALA to EPA and DHA very well. Cows, fish, krill and various animals can do it because of their gut microbiota, which is why certain animal source foods are considered to be the best sources for omega-3 fats.0 -
lithezebra wrote: »TheCrawlingChaos wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Vitamin K2 is the storage form found in animals. Luckily, you are an animal. You should be capable of converting K1 to K2 as needed.
My last understanding is that to date, there is no actual RDA for Vitamin K - it appears that most healthy humans have enough produced by bacteria in their gut.
This...
Also OP, there are plenty of vegan sources of dietary fat to aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins. I would think the biggest issue would be B-12 and omega 3 if one weren't supplementing.
You are absolutely correct.
B12 supplementation (or consumption of fortified foods) is essential for vegans.
The science on omega-3 and how efficiently our bodies can convert other fats into omega-3 is still kind of unclear (and studies of omega-3 levels in vegans are still kind of confusing, at least to me). I personally have chosen to supplement with a vegan DHA based on recommendations from veganhealth.org (a science-based site run by a vegan RD).
You can definitely get omega 3 from a lot of vegan sources, such as nuts, seeds, and beans, but if I'm not mistaken they are usually high in omega 6 as well , which messed with omega 3 in some way. I make sure to get foods with omega 3 in my diet, but I also take a supplement to fill that gap that may be there because of the omega 6.
The problem with omega-3 from plant sources is that it is in the form of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), not EPA and DHA, the forms thought to be most beneficial for human health. We don't convert ALA to EPA and DHA very well. Cows, fish, krill and various animals can do it because of their gut microbiota, which is why certain animal source foods are considered to be the best sources for omega-3 fats.
Depends on the plant. My understanding was that fish oil DHA comes from algae, not gut bacteria activity. Farmed fish fed flax don't tend to have high EPA and DHA levels is my recollection. That is why there is an attempt to grow a cousin of flax that is genetically modified to produce those omega-3's to feed it to farmed fish.0 -
This (and similar things I've read) suggests that algae is an adequate source of omega-3s: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-algae0
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As long as you're getting that from reliable sources, not from companies that sell algae derived EPA and DHA. I didn't find much information on it on Google Scholar, but didn't search extensively. I'm all for GM flax that either makes farmed fish more nutritious, or provides EPA and DHA directly.0
This discussion has been closed.
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