If you can you really, do need to meet all the requirements you can from your daily food intake. Part of your reasoning for becoming a vegetarian was most likely because you wanted to lead a healthier lifestyle so cutting out meat from your diet and then just relying on popping supplements to meet your daily needs is not converting to a healthier lifestyle.
It is not difficult to get everything you need as long as you make informed choices about your vegetarian diet plan. It is of course perfectly acceptable to take vegetarian supplements if you are worried that you have not covered all the bases. Please be aware though that it can be equally as harmful to have too much. If you are in any real doubt then you should contact a medical professional for assistance.
The next problem is that there is still huge debate over what the recommended daily requirements are for vitamins and minerals. This varies because our bodies all need different levels of vitamins and minerals during the stages of our lives and wellbeing. The table below is based on the UK requirements and contains that main minerals and vitamins that can have deficiencies for the average healthy adult:
|
WOMEN |
MEN |
Nutritional Value |
Source | |
| Vitamin A – Retinol |
0.6 mg |
0.7 mg |
healthy skin, growth of bones, resistance to infection and night vision |
carrots, spinach, peppers, butter, margarine, watercress, dried apricots, full-fat dairy products. In plant foods it is present as its precursor, beta-carotene. |
| Vitamin B1 – Thiamin |
0.8 mg |
1 mg |
nerves and muscles and turning food into energy |
yeast extract, brazil nuts, peanuts, rice, bran, oatmeal, flour, wholemeal bread, sunflower seeds |
| Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin |
1.1 mg |
1.3 mg |
converts proteins, fats and carbohydrates into energy and for the growth and repair of tissues and healthy skin |
almonds, cheese, wholemeal bread, dried prunes, mushrooms, cashews, millet, avocados. |
| Vitamin B3 – Niacin |
13 mg |
17 mg |
nervous system, the digestive system, and turning food into energy |
yeast extract, peanuts, wholemeal bread, mushrooms, sesame seeds |
| Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine |
1.2 mg |
1.4 mg |
red blood cell formation and protein metabolism |
bran, wholemeal flour, yeast extract, hazelnuts, bananas, peanuts, currants. |
| Vitamin B12 |
0.0015 mg |
0.0015 mg |
nervous system, making red blood cells, and turning food into energy |
eggs, dairy products and fortified plant foods including soya milks, breakfast cereals, veggieburger mixes, yeast extracts and herbal soft drinks |
| Vitamin C – ascorbic acid |
40 mg |
40 mg |
skin, bones, teeth and gums, resistance to infection and wound healing, energy production and growth absorbing iron from food |
citrus fruits, broccoli, spinach, berries, peppers |
| Vitamin D |
0.01 mg |
absorption of calcium and phosphate and healthy bones and teeth |
dairy products and margarine. Also produced by the action of sunlight on the skin. |
|
| Vitamin E |
12mg |
12mg |
antioxidant protecting vitamins A and C and other important substances in the body |
vegetable oils, wheatgerm, hazelnuts, avocados. |
| Calcium |
700 mg |
700 mg |
Good for bones and teeth, muscles, and blood |
dairy products, leafy green vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, dried fruit, pulses, fortified soya milks |
| Folic acid/ Folate |
0.2 mg 0.4 mg in pregnancy |
0.2 mg |
making red blood cells and preventing birth defects |
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, and brown rice |
| Iron |
14.8 mg |
8.7 mg |
red blood cells |
leafy green vegetables, pulses, wholemeal bread, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, molasses |
| Magnesium |
270 mg |
300 mg |
bones and turning food into energy |
plant foods and deficiency is very rare. |
| Potassium |
3500 mg |
3500 mg |
lowering blood pressure and balancing fluids in the body |
plant foods, especially root vegetables and wholegrain cereals |
| Zinc |
4 to 7 mg |
5.5 to 9.5 mg |
wound healing and making new cells |
sesame and pumpkin seeds, green vegetables, cheese, lentils, wholegrain cereals |
I cannot stress enough that if you are in any way unsure or if you have special dietary requirements please contact a health professional because in some cases taking too much can be as bad as having too little.
|
WOMEN |
MEN |
Nutritional Value |
Source |
||||
|
Vitamin A – Retinol |
0.6 mg |
0.7 mg |
healthy skin, growth of bones, resistance to infection and night vision |
carrots, spinach, peppers, butter, margarine, watercress, dried apricots, full-fat dairy products. In plant foods it is present as its precursor, beta-carotene. |
|||
|
Vitamin B1 – Thiamin |
0.8 mg |
1 mg |
nerves and muscles and turning food into energy |
yeast extract, brazil nuts, peanuts, rice, bran, oatmeal, flour, wholemeal bread, sunflower seeds |
|||
|
Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin |
1.1 mg |
1.3 mg |
converts proteins, fats and carbohydrates into energy and for the growth and repair of tissues and healthy skin |
almonds, cheese, wholemeal bread, dried prunes, mushrooms, cashews, millet, avocados. |
|||
|
Vitamin B3 – Niacin |
13 mg |
17 mg |
nervous system, the digestive system, and turning food into energy |
yeast extract, peanuts, wholemeal bread, mushrooms, sesame seeds |
|||
|
Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine |
1.2 mg |
1.4 mg |
red blood cell formation and protein metabolism |
bran, wholemeal flour, yeast extract, hazelnuts, bananas, peanuts, currants. |
|||
|
Vitamin B12 |
0.0015 mg |
0.0015 mg |
nervous system, making red blood cells, and turning food into energy |
eggs, dairy products and fortified plant foods including soya milks, breakfast cereals, veggieburger mixes, yeast extracts and herbal soft drinks |
|||
|
Vitamin C – ascorbic acid |
40 mg |
40 mg |
skin, bones, teeth and gums, resistance to infection and wound healing, energy production and growth absorbing iron from food |
citrus fruits, broccoli, spinach, berries, peppers |
|||
|
Vitamin D |
UK RDA is not set for those leading a normal lifestyle. For pregnant, or breastfeeding, women, or those confined indoors, UK RDA is 0.01 mg. |
absorption of calcium and phosphate and healthy bones and teeth |
dairy products and margarine. Also produced by the action of sunlight on the skin. |
||||
|
Vitamin E |
12mg |
12mg |
antioxidant protecting vitamins A and C and other important substances in the body |
vegetable oils, wheatgerm, hazelnuts, avocados. |
|||
|
Calcium |
700 mg |
700 mg |
Good for bones and teeth, muscles, and blood |
dairy products, leafy green vegetables, almonds, sesame seeds, dried fruit, pulses, fortified soya milks |
|||
|
Folic acid/ Folate |
0.2 mg 0.4 mg in pregnancy |
0.2 mg |
making red blood cells and preventing birth defects |
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, and brown rice |
|||
|
Iron |
14.8 mg |
8.7 mg |
red blood cells |
leafy green vegetables, pulses, wholemeal bread, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, molasses |
|||
|
Magnesium |
270 mg |
300 mg |
bones and turning food into energy |
plant foods and deficiency is very rare. |
|||
|
Potassium |
3500 mg |
3500 mg |
lowering blood pressure and balancing fluids in the body |
plant foods, especially root vegetables and wholegrain cereals |
|||
|
Zinc |
4 to 7 mg |
5.5 to 9.5 mg |
wound healing and making new cells |
sesame and pumpkin seeds, green vegetables, cheese, lentils, wholegrain cereals |
|||
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting article i totally agree with the comments above. Keep writing
Becoming a vegetarian is definitely not easy, but having a list of foods as substitutes makes it easy to make the right choices. Thanks.
nice blog, check mine out if you get a chance.
Thanks! Love your website – nice clean design