The FastDay Forum

Hello, I'm new here so I have lots of questions
1 could I do 5:2 diet without supplementation?
I'm not eating eggs,meat,fish,not alcohol as well
Was enough to cut alcohol 3monts ego and I loss 2ston
I don't like use pills,tablets but I think my diet is poor in vit
I eat lots of veg and fruit,nuts,tofu,yogurts,lentils ,milk etc.
what you think could I take vit b12 and others sup or not?

I'm a vegan, and research indicates that vitamin B12 is the one thing you simply can't get in a vegan (or strict vegetarian) diet. So you need either to take a supplement, or to include foods which have been "fortified" with B12. There are other things which you need to ensure you have enough of in your diet: http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/ is a good website to visit for information.

I've been following the 5:2 system since January (Fast Day No. 31 today), and my only real problem has been eating sufficient kCalories on non-fast days, as it's easy on a vegan/vegetarian diet to slip below the optimum weekly kCalorie intake when you're not eating on two days a week!

Hope that helps - good luck.

Congrats on you lost kilograms, Wojciech! Did you follow 5:2 from the start or a different diet?
I'm not a vegetarian myself and think that if I was one I would supplement B12.

I imagine to be a healthy vegetarian takes a lot of effort and knowledge.

[Moogie]

Hi & welcome

5:2 doesn't require the use of any supplements, however if your diet in general is deficient in some way then you may need to take them. I don't think most vegetarians find they are lacking in any particular area, so would think you're alright. Milk & milk products contain B12 don't they?

I would suggest getting some blood tests done to see if you are lacking in any particular area & adjusting your diet - or supplements - as necessary.

[janeg]

Hello Wojciech and welcome
plenty of veggies and a few vegans on the boards here- so plenty of advice.
As Phoenix says, B12 simply cannot be found in a vegan diet so a supplement could be considered. Otherwise, a well balanced diet including pulses, leafy green veg, dairy (if you're not vegan) basically all the food groups and you'll be fine.
Good luck, well done on your initial weight loss, and do let us know how you get on.

I'm a vegetarian and have been doing 5:2 for 3 weeks. I do eat fruit and veg but am not a fan so don't eat very much of it (a banana a day, one veg with dinner probably every other day, and 2 glasses of juice a day). I also don't like lentils but I do eat quite a bit of Quorn/soya. Most people would probably think I'm unhealthy and lacking in vitamins etc but I've been vege like this for 20 years and never taken any vitamins and always been perfectly healthy...touch wood....am still waiting for vegetables to seem yummy on fast days but it's not happening yet!

Also the Quorn lunch pots are good for fast days as they are 285 cal and make a small dinner that takes less than 3min in the microwave

I'm vegetarian and doing 5:2. Unless you've had problems with B12 levels, then I would guess that you'll be fine. If you're more comfortable taking a supplement, then that's fine too as it's virtually impossible to take too much B12. You can also find B12 in nutritional yeast and seaweed and fortified foods (some soy) if those are already in your diet. You don't have to ingest it every day as it's stored in the body until needed so fasting might dip into your B12 stores but it won't leave you deficient on it's own.

Thanks everyone for helpfully tips

It's very interesting to read not only what vitamin is in which food but also how they are absorbed.
For example, when I had very low iron and HT, I was given iron supplement and a list of foods to eat everyday. Liver, beef, veal, spinach, lentils, mushrooms and I don't remember what else. The most important though was written in capitals and bold under the list:
ALWAYS EAT WITH VITAMIN C!!!
Apparently, iron is not properly absorbed unless it's eaten/taken with Vit C.
There are many other similar tricks that we can do in order to increase the amount of the good stuff that our body absorbs, it's worth to do a bit of research IMO.

P.S. I apologise for mentioning meat in a vegetarian topic but that is the only example of vitamin absorption that I can remember.

It's very interesting to read not only what vitamin is in which food but also how they are absorbed.
For example, when I had very low iron and HT, I was given iron supplement and a list of foods to eat everyday. Liver, beef, veal, spinach, lentils, mushrooms and I don't remember what else. The most important though was written in capitals and bold under the list:
ALWAYS EAT WITH VITAMIN C!!!
Apparently, iron is not properly absorbed unless it's eaten/taken with Vit C.
There are many other similar tricks that we can do in order to increase the amount of the good stuff that our body absorbs, it's worth to do a bit of research IMO.

P.S. I apologise for mentioning meat in a vegetarian topic but that is the only example of vitamin absorption that I can remember.

Is ok I was eating meat before if I remember same vit need fat to be absorb

[janeg]

Vitamins K,A, D and E are all fat soluble . That's a blast from the past from me! Surprising what things you remember!

Hello,

I'm also a vegetarian and have been eating a vegan diet most of the time since January. I think that you need to pay attention to what you are eating on fast days to try and pack in maximum nutrition on minimum calories, but I think that everyone needs to do that, not just vegetarians!
I personally don't take supplements, I never have, and surprisingly the few times I have had vitamin levels tested when I was pregnant and while breastfeeding I haven't had any deficiencies at all, and I have never eaten meat.
I take care to eat fortified soya products and nutritional yeast for vitamin B12, though for a vegetarian dairy products and eggs are a good source, and I eat plenty of nuts, pulses and whole grains, as well as fruit and vegetables of course.
You're right about needing to add a bit of oil to vegetables to increase vitamin absorption (vits A, D, E, K), and it is also important to eat a variety of vegetables both cooked and raw as some vitamins are more available when cooked and others in their natural state. Another point about oil is to use a variety of oils, I use nut and seed oils regularly for omega 3 as I don't eat fish, you can also buy ready blended oils to cover that.
On fast days to give you an idea I tend to skip breakfast, and eat either a big salad or something similar with lots of raw vegetables, a bit of protein in the form of humous or bean dip, and a teaspoon of oil in a salad dressing or in the dip. I add some wholegrains if I feel like it, but generally I keep lunch light. For my evening meal I often eat some form of stirfry with lightly cooked vegetables in a teaspoon of oil (whatever vegetables I have to hand) and some protein like tofu, tempeh, seitan and a wholegrain like brown rice or soba noodles.
I did read something recently about vegetarians generally actually having better levels of vitamins and minerals than meat eaters so as long as you feel ok I wouldn't worry too much!

What an interesting thread!!!
The things you learn, the way our body works, the different kind of food people eat... fascinating!!!

Nicky, IME, it's not a subject of meat eaters/vegetarians. What happens is that people who love meat very much usually don't like veggies and they also think that because they eat meat they don't need to eat much more. That is a conception that is generally believed here in Greece by several old(ish) people.
IMO, it's all about balance. All in moderation. I eat meat but I eat it once a week (sometimes even less often) and I don't expect it to provide me with all the protein, iron, vitamins etc that I need. If you ask my grandma though, she will tell you that with my eating habits I'll probably die of lack of meat or whatever, LOL!!!

TML 13 - sounds like the mentality in France too, whenever I go to the doc I'm always scared that they'll ask me about my diet as being vegetarian is unthinkable to the average French person, they just can't understand that I manage to live without meat and are sure I'm about to drop dead from malnourishment (though I am definitely not thin, which is why I'm here LOL)!

Just thought of another thing about iron - you need to watch your tea intake and never take an iron supplement or meal rich in iron with tea as it prevents iron absorption, and as someone said ideally you should have vitamin C at the same time as eating iron rich food.