The FastDay Forum

It seems that on 5:2 or 4:3, by reducing the amount of food we eat we are reducing the nutrients we are taking in.

Any comments on necessary vitamin, mineral or other kinds of supplements that may help?

As with everything else about 5:2, I think you need to take a 'whole picture' view. It's not just about what you're eating on one day but for the whole week, month etc. By the same token it's not just about your nutrient intake for the fasting days, it's about the overall picture.

Having said that, I normally take a women's multivitamin daily and so on fast days I substitute a dissolvable multi (because a multi on an empty stomach makes me nauseous).

If you think you need one, take one. If you don't, dont

Are you tracking micro nutrients? If do, I'd look at the average over a week to see what is lacking ....

I look at the week totals on MFP and try to get a view on what might be lacking but that is dependent on the food stuffs you are tracking bring accurate and having the micro nutrients listed too....

A lot of foods on MFP aren't complete in their analysis do it doesn't always help.....

My feeling is that although I am now generally eating much better, I am a little low on iron overall so I often supplement for that but I am trying to improve my diet in general across the week so that I get the vitamins and minerals from food rather than supplements if at all possible....

I take a multivitamin and glucosamine. The multivitamin as I haven't eaten meat for 2 years and was worried I might be lacking in something. Glucosamine as I'd read it's good for joints and I like to run. I don't think that if I still ate meat that I'd personally be thinking about adding vitamins just because of 5:2. Not unless I was feeling run down. For me 5:2 has just meant that I am not overeating but apart from the fast days, where I probably eat better (you can get loads of salad for little calories) I haven't changed what I'd normally eat. If you feel that you would benefit from a multivitamin then I don't think it would hurt to take one. My understanding is that any excess vitamin is removed from the body anyway. X

I'd get your bloods done at the docs before taking anything. Your diet + regular sunshine should supply all you need. There are risks with taking excess vitamins e.g. A, C, & E. Vitamin supplements are also expensive to take if your diet is providing you with all you need anyway. I think we've all been conned into popping a multi-vitamin once per day as being necessary... those marketing campaigns strike again.

In my own case I'm all ok from last bloods apart from Vitamin D (my fair skin means I can't be out in the sun much), so I'm taking that as a supplement.

Im sceptical about any benefits from multivitamins and supplements if you have a balanced diet, and no preexisting medical condition.

My veg, fruit, seeds, nuts and other good protein intakes probably haven't gone down much, if at all, following 5:2. It's all those filler foods with very few nutrients like bread, (sugary and vegetable oil filled) processed foods that have decreased.

On feed days I've started to drink 1-2 blended smoothies with spinach, kale, frozen berries, flax seeds, almonds, cucumbers -- lots of colorful high-water/high-fiber stuff with a couple of those "superfoods" thrown in (the recipe book that came with the blender absolutely raves about kale and flax seeds).

I eat at least one meal on fast days (normally nothing until the evening meal, then ~500cal for that meal and ~100cal snack a little later), so I certainly could take a multivitamin every day with food without upsetting my stomach. I'm interested in this topic as well. I'm pretty sure these smoothies are giving me the micronutrients I need, but I wonder if a daily multivitamin would help? It probably couldn't hurt...

Thanks all!

I've always suspected most people do not get the needed nutrition from their diets, much less when on a diet. However, most information I've found comes from vitamin salesmen. Nevertheless, I found one study in an article that is maybe worthy of consideration. It concluded:

Seventy diets were computer analyzed from the menu of athletes or sedentary subjects seeking to improve the quality of micronutrient intake from food choices. All of these dietary analyses fell short of the recommended 100% RDA micronutrient level from food alone.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/balan ... snt-enough

I know Dr. Atkins prescribed vitamins for everyone going through his clinic. I think some reasonable vitamin/mineral tablets might help.

Yes who knows? I take Inner Health Plus - absolutely works on good gut health - CoQ10 because I met a young girl who had just finished a nutrition degree and I asked her what she recommended, she said for oldies CoQ10 is brilliant...I take fish oil (yeah I'm a vego but this is my 1 concession), Magnesium b4 bed, now sleep really well...sometimes I take Spiralina cos I'm a vego - it IS brilliant, but expensive. I take Vit C & Zinc too. I have found that multivitamins often have really low doses of each vitamin. I am thinking about Potassium now that I read it's good for high BP.

Yes who knows? I take Inner Health Plus - absolutely works on good gut health - CoQ10 because I met a young girl who had just finished a nutrition degree and I asked her what she recommended, she said for oldies CoQ10 is brilliant...I take fish oil (yeah I'm a vego but this is my 1 concession), Magnesium b4 bed, now sleep really well...sometimes I take Spiralina cos I'm a vego - it IS brilliant, but expensive. I take Vit C & Zinc too. I have found that multivitamins often have really low doses of each vitamin. I am thinking about Potassium now that I read it's good for high BP.

Wow thats a lot but it sounds like it would be more efficacious than just multivitamins. something about a company putting in a whole bunch of things in one tablet doesnt seem right. In Australia they are starting only now to market multivitamins for children in teh form of "lollies" now thats where i get really sceptical.

I was told by some fitness instructor that Magnesium and Potassium is vital plus one other but i cant remember. tried it for a while but never feel any different so i did a bit of a study of what i ate against tables of daily requirements and figured im not deficient in anything so havent bought anything from a chemist or drugstore or supermarket in relation to supplements for over 6 years.

I think if one is only consuming stuff out of a freezer or tin or dehydrated packet or takeaway shop its different but if you consume a lot of what i call "real food" from a green grocer/fruit and veg shop, a butcher if you eat meat and something from the dairy cabinet, no extra manufactured vitamins are necessary. (yes i know a billion dollars is sold by the industry so it cant all be just a money making thing)