[Avezy44]

I've never really liked meat that much, I certaintly dont have a problem living without it.. so I recently decided I would like to try being one.. however, I decided to do my detective work on webmd and saw that b12 deficiency, not enough calcium and iron are common in vegetarians.. and when I looked into b12 it's complications were scary. There are so many pros to being a vegan though, and not as many cons. I want to do it without taking supplements.. I know dairy would be a good way to get b12 and calcium but what about iron?

My mom gets all nervous so she was the one who made me do my research in the first place. lol. So, long time vegetarians, have any advice?

[astrophe]

Find a copy of "The Vegetarian Way" by Mark and Virginia Messina.

http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Way.../dp/0517882752

Straight up veg nutrition.

A

[nelie]

Umm...

Actually dairy isn't a good source of calcium. Animal proteins actually leech calcium from your bones and dairy is no exception. I know quite a few vegans and none of them are calcium/iron deficient and I've only heard 1 or 2 people say they were a little low on b12.

Here are some articles for you to look at:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm

There are tons of vegan iron/calcium sources. As for B12, animals generally either get B12 from the soil but in general our food processes don't allow us to get enough soil in our diet

[pinkalarmclock]

i also suggest you get a multivitamin that has iron, calcium, and b12.

[nelie]

Vegan/vegetarian or not, I'd suggest a multivitamin

[ParadiseFalls]

When I went veggie, I immediately became iron-deficient, but as soon as I started taking a supplement I was fine

[Avezy44]

Thanks guys! I think I am definitely going to look into a good multivitamin. I also appreciate the links and information. Very helpful

[AmandaPlus4]

My whole family is vegetarian, my 2 y/o has never had any type of meat. We all take a good muti everyday and we are all doing great. My 2 y/o just had her iron levels taken and they were perfect, and that was before she started taking the vitamins.

I know tons of vegetarians and vegans and I don't personally know a single person who's had any health problems. And ITA with the pp who said they would take a multi whether veg or not