What nutrients should i be looking out for

[Kindred]

Im aware that the body needs certain things but can make other AND can get most of the things it needs from foods eaten on a regular basis even when raw. However What sorts of things could be a little bit tricky to get? Someone said B vitamins could be hard to obtain. I am also thinkling some fats would be hard to get. Which fats exactly? What sorts of suppliments or things should i make sure i eat to stay healthy.

[Bananna]

you are fine in finding fats, the only fats you are avoiding on raw is transfat, which is highly bad, and saturated fats in extreme, although there is still sources of saturated fats that are raw, such as coconut, but then with coconut it operates differently than animal saturated fat, so not a problem like that.

Selenium can be hard to come by, but it can also be on the SAD diet, it all depends on the quality of the soil you or the animals you would be eating, in that whether there is selenium in it or not.

Iodine can be as well, but you need very little. Dulse has it, as does nori paper...as does table salt, which is where most 'regular' people get their iodine. I personally just use table salt, but sometimes use nori..but I don't 'use' it For that, I just eat intuitively. Iodine deficiencies can cause goiters, that's why it's in supplemented in salt. ...and it's not found in Sea Salt.

Niacin can be tricky if you are picky with greens...as can K2.

You can research all of them on wikipedia easily enough, find out what they are all about and where to get them.
In general vitamins come from fruit and minerals come from greens, but ofcourse both have both, but that is where they are concentrated. Eat a variety of foods to satiation and eat intuitively, and you'll be fine.

B12 can be an issue, vegan or not, but even moreso for vegans because of where our food may be grown and that we wash it. It is said that if you eat 'wild' food your B12 will be fine if you don't wash your food. That said, get your levels checked, get your iron checked too, and after you've been on the diet for awhile you could get some of the other of what I mentioned, or ?, checked...if you request a couple of different ones on each blood sample you get, then you'll know.

Vitamin D is another one. It, as is zinc, selenium, niacin, etc, are all found as supplements in bread and milk, Kraft Dinner, etc. So when you go on this kind of diet, you need to consider your safety net is gone...and who knows how good of a safety net it is anyway? ...Vitamin D comes from the sun and you can successfully get that from tanning beds.

I am a 're'budding raw vegan, but mostly just vegetarian for the last few years and I am deficient in D, B12, low on iron...next I will get tested for selenium because I'm really curious about soil sources in my food. Then niacin...etc, you get the idea. ...but I was probably deficient in all these areas as a SAD eater too. I have little doubt, I was a crappy eater.

They don't typically test for vitamins and minerals in bloodwork and you wouldn't be able to get away with asking to be tested for each and every vitamin and mineral...that is approx. a $500 bloodtest. So slip it in here and there a couple at a time.

Don't stress about it too much though, the body can compensate well for tens of years even...but do get your B12 checked right out of the gate, also D, also iron...those are common problems with everyone, nevermind vegans that don't eat fortified foods.

Hope some of that helps, sorry so long!

[sport]

I do not get enough sodium unless I have celery and not enough Vit E unless I have some mangoes every day.
I get enough of everything from just fruit and greens
I supplement Vit D and B12.

[Bananna]

sport? Have you had your selenium levels actually tested? ...apparently the foods that contain selenium only contain selenium if grown in selenium rich soil, of which is there is plenty of soil that is not.
Just asking... :)

[sport]

I have just had a complete blood test done so I will check to see if that was one of the things that they looked at.
No. It is not mentioned so I do not know how I am,
My post was in relation to the nutrients that I get on a daily basis as determined by cronometer.
Has anyone here been tested for selenium.

[Bananna]

no one will have been tested for it, or any other mineral other than potassium or maybe...sodium or calcium?, unless specifically asked, or the doctor felt symptoms were related to a specific deficiency. ...which can take years/decades to be revealed, and even in that case, they may Still not test for deficiencies. ...consider my brother with schizophrenia that could be caused from a niacin? (I forget now just which one my friend helped me realize it might be) deficiency...that was not tested for, he was just simply perscribed meds for the schizophrenia.

Chronometer does not factor in whether brazil nuts for example are grown in selenium depleted soil or not...it is assuming it is grown in ideal conditions. Wikipedia's page on brazil nuts discusses this selenium/soil issue if you need a source to research.

...it is just one example, and why I will always ask my doctor whenever he orders bloodwork, if he could just check my mineral levels of just one or two things extra....because cholesterol levels aren't really important to me because I know my diet will make all that stuff read perfect....well my ideal diet, which I ate today, lol.

THAT said, I don't consider this to be a raw vegan issue exclusively, because I am not convinced that supplementation is always absorbed properly given that it is given out of context/the food that it's supposed to go with.

[proteus]

you should be on the lookout for protein and vitamin B12

omega 6 fats are easy to get from nuts, like walnuts

omega 3 fats are easy to get from seeds like flax and chia

hemp seed is a great source of both omega 3, and 6 and protein.

not sure what is a good raw source of B12. i am not 100% raw.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i heard there has not been a single recorder case of protein deficiency in north america. i think it was on one of the recent raw food DVDs - can't remember which one.

i don't subscribe to the whole "you need x amount of protein" - i believe eating raw live foods and/or juicing them gives us plenty of protein. my levels were monitored during my entire fast and they only dropped when i water fasted... otherwise they were great throughout my fast.

as a matter of fact... all my levels were great. so eat variety, eat what you are resonating with and remember... health will come to you - trust in that. :heart

[RawSar]

Best way to find out is get a blood test to see where you can improve.
EDS (Electrodermal Screening) is a non-invasive and accurate way to test. My naturopath uses it.
Why guess with your health?
For me I only take supplements when I need to.

[proteus]

i heard there has not been a single recorder case of protein deficiency in north america. i think it was on one of the recent raw food DVDs - can't remember which one.

and Al Gore in his movie said there wasn't a single scientist disagreeing with him, while in reality there are thousands of scientists who violently oppose his claims.

in particular i read about a baby that died from malnutrition when his or hers vegan parents stopped breast feeding him/her and put him/her on a vegan diet instead.

most people on this forum are not in danger of malnutrition, but pregnant women, children, teenagers and athletes need more protein.

i personally think it is immoral to experiment with the health of OTHERS even if they are your own children, including those yet unborn. even if you think you know what you're doing you simply have no right to take chances with another person's life.

even if 100% raw vegan is the most healthy diet, the fact is that it is still an experimental diet.

[Aleesha Sattva]

it may be experimental in your eyes... but feeding a child mcD (which millions of americans do daily) isn't going to bring them to any state of health at all. i see THAT diet as being experimental. that is experimenting with your kids health way more than feeding them a healthy diet filled with variety ever will.

[sport]

it may be experimental in your eyes... but feeding a child mcD (which millions of americans do daily) isn't going to bring them to any state of health at all. i see THAT diet as being experimental. that is experimenting with your kids health way more than feeding them a healthy diet filled with variety ever will.

I saw a woman on a reality show feeding a seven month old a burger (bun and all). She was holding it to his mouth and he was trying to bite at it. How sad is that.
The show was about her father who was so fat that the ambulance men could not get him out of the house.

[sport]

in particular i read about a baby that died from malnutrition when his or hers vegan parents stopped breast feeding him/her and put him/her on a vegan diet instead.

even if 100% raw vegan is the most healthy diet, the fact is that it is still an experimental diet.

Are you sure that the child did not have some other problem.

I can not agree that it is an experimental diet when humans existed on it for millions of years. If it is then it is a very long experiment.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I saw a woman on a reality show feeding a seven month old a burger (bun and all). She was holding it to his mouth and he was trying to bite at it. How sad is that.
The show was about her father who was so fat that the ambulance men could not get him out of the house.

Years ago I had a friend who was bottle-feeding her son. He was so fat that he couldn't use a carseat. She always let him have a 'treat'... of coke or rootbear in his bottle.

[RawSar]

Years ago I had a friend who was bottle-feeding her son. He was so fat that he couldn't use a carseat. She always let him have a 'treat'... of coke or rootbear in his bottle.

OMG!! That is disturbing! I swear some parents should be imprisoned for %&*# like this.

This sort of thing gets me worked up, k, back to my happy place... rainbows, butterflies and kittens :heart:

[Aleesha Sattva]

I know. His teeth rotted right out of his mouth. Nothing anyone said, not even her own mom made a difference. She insisted he have it. :(

[changeisgood]

When 'they' say there hasn't been a single recorded case of protein deficiency - where aare they getting this?

Approx 4 yrs ago in either NJ or NY there were two boys totally malnourished because their parents kept them locked up and hardly fed them. When the boys found a way out years later, a neighbor found them going thru the garbage cans for food. They were skin and bones - couldn't even tell their ages. Doesn't seem possible they weren't deficient in protein- were hospitalized for awhile, parents, of course, thrown in prison to rot.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i don't think they were talking about abuse... that's a whole different story (and i'm sure you know that even sharing it). we are talking about people who are eating.

and i'm guessing they would have gotten that from vital statistics.

[RawSar]

We've gone off topic here. Here's a thread on the whole protein thing:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=57515

Back on topic;
Supplements are expensive why waste money on them if you dont have to.
Eat a variety of fresh whole organic foods and get tested a few times a year.
Even if you arent 100% raw vegan, or even vegan or even vegetarian. The best place to start taking charge of your health should be (IMO) is to get tested. :excited:


Read my signature :wuv

[I_am_there]

And know that you can order your own labs. prepaidlabs.com, econolabs.com, and so on. Lots of places now let you order the tests, go to your local labcorp (or whatnot), and send the results to you.

[Bananna]

just remember that unless there is a reason, most blood tests just measure your blood cell counts and common problems of SAD eaters such as cholesterol. It will Not address vegan issues unless you tell them you're vegan, or tired or something, then they will check B12, maybe iron. That's it. It is not a full vitamin and mineral work up, like many people would like to believe when they say they got 'everything checked and are fine'.

that said, those tests are $500 on the online labs as I Am There mentioned. ...atleast what I've checked. I think it's important to know the different vitamins and minerals and what they do and get whatever you are curious about checked...inform yourself on all ends.
Sad Or Veg. :)