Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

So as part of my new diet plan, I'm trying to take a vitamin supplement every day. I'm taking Blue Bonnet B-Complex caps (www.bluebonnetnutrition.com). I understand that B-12 supplementation is important for us as our diet does not give us access to that, but are there any other nutrients that a vegan diet tends to be short on that I should know about? I want to make sure that I'm not deficient in anything but I also don't want to pop things in my body if I don't need to.

By the way, does anyone know anything about how these sorts of vitamin mixtures are formulated? This particular brand gives you: B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, Folate, B-12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, and PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). I was only trying to get a B-12 cap but I got all this other stuff with it. I'm curious why these particular things might go together. I know nothing about biochemistry.

Man, this B-vitamin stuff make you *nauseous* if you take it on an empty stomach! Ugh.

All vitamins make me nauseous on an empty stomach.. especially the omega 3 stuff.. blech.

I recommend this page to explain b12 supplementation.

I recommend this page for recommended vegan supplements.

I think you need a specific b12 supplement (a multivitamin will not do). Since you don't eat meat... you need more than the 'RDA' suggested for meat eaters. So if a food or vitamin says '100% of RDA' for b12 ... that doesn't mean 100% for you. Use the recommendations in the articles above.

Myself... I take b12 daily, and I tak vit D, zinc, and omega 3 (flax) here and there. I don't recommend you do what I do as your lifestyle/eating will be different than mine, but those are the vitamins I thought I needed based on those articles.

As a vegan, make sure you:

1. Get a B12 supplement, 200-500% your DV daily, or 1000-5000% your DV weekly.
2. Get enough vitamin D from sun exposure, and if you don't, then take a 50-100% supplement daily.
3. Along with vit D, make sure you are eating foods high in calcium. If you can't get enough calcium from foods, take a 50-100% DV supplement daily.
4. If you use iodized salt, then that will be fine for iodine, but if you don't, you will need to make sure you get iodine from another source, such as a sea vegetable or, again, a supplement.
5. There is some recommendation for taking a source of DHA for overall health (not just for vegans). There are a few good DHA supplements on the market, but they are expensive compared to other supplements. I try to take a 300mg DHA capsule at least every few days or once a week, just to be safe, but the science on DHA supplementation isn't quite there yet, so if you want to hold off, it's understandable.