RaspbeckyBeret wrote:but I am a (poor) graduate student and I'm looking for the most cost-effective way to consistently meet my nutritional needs on a vegan diet. So, I've started looking into multivitamins. I'm wondering what longtime vegans' recommendations would be for a daily multivitamin. I have found many multivitamins on iHerb.com, some with iron and some without, and I'm just not sure what would be best.
If you're a woman, you probably want one with Iron, particularly if you bleed a lot. If you're a man, it probably doesn't matter, but you might want more Zinc for similar reasons.
Deva makes a pretty good vegan multi.
For calcium, if you don't drink fortified plant-milks, and you don't eat many greens, you can find a generic calcium based antacid at any pharmacy, and take one of those a day. Not with the vitamin or a protein rich meal, since calcium neutralizes stomach acid and interferes with absorption.
You don't have to eat tahini (unless you like it). Tahini is very low in Omega 3 and high in Omega 6, as well as high in methionine. While delicious and a good source of calcium, I wouldn't call it a health food.
In terms of diet, make sure to eat a lot of beans and legumes, and nuts and seeds (many of which can be pretty cheap), and limit grains (particularly limit rice and corn, which are low in nutrition, choose oats and wheat instead). Make sure you eat enough calories.
RaspbeckyBeret wrote:I would like to see a doctor, but unfortunately I just moved to a foreign country and I'm still in the process of getting health insurance. In the meantime, I need to take action as my symptoms have started to affect my day to day life.
What are your symptoms?
If it's happened so fast, it's less likely to be caused by diet unless you aren't eating enough protein or fat, or just not enough calories. Issues with vitamins and minerals usually take longer to appear.
Make sure you're getting vitamin C. Sometimes a very cheap diet can be lacking.
RaspbeckyBeret wrote:Here is a link to screenshots of my food diary from October 4 if you think it would be helpful for your recommendations:
http://imgur.com/a/zoxXz
*Edit: I didn't specifically eat a few of these things, like tahini or the Trader Joe's cookies. I ate their Japanese counterparts and input those for convenience's sake.
You
aren't getting enough protein. I know it says you are, but when you eat a lot of fiber (which is a good thing) absorption isn't as great, and that's really more of the bare minimum to not die. You should probably aim for 100 grams a day.
You should eat some canola oil (low erucic acid rapeseed oil) for Omega 3. That's the easiest way. Or Walnuts. That will also help you with vitamin E.
You can probably drop the avocado to save money.
What else on your list is the most expensive? I think we can save you a few dollars a day.
Since you're in Japan, take advantage of the fermented soy products like nattō that are cheap and readily available there.
Your multivitamin should have enough vitamin D if you get a little sun too. Otherwise, you might want to take a vitamin D2 as well, since it just barely has enough.
If I could buy them online for a reasonable price, I certainly would!