Vegetarianism and consumption of vitamins/nutrients

[Jessie Fong]

Vegetarianism is a practice of plant-based diet -
a- with or without dairy products / eggs
b- excludes meat (red meat,poultry, seafood)
c- by-products of animal slaughter e.g. gelatin

Pertaining to (c) above, there are certain vitamins and/or nutrients in the market that contains gelatin and fish oil - are these permitted to be consumed if you adopt a life of vegetarianism out of respect for sentient life?

Please share your thoughts.

[ratanasutra]

People follow a vegetarian diet for many reasons which can include religious beliefs, animal rights issues or because of health concerns. There are three levels of vegetarianism. The least strict is a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which excludes all animal sources of food including fish. A lacto vegetarian excludes all animal sources of food, including eggs. A vegan diet is the most restrictive, as it excludes all animal sources of food plus products that come from animals, such as dairy, honey and others.

I think the Vegan should not take the vitamins/supplements of product no.C which contain omega 3 fatty acids etc as it is indirectly from killing animals.

For the vegetarian who still consume egg might eat it as some of egg also have Omega 3 inside.

Again if we are healthy and no illness we should avoid to take this products.

[Jessie Fong]

I think the Vegan should not take the vitamins/supplements of product no.C which contain omega 3 fatty acids etc as it is indirectly from killing animals.

Again if we are healthy and no illness we should avoid to take this products.

Referring to your above, what if due to sickness and/or illness, you are prescribed medication that come in capsules that definitely uses gelatin and you are not aware of its source (there are substitutes such as agar-agar (a seaweed), carrageenan, pectin, konjak, and guar gum).

Would you refuse medication and thus delay your recovery process or would you follow the doctor's advice and take the prescription?

[dondrup]

Option C – vitamins or nutrients which use gelatin or has fish oil are not considered vegetarian food.  Fish oil is extracted from tissues of oily fish.  Similarly gelatin is derived from pig skin and cattle bone.  In other words, option C is not considered a vegetarian diet because any vegetarian diet should not include any animal meat or its by-products e.g. gelatin, eggs, & milk.  Furthermore, these animals had to endure tremendous suffering, and are sacrificed and killed to provide us these foods.  By adopting option C, one still commit heavy negative karma of killing animals.

Some vegetarians due to health reasons adopt option C though they understood the negative karma of consuming these foods.

[Dhiman]

I’ve heard somewhere that there is actually a ‘more extreme’ level of vegetarianism known as Fruitarianism. Those who follow this diet will only eat foods that can be harvested without killing or harming the plant (i.e. fruits, nuts and seeds), grains and most vegetables are out of the picture. Reasons for choosing this lifestyle as compared to other forms of vegetarianism are concerning health issues and the sustainability of the ecosystem.

It is said that being a Fruitarian never works out in the long run due to the lack of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. According to nutritionists, adults must not follow a fruit-only diet for too long while it is totally not suitable for growing teens and children. However, as for every case, there are several individuals out there who are proving the cause:

Mr Zeki Tamer

The human body doesn't need food to live! But as long as it moves, it will not die" said, Mr. Zeki Tamer who died at his age of 92. This old fruitarian, athlete and swimming instructor, was still able to run 100 meters in 14 seconds, at the age of 90. His motto was "what is the use of controlling the entire world if you cannot control your own body.


Pro-runner Michael Arnstein, The Fruitarian.
Everything we need for optimal health is found in nature, in its natural state. A diet consisting almost entirely of raw natural fruit will result in optimal health, and allow for extraordinary physical achievements. This website and my work to promote the benefits of a fruitarian diet is non-commercial. My goal is to help spread the word of how I've achieved peak health and athletic performance through a fruitarian diet. My greatest hope is that people and the planet can move towards greater health through increasing their intake of fresh whole fruits and vegetables.

Would you refuse medication and thus delay your recovery process or would you follow the doctor's advice and take the prescription?

It depends on the motivation of living the vegetarian lifestyle and which one of the following does the individual value most: their life or diet. I am a vegetarian for ethical reason which means I do not support the killing of animals for meat. If being put in that situation, I would ask for a vege alternative first and will follow the doctor’s advice if there is none. I don’t see a point in fighting for a cause to support healthy eating when your own health is deteriorating.

[bambi]

One does not need to choose option C as there are other options for the insufficient vitamins as said. Although it is said that Omega 3 oil is healthy for the heart but there you do not need to eat fish for that. You can also get the same vitamins from flax seeds, hazel-nuts, and walnuts have Omega 3 oil as well and they are just as healthy. Sad to say, with all the toxics that people are irresponsibly throwing in the sea, what makes us think that the fishes are healthy?

As for B12 vitamin that everyone says is important, they can be found in miso (fermented soy paste) and shitake mushrooms. The lacto-ovo vegetarian has no problem as animal products contain high amounts of B-12. Scientifically, one does not need too much B12 to be healthy.

Example:

Vitamin B-12

We only need very miniscule amounts of this vitamin and it is stored in the body. The amount of vitamin B-12 that we need is a very puny one milligram for every 667 days (almost two years)! Yet, some meat eaters continue to argue that vegetarians are not getting enough nutrients such as protein and vitamin B-12. If you watch the
news and live in a developed country such as the U.S., ask yourself how many times do you hear of people dying of scurvy or protein deficiency and other nutrient deficiencies? It just does not happen. The problem in developed countries’ nutrition is excess protein and excess fat which has made heart disease the number one killer in men and women.

[Carpenter]

Nope, Vegetarian mustn’t eat any meat or animal oil contain product, because vegetables has all the protein that we need in our daily life. But if you want to become vegetarian long term, it's helpful, necessary even, to learn about vegetarian nutrition, and how to feed yourself what you need for good health. 

In Buddhism, we do not eat meat not because of Buddha prohibited, but it is to practice our kindness and compassion, we don’t kill the animal for our selfish desire, but in view of certain illness that needed to eat meat, Buddha did allow the monks to eat meat but under one condition.

Buddha said:
"Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you."

All these depends on our motivation, eating because of our desire? or due to sickness.

[pgdharma]

Vegetarianism is the consumption of  plant-based diets (fruits, vegetables, etc.), with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat (red meat, poultry, and seafood). Abstention from by-products of animal slaughter, such as animal-derived rennet and gelatin, may also be practiced.

There are many reasons why people prefer to opt for vegetarian diet.  Many object to eating meat out of respect for sentient life. This motivation is due to various religious beliefs, along with the concept of animal rights. Other motivations for vegetarianism include health, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic or economic. There are varieties of vegetarian diet which may include eggs but not dairy products,  diet which may include dairy products but not eggs, and  vegetarian diet which may include both eggs and dairy products. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy, and honey.

While some vegetarians are not aware of some animal-derived by-products  in the usual production like cheese, marshmallow or gelatin and may unknowingly consume the product, some vegetarians may not be bothered by its consumption. The results of a 2009 International survey suggest the standard definition of vegetarianism is different in different nations. Vegetarians in some nations consume more animal products than those in others.

For Omega 3 found in fish oil in order to maximize production of DHA and EPA we can take flax seed, flax seed oil, canola oil, tofu, soybeans, walnuts and soy milk as a substitute.

[sonamdhargey]

Vegetarianism is a practice of plant-based diet -
a- with or without dairy products / eggs
b- excludes meat (red meat,poultry, seafood)
c- by-products of animal slaughter e.g. gelatin

Pertaining to (c) above, there are certain vitamins and/or nutrients in the market that contains gelatin and fish oil - are these permitted to be consumed if you adopt a life of vegetarianism out of respect for sentient life?

Please share your thoughts.

Dear Jessie,

Once we have pledge to be a vegetarian, one must be mindful of their vegetarian diet and must carefully choose products be it vitamins or supplements to be free of meat by-product. However some vegetarian do consume eggs. For those who does not consume dairy products as well are called vegans. It is not so much if it is permitted or not but it is about your motivation of being a vegetarian. If your motivation is to respect the life of sentient being, therefore refrain from eating them.

[RedLantern]

More people are going vegetarian......or at least parttime.Just that little change can make a big difference for a range of health concerns.Eating too much meat can lead to cancer,diabetes,obesity and heart diseases-the main effect of saturated fat.
For vitamins and supplements,the person can consume vegetarian vitamins.The absorption  of non heme iron can be improved when foods that enhance a iron absorption as included in the meal.Beware of these vegetarian vitamins but don't let fear of deficiencies keep us from choosing a vegetarian diet.One factor to be aware is digestion.The factor to be aware is that no amount of good multivitamin will help if you're not digesting properly.Digestion aids can help your body make the most of what you eat.A good multivitamin and mineral supplement can add welcome insurance to your new vegetarian diet.