If you become a vegetarian, what supplements do you have to take to make up for nutritional loss?

I am thinking about becoming a Buddhist, and with it, a vegetarian. I am pretty sure you have to take something to make up for what you lose when you cut meat out of your diet, but what? Is it different for each person? I know I should talk to my doctor about this, but I just want a heads up.

You don't need supplements IF you have a good diet and understand nutrition.

What you do need to learn is how to combine foods to form complete proteins. (Such as grains and legumes)

PLEASE don't listen to the advice of the "best selected answer." Combining proteins is unnecessary! That idea was popularized in 1971 by Frances Moore Lapp茅 in "Diet for a Small Planet." Many people, herself included, have since said this is incorrect. Report Abuse

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"In 1971 I stressed protein complementarity because I assumed that the only way to get enough protein ... was to create a protein as usable by the body as animal protein. In combating the myth that meat is the only way to get high-quality protein, I reinforced another myth. Report Abuse

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I gave the impression that in order to get enough protein without meat, considerable care was needed in choosing foods. Actually, it is much easier than I thought.

With three important exceptions, there is little danger of protein deficiency in a plant food diet. Report Abuse

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The exceptions are diets very heavily dependent on fruit or on some tubers, such as sweet potatoes or cassava, or on junk food (refined flours, sugars, and fat). Report Abuse

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Fortunately, relatively few people in the world try to survive on diets in which these foods are virtually the sole source of calories." Report Abuse

who told you that vegeterian food is not sufficiently nutritional? thats the most rubbish thing i have ever heard, i am pure vegetarian since my birth thats 25yrs and i am perfectly helthy person.

There is no nutritional loss if you educate yourself about your body's needs.
There are many communities in the world where meat is absent from the diet.

You only lose nutrition if you dont eat properly and that goes for everyone..even meat eaters. Google the Vegetarian food pyramid. Take note that whole grains are the most important in any healthy diet. How many meat eaters do you know that eat 9-11 servings of whole grain a day?

You don't need suppliments. You just have to eat a diverse group of vegetables. I think that Indian food covers most if not all of your bases, so I'd look into what they eat (e.g. a lot of lentils, chick peas, tofu, etc) to make up for the meat, and eat the normal vegetables you would get anyway.

Yea...you don't NEED supplements. I kept hearing that I'd have a vit B 6 and B12 deficiency, but I didn't. I get plenty of it in my soy milk. If you know what the body needs, how it works, and what organic/natural/vegan foods you can find them in, it's not that hard.

oh my goodness, im not a vegetarian, but some of my breathren here are practicing vegetarian, if you are a vegetarian you dont need to take food supplement, vegetables are more nutritious than taking food supplement, besides its natural..you have nothing to lose dear if you are a vegetarian, as i said vegetables arte more nutritious than any other food supplement ok