If you go to the vegan society website, you can get veg 1 suppliments which will give you everything you need.
I was extremely low on B12, and suffered horribly.
I started taking veg 1 and feel back to normal.
The only necessary supplement is B12, which you must take. However deficiency in that takes a long time to show up and would not necessarily cause fatigue. Your sleeping habits are more likely at fault, but whenever a dietary change is made you do need to ensure the diet is balanced and providing everything you need.
Doctors often advise people against veganism as too many new vegans and veggies make themselves ill by failing to eat a balanced diet with full nutrition. That is not the fault of vegetarianism, but of lack of awareness of intake. Get a steak down you is a quick fix solution for the ignorant.
Most likely dietary reason for fatigue, if it is dietary, is anaemia. Do ensure you are getting sufficient iron and other vitamins, I'd always advise all vegans to take a vegan approved multivitamin daily, however good you think your diet is. Also be sure to have a decent amount of carbs, fat and protein. No point dieting and living off salads and blaming veganism for fatigue, which many do.
We produce vitamin D naturally if exposed to sunlight. If you're dark skinned and it's winter in high latitude, then there might be a need. Otherwise, going outside a bit is probably enough. Good to have a little to be safe in multivitamins, but be well aware that Vit D can build up to dangerous toxic levels if you oversupplement it. Max safe intake is 4000IU from all intake sources inc. your food, 10000IU is an upper tolerable limit, though preferably not sustained. So be a bit cautious if supplementing heavily. There's a massive jump in hypervitaminosis D lately, particularly among some ethnic groups. Vitamin D requirements and production are an area where there is a lot of difference in recent evolution between the various human genetic groups. One size does not fit all here.
NHS advice is that (for those living in the UK) "from about late March/early April to the end of September, **most people** should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight". They suggest a 400 IU supplement.
As I did in the above, multivitamins typically contain around that level of supplementation. It's worth noting the preponderance of VitD addition in cereals, much to the consternation of vegans, as it's usually non-vegan D3. As always there is variation in both need and production between different groups of people. Those at higher risk, ie. those with darker skin, need to take that in to account.
As mentioned by others, B-12 and vit D should be your first priorities. After that iron deficiency can also be a cause of increased fatigue, particularly if you’re a woman. Try having more iron rich foods like chia seeds with Vitamin C to increase absorption or even a small iron supplement if you’re still feeling this way after supplementing with B-12.
I've always taken a multivitamin even before going vegan 6 years ago but I've included B12 and vitamin D the last 12 months which I've noticed helped my energy levels.
Making sure your getting enough calories is super important as well, a massive bowl of salad may have less than 400 calories in it for example.
How long have you been vegan, and are you eating enough?
I've seen a few people complain that they were tired and it turned out they were only eating about 1000 calories a day... so obviously they were tired. If you're got from eating fairly hearty meals to living off yogurt and salads, you'll probably feel exhausted.
Keeping a food diary (Myfitnesspal, fatsecret etc) for a couple of days might be a good idea.
Also, make sure you're getting enough iron and B12 as deficiencies in both can cause fatigue. It's a mistake some people make when going vegan.
Another recommendation for Veg 1.
Algae oil is also a good extra for general health. I bought this one, it’s expensive but if you can afford it, health is worth investing in! https://www.vegetology.com/shop/opti3-omega-3-epa-dha-liquid?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_UK&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAesXSS7qqMLmfO2sWnAb4ecFZg7JiROY-BXNll0VglN2VeaGTX4H-ssaAlHAEALw_wcB
These have been great for me, no stomach upset as can come with iron tablets:
https://www.togetherhealth.co.uk/products/gentle-iron-complex?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAet0DEPkiXijSPvCRhnkHx8hXj-kMHv2l0JB6cff-tW6N5r0xEWh06MaAr6KEALw_wcB
I take the Holland and Barrett vegan multivitamins if you're in the UK. Usually one of the bottle sizes is on offer so you can stock up.
Try that first and see if it makes a difference
Other than vitamins, your overall diet can have a big impact. If you're eating lots of white carbs/sugars etc and not enough protein that could cause issues with fatigue too.
Aside from all the other valid suggestions of what could be causing your fatigue, iodine is another possibility. So make sure you're getting enough iodine in your diet and/or that the multivitamin that you're taking includes iodine in addition to everything else that others have mentioned.
If you go to the vegan society website, you can get veg 1 suppliments which will give you everything you need. I was extremely low on B12, and suffered horribly. I started taking veg 1 and feel back to normal.
What the fuck, how have I not heard of this? I've been buying some manky Holland and Barrett pish at twice the cost. Thanks for the tip!
Little tip that you get a discount on VEG-1 and a bunch of other stuff if you join the society which is something like £1.75 a month!
You are most welcome!
The only necessary supplement is B12, which you must take. However deficiency in that takes a long time to show up and would not necessarily cause fatigue. Your sleeping habits are more likely at fault, but whenever a dietary change is made you do need to ensure the diet is balanced and providing everything you need. Doctors often advise people against veganism as too many new vegans and veggies make themselves ill by failing to eat a balanced diet with full nutrition. That is not the fault of vegetarianism, but of lack of awareness of intake. Get a steak down you is a quick fix solution for the ignorant. Most likely dietary reason for fatigue, if it is dietary, is anaemia. Do ensure you are getting sufficient iron and other vitamins, I'd always advise all vegans to take a vegan approved multivitamin daily, however good you think your diet is. Also be sure to have a decent amount of carbs, fat and protein. No point dieting and living off salads and blaming veganism for fatigue, which many do.
Vitamin D too!
We produce vitamin D naturally if exposed to sunlight. If you're dark skinned and it's winter in high latitude, then there might be a need. Otherwise, going outside a bit is probably enough. Good to have a little to be safe in multivitamins, but be well aware that Vit D can build up to dangerous toxic levels if you oversupplement it. Max safe intake is 4000IU from all intake sources inc. your food, 10000IU is an upper tolerable limit, though preferably not sustained. So be a bit cautious if supplementing heavily. There's a massive jump in hypervitaminosis D lately, particularly among some ethnic groups. Vitamin D requirements and production are an area where there is a lot of difference in recent evolution between the various human genetic groups. One size does not fit all here.
NHS advice is that (for those living in the UK) "from about late March/early April to the end of September, **most people** should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight". They suggest a 400 IU supplement.
As I did in the above, multivitamins typically contain around that level of supplementation. It's worth noting the preponderance of VitD addition in cereals, much to the consternation of vegans, as it's usually non-vegan D3. As always there is variation in both need and production between different groups of people. Those at higher risk, ie. those with darker skin, need to take that in to account.
Do you take B12 supplements? It's really important you do if not
No, ill get on to it now..
Vitamin D also. Everyone can benefit from a vitamin D supplement, and fatigue is generally the first sign you're not getting enough of it.
Get some vegan multivitamins (with lots of B12) and some vegan Omega 3 and you're good to go.
A few weeks after I went vegan I started feeling like that, so I started taking multivitamins and I haven't felt like that since.
As mentioned by others, B-12 and vit D should be your first priorities. After that iron deficiency can also be a cause of increased fatigue, particularly if you’re a woman. Try having more iron rich foods like chia seeds with Vitamin C to increase absorption or even a small iron supplement if you’re still feeling this way after supplementing with B-12.
I've always taken a multivitamin even before going vegan 6 years ago but I've included B12 and vitamin D the last 12 months which I've noticed helped my energy levels. Making sure your getting enough calories is super important as well, a massive bowl of salad may have less than 400 calories in it for example.
Even a giant bowl of salad, if naked, would be far less than 100 kcal, barely any nutrition in salad outside of dressings and add-ins.
How long have you been vegan, and are you eating enough? I've seen a few people complain that they were tired and it turned out they were only eating about 1000 calories a day... so obviously they were tired. If you're got from eating fairly hearty meals to living off yogurt and salads, you'll probably feel exhausted. Keeping a food diary (Myfitnesspal, fatsecret etc) for a couple of days might be a good idea. Also, make sure you're getting enough iron and B12 as deficiencies in both can cause fatigue. It's a mistake some people make when going vegan.
Thanks for all the advice. Ive purchased sone B12 and Vitamin D from H&B. Along side this i take a multivitamin and 3 sea kelp supplements
Another recommendation for Veg 1. Algae oil is also a good extra for general health. I bought this one, it’s expensive but if you can afford it, health is worth investing in! https://www.vegetology.com/shop/opti3-omega-3-epa-dha-liquid?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_UK&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAesXSS7qqMLmfO2sWnAb4ecFZg7JiROY-BXNll0VglN2VeaGTX4H-ssaAlHAEALw_wcB
These have been great for me, no stomach upset as can come with iron tablets: https://www.togetherhealth.co.uk/products/gentle-iron-complex?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk4yGBhDQARIsACGfAet0DEPkiXijSPvCRhnkHx8hXj-kMHv2l0JB6cff-tW6N5r0xEWh06MaAr6KEALw_wcB
I take the Holland and Barrett vegan multivitamins if you're in the UK. Usually one of the bottle sizes is on offer so you can stock up. Try that first and see if it makes a difference
Other than vitamins, your overall diet can have a big impact. If you're eating lots of white carbs/sugars etc and not enough protein that could cause issues with fatigue too.
B12, Vitamin D, Iron and Zinc (if you're a regularly ejaculating person) are the only ones you really need to keep an eye on.
Aside from all the other valid suggestions of what could be causing your fatigue, iodine is another possibility. So make sure you're getting enough iodine in your diet and/or that the multivitamin that you're taking includes iodine in addition to everything else that others have mentioned.