Eventually we may just eat pills to get by and possibly be healthier than eating any normally food. There is no reason to oppose supplements, so why does it matter if you need them to be healthy?
Also, if you are including fortified food as supplements, you probably do not know a single non-vegan who doesn’t consume supplements at least some of the time. All dairy is fortified. And I think some meat is- including b12 fortification. And as one ages, you need supplements for some nutrients like b12, regardless of your diet.

@tofumonster, some intestinal bacteria can actually produce small amounts of b12, but obviously this is not a major source. So our body can produce it but we certainly cannot rely on it, just wanted to clear that up!

“Microorganisms, primarily bacteria, are the only known organisms that manufacture B12. These bacteria often live in bodies of water and soil. Animals get B12 by eating food and soil contaminated with these microorganisms.”

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/01/30/vitamin-b12-part-three.aspx

Some further points to note:
- Humans need fairly small amounts of b12 compared to other vitamins and nutrients seeing as b12 can be stored in the body.
- However (examined in the link above) the circulation of b12 is a complicated process needing the right conditions, which is why many vegan b12 fortified foods, such as nutritional yeast and soy milk, come with a very high amount of fortified b12 (a quarter cup of nutritional yeast can easily equal 600% of your daily b12 needs)
- There are different sorts of “attachments” (also in the link above) which change what form of b12 you’re consuming. If anyone does plan on taking a vitamin pill daily for b12, it is best to do research first to find the most effective form of b12 for your body. (Another reason why b12 can be fortified in high amounts in some vegan foods is because they are using a less effective form of b12 (Cyanocobalamin Versus Methylcobalamin).

No matter if a person eats meat or not, to be at your healthiest you should take supplements. However, just because you are veg doesn’t mean you need them to survive; There is no doubt in my mind that a vegan will get more nutrition from their diet than a meat eater. If your eating a well balanced vegan diet and not just junk than you will get every vitamin and mineral you need. The only vitamin that you really need to take is B12 because veggies don’t have too much of it and our body cannot produce it. However, nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B12.

Recently I have been taking nothing. People take supplements all the time generally when they just health conscious, which a lot of vegans are bc they pay more attention to what they are putting into their bodies. Vegans are naturally healthier without taking supplements. Plus, my first and foremost reason for being vegan is not for health anyways, it is bc it is morally right.

What supplements? I have NEVER taken any since being vegan. I am not 90lbs with no meat on my bones or about to die either. If you eat a healthy diet you will be healthy. You have to eat proteins like peanut butter, beans, tofu, etc. If you do you won’t need any suplements.

Eating vegan food is by far the healthiest thing you can do for yourself it is much more nutritious and healthy. Just look at milk, dairy milk adds hormones to your body that are not needed (giving you acne and other health problems) and soy milk takes unneeded hormones out and have 50% more calcium. It all depends on WHAt vegan food you eat.

I don’t take “all these supplements”. I know hundreds of other vegans online who will adamantly tell you that they eat healthy whole foods, don’t take supplement pills, and lead active and healthy lives.

If you’re taking a bunch of supplements, maybe you aren’t relying enough on fruits and vegetables. I do recommend “junk food vegans” (people who just eat daiya cheese pizza every night and processed foods all the time) to take supplements.

And yes, you CAN get all the nutrients you need from vegan food. I used to be anemic as an omnivore and I took vitamin pills. I wouldn’t call that “healthy”. Many omnivores I know don’t donate blood because they are experiencing anemia or other health conditions.

I do get everything I need for my body by being vegan.
In the four years I’ve been vegan, I’ve never had one deficiency or lack of a nutrient I need.
I can’t take any pills, they make me vomit, so I’d never be able to take a vitamin pill.
So, you don’t need to take any supplements to be healthy when you’re vegan. I’ve been fine for four years.
The mock meats I eat, like veggie tacos, have a lot of nutrients in them, so I eat a lot of those.
This summer I’ve been averaging 12 – 24 veggie tacos a week. lol

It saves animals.

That’s like asking why I wear helioplex sunscreen and then I have to take vitamin D3. So I don’t get skin cancer.

You have to take all these supplements to be healthy?
(Note: My bf asked and I started to wonder myself.) Any thoughts? Many nonvegans/omnis are healthy without taking vitamins pills (yet many of them are…) But that’s not the point. I want to know, why be vegan if you can’t get all the nutrition from what (all the vegan food) you eat?