Ray Audette writes: "By avoiding the forbidden fruits and eating a side variety of natural foods, the need for vitamin and mineral supplements is eliminated."

Do you think he really means I can stop taking my multivitamin, calcium supplement, and vitamin D? I've searched on this forum and I gather that people DO take vitamins when on this plan.

But it would be nice if you didn't have to.

(By the way, I have an autoimmune disease and am on a clinical trial in which I am taking massive doses of antibiotics for 3 years. I do take probiotics too.)

Oh boy, yet another autoimmune disease sufferer! We could start a club. Which one do you have?

I do take some vitamins: Bcomplex, D3, Fish Oil and k2. I take a med for my autoimmune disease that binds up folic acid plus I suspect I have been B deficient, have neurological issues. D3 because I am rarely in the sun. Fish oil because it is very healthy!

I have ankylosing spondylitis and had Graves Disease many years ago.

I have MS, Nancy. Thanks for your reply. It sounds as if you have good reasons you take your supplements.

I used to take alot of pills, but I quit taking them and I feel better, the only thing I take is Ripped Fuel extreme, only cause I gained weight from injuries(stress fractures) and I have PT tests and have to excel, not just pass, they do have a small amount of vitamin C and other vitamins.

I do however eat liver&organs, animal bones(ribs, chicken bones, etc..) and some sea vegetables.

Generally /but for rare specific reasons/ I don’t take vitamins, eat liver, meat organs and sálo instead. (sálo is sort of Russian bacon, pickled pork fat with spices). Also drinks with herbs and spices like cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg.

Ainu people called raw meat/fish “multivitamin”. I like raw fish and chicken, but can’t even stomach the idea of eating raw meat… for now maybe.

It is my opinion that in this country the soils are often depleted and it is highly unlikely that you are actually able to get sufficient nutrition from the food you eat.

I also think that if you're doing a low carb version for weight loss then that will make it even harder.

I agree there's reason to believe the nutritional content of food has gone down. Not just because the soil is depleted but also because of the long-term storage of foods after harvesting, e.g. in inert gas, hard to believe that doesn't have an adverse effect.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/food...1481443,00.html

I take fish oil & vitamin B, and rotate my way through various seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower) and herbs & spices, fresh and dried, in my cooking (oregano, marjoram, sage, thyme, ginger root, garlic, cayenne, turmeric etc). I figure every little bit helps.

If you're in the northern hemisphere's summer, I'm sure you know that you can get a solid dose of vitamin D by getting some sunshine whenever it's out.
Canned sardines are great for calcium if you like them.

This is a very interesting topic. When I first began this Paleo direction, I was amazed at all the fruit and vegetables I could eat and I began taking an inventory of all the vitamins and minerals that are supposedly found in them. While I would never recommend not taking supplements, I do think that eating plenty of meats, fats, and low-starchy veggies and fruit will be the best way to get the naturally occurring vitamins that one needs.

I take supplements, but mainly only if I think I'm not currently getting what I particularly need. I began taking D3 several months ago, but quit because I'm out in the sun a lot now. I also take a calcium/magnesium supplement occasionally. But most important, I try to eat nutrient-dense foods - liver, seaweed, avocados, most colorful veggies, berries, nuts.

Thanks, y'all, I guess I'll continue taking my supplements.

Have you seen some of the research of vitamin D and MS? I'll find it for you if you're interested.

I've also run into several people that were initially diagnosed with MS but later they were found to have Celiac disease that was giving them brain lesions and they got better after going GF and perhaps CF.

Yes, I have seen some of the research, Nancy. And I have some of the good D, too (cholecalciferol, D3).

I doubt I have Celiac disease. I think I would have gotten a lot sicker when I ate toast if I did! But this paleo diet seems to be good for everything.

Eos, raw eggs are easy. And dare I mention it, raw dairy isn't half bad either .

Not necessarily, some people get purely neurological side-effects. Check out the Neurological portion of the The Gluten Files (in my signature). There's a guy called Mario Hadjivallislou, a neurologist I think, who is discovering interesting things about brain related celiac disease.

There's a message forum called Brain Talk where folks discuss various brain related ailments (not entirely brain) and the gluten free section is pretty busy. I don't know about the MS forum but you might check it out. My experience is that the people are really bright and dig up the latest research.

This is very interesting! Thanks, Nancy. I will check them all out.

I don't take vitamins on this way of eating.
I may be naïve, but personally think that if your diet requires taking vitamins you might want to look into a different way of eating so that you get enough vitamins naturally.

I understand our soil does not contain as large of a quantity of vitamins that it used too, but it should still contain enough to keep you healthy.
Like I said though, I may be naïve, but I have never really been a big pill taker.