You Tell Me: Vitamins and Supplements

Wow, you guys!  I am so thrilled with all the amazing musical feedback you shared with me last week.  I have had so much fun working through your recommendations.

That post had more comments that any non-giveaway post I've done (I think).  Score! 

(That reminds me . . . I've been wanting to follow-up on the post commenting on comments by saying I totally understand that very few of us can comment everywhere we like to read.  I am the Queen of Reading Via Feeds!  It was definitely not my intention to send anyone on a guilt trip for not commenting here all the time.  I just want to make it clear that I am always happy to hear from you - whether you are a long-time friend/new reader, long-time reader/new friend, or if you landed here haphazardly by Googling something important like delaying vaccines or making Texas sweet tea.  Or greasy hair.  I'll try to shut up about that for now, although it's hard for me because the dynamics of the blogging community is endlessly fascinating to me.)

Anyway.  MypointandIdohaveone:

It was so great to hear from ya'll on the music issue, and it was a great reminder to me of how outrageously blessed I am to have such a diverse, intelligent, gorgeous, insightful group of friends to run around with.  What else can you tell me to make my life better?  I think I shall start a new series: You Tell Me.  You know all that unsolicited advice you have just rocking and rolling around in your head?  I'm soliciting.

First question in the series: What's the scoop on vitamins and supplements?

I'm pretty sure that at least D and I should be taking them.  She is just about as preschool-picky as they come, and her diet consists chiefly of buttered (whole wheat) pasta, broccoli, milk, 100% juice, breads, lunch meat, rice, PB&J, and Carnation Instant Breakfast.  And "chick'n nuggets" (both the McDonalds variety and the far healthier but equally acceptable Morningstar veggie variety). 

I am about as un-picky as they come (check my waistline for visual validation), but I think as a nursing mom I should be taking something beyond my prenatals to make sure AJ is getting all she needs.  Right?  Some kind of DHA thing?  See how little I know?

So - you tell me.  My eyes totally glaze over when I browse the supplement aisle.  What do we need?  What do you take and why?  Be specific and tell me what brands you think are good, 'cause that's also confusing to me.   

Comments

[Rachel]

What a great idea for a series! I have just started caring and learning about supplements this year, so I will be checking back to see everyone's input.

One thing I have learned is that it's important to make sure your supplements are food-based and not synthetic, because the synthetic versions (vitamins A, D,and E in particular) can be toxic.

Cod liver oil is great for growing kids. (It turns out our grandmothers were right.) Carlson's is a good brand for that.

Spirulina is a great natural source for energy. I can really tell a difference. Milk thistle is great for supporting your liver.

Vitacost.com has great prices and low shipping.

The vitamin we take is called Pana C-315. It's rather pricy (about $50/month) but it has everything, and I mean everything, all in one dosage. Doug has some health issues and he feels a million times better with it, so it makes it worth it.

[Corey]

As much as I love you...I am not good at advice in comments. so I am likely to just skip it, but because I love you, i'll just say that Sugar takes a chewable multi vitamin, and I take a multi vitamin, and sometimes fish oil for the omega 3's, and sometimes calcium. I am certain I am short on calcuim having been breast feeding for 3.5 years, but I haven't really done much about it. sigh....

[Stephanie]

I am nervous taking too much as a nursing mom, so right now at least I'm sticking to the mainstream vitamin area. My OBGYN told me that the prenatal I am taking while nursing is actually for me, my daughter doesn't generally benefit--that a nursing baby will get the nutrients from your milk and you will suffer if there isn't enough to go around. That said, I haven't done any research in that area myself. I take an iron pill as well, and I give my daughter yogurt that has DHA in it to make sure she is getting some, plus her pediatrician has me giving my daughter TriViSol to ensure she is getting enough Vitamin D.

Great post topic, Megan!
Take care,
Steph

[Jennifer]

I would definitely say you do NOT need DHA for your breastmilk. Your body produces enough and that is a ploy by the formula companies who discovered that DHA is already in abundance in our breastmilk and had to make their own to add to formula. As far as babies that are exclusively breatfed, no supplements needed (although many a doctor or nurse practitioner will tell you to use TriViSol). Dr. Sears has a lot of good things to say about both topics - good to check this our further and not just rely on my opinon. Take care!

[Elle]

I'll be interested to read the info on supplementals for women. As regards my boys, I am a Juice Plus fan. I saw significant improvement in all three related to allergy, asthma, & general sickness. We're believers. I'll come back by and post the website. I couldn't get it to come up. Here's the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus

Love the new series idea.

[Debra]

I would say to focus on these things:

- Probiotics
- EFAs (cod liver oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, flax oil)

You can open the pills and rub them on your babies skin, she will absorb them that way.

Those two will get you along way. Obviously a good multi-vitamin is good, but I think if you support the GI tract with probiotics (acidophilus) that will boost immune system.

Check out from library:
SuperImmunity for Kids - Leo Galland
also this is a favorite of mine:
The Diet Cure (it's not about dieting)

HTH

[Julie]

for links to the vitamins we take:
http://funmajors.blogspot.com/2008/03/vitamins.html

[Greenstylemom]

Great minds must think alike because I've been thinking about posting the vitamins that we take. The kids and I both take a children's chewable. I take an additional folic acid, 1g calcium (with magnesium and zinc), a DHA essential oils supplement called MoodBoost, and sometimes some Psyllium husk tabs. I add in vit C when I feel like it.

[Corrie]

I recommend Juice Plus as well for both you and your older daughter. Dr. Sears highly recommends it. The vitamins come from actual foods rather than from chemicals. I have a friend who sells it, so if you're looking for some, let me know via email.

[Noah]

I just keep taking prenatals while nursing (I actually have been taking prenatals for 4 1/2 years straight now, LOL!). I take the rainbow light brand because my midwife recommended them as one of the more natural vitamins (the vitamins are not as synthetically produced as many mainstream brands.

For Will, I tried to get him to take a natural multi-vitamin with iron because I worry about his iron level, but he wouldn't touch it. So I give him the gummy bear vitamins from trader joes and floradix (1/2 an adult dose) when I can get him to take it.

[katie fox]

Definitely make sure your pre-natals are food-based, like Rachel said - synthetic vitamins are pretty worthless and can even be toxic. Also, like Rachel, I agree on the cod liver oil for everyone - babies can get it as early as 4 months. Here's a good article about it: http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/clarifications.html

Other than that, I wouldn't do much more for yourself or AJ right now. Your nutrients should come from your food more than anything. Have you checked out these sites?
http://www.nourishingourchildren.org/
http://www.realmilk.com/

p.s. just saw you have the simple mom button on your blog - she's a good friend of mine (in real life! :) that's fun. i just added it, too.

[Megan@SortaCrunchy]

Hey ya'll - Stephanie at Keeper of the Home put up a great post in her series on suppliments today. Check it out!
http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2008/05/isnt-good-food-good-enough-part-3.html#comment-1787

[Jen]

Oh my - everyone seems to be much better informed than I am! I don't confess to eating very well...and I don't take any supplements either. Not even prenatals *shame*. I will definitely try to check out some of the links in the comments above. As always a great topic Megan!

[stephanie]

Awhile back I read that studies have shown that your body does not absorb nutrients as well thru supplements as it does thru actual food. (i.e. you get more benefit from an orange than a Vitamin C tablet) That said, I'm still for taking supplements, but I try to remind myself to eat a nutritious mix of food 'cuz my body will actually benefit more from that. I have no idea what you should take while you're in breastfeeding mode. I thought regular prenatals were good.

[Kickboxing Mama]

Hey There!

I just take a prenatal (still nursing over here too!) Not sure about the whole DHA thing.

I give my DD a chewable multi. In the winter I also give her the little gummy vitamin C's w/ added echinatia (How do you even spell that?)

[Donielle]

A good pre-natal should be all you need while nursing. I think the DHA ones are just an added benefit. One way to check and see if the brand of vitamins you buy are good - your pee should be bright yellow. The reasoning behind that is something like 'you can tell your kidneys are filtering out the nutrients'.
(and make sure there are no corn by-products in them. Sometimes it's used as a coating and we all know how well corn digests.)

[Sara@MillerMoments]

I've been using Melaleuca vitamins for over 2 years now - through 2 pregnancies and 13 months of nursing. They are AMAZING! Hardly any MS nausea, lots of energy, no doctors visits for anyone in our family in two year's time - the process they use is called FRUCTOSE COMPOUNDING - which basically means that they encapsulate each vitamin in fructose - our guts more readily absorb fructose - so therefore, we're actually absorbing MORE of the vitamins and supplements we need - rather than having them waste right on through us.

Do some research on them at www.melaleuca.com (A GUIDED TOUR link is on the first page) and you can also browse through their products under PRODUCT STORE.) If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me directly. I've really studied a lot on vitamins and nutrition and I firmly believe theirs are the best out there! Reasonable pricing, too. :)

[jenn]

Hey! Found you from Fussy and I just have to say I think you are ridiculously good looking. Really, I think you're beautiful, you're profile pic is so serene and lovely. I instantly wanted to read everything you've written.

Anyway, I sort of skimmed over every one else's comments so, sorry if I repeat here, but I definitely second (or third, or fourth, or seventh) the EFA's (essential fatty acids) they are SO good for you and baby. You don't need to supplement DHA's, the formula makes are scrambling to keep loyal customers by adding it in because your body already makes it. Other than that, a good multivitamin is really all you need, I feel. You do get nutrients and vitamins from the food you eat, so taking a supplement does just that - supplements your diet. We buy ours (and EFAs and CoQ10) from TriVita and we really like them but really you could get all those things from just about anywhere.

I just started giving my daughter (almost 2) some liquid multi-vitamins, something like dolphin's splishy splashy berry flavored... I can't remember! She doesn't like them but she forgets that by the next time I give her a dose :)