There must be something in the water! It seems like everyone I know is getting pregnant! This is such an exciting time, yet invokes many questions as well.
I’ve been asked many questions lately in regards to pregnancy and which vitamins are “safe” to take while pregnant. As women, we have an innate desire to protect and to do what is best for our children. That desire fueled me, as well as many other women, to investigate just what I was putting in my body as well as what nutrients I needed. So in regards to the safety of vitamins while you’re pregnant, here are a few thoughts. Many of you reading this may already know these things, so I’m not trying to “insult your intelligence!”
These 5 tips are things that I learned throughout my pregnancies and I hope that you will find them helpful.
TIP #1: Pregnancy is Not a Disease
Just because you get pregnant, does not mean you stop living and doing those things that help promote health when you weren’t pregnant. You don’t stop taking vitamins or stop exercising (unless you have a condition in which your doctor has deemed exercise dangerous). The doctors kind of make you feel like when you get pregnant you need to shift and change everything because you are now pregnant. It’s actually quite the opposite. When you are pregnant you should be doing MORE of what works for you when NOT pregnant. In regards to exercise, I do not mean do more, but don’t stop, as if you have a disease and can no longer work out. Just do so wisely. Its the same with supplements. Know what you are taking, what it’s purpose is for, and how much your body needs (not your un-pregnant body, but a body that is creating life!). There is a greater need when pregnant.
TIP #2: Your Pregnant Body is in Greater Need
When pregnant, every cell of the baby comes from somewhere. It will come from what you put in your body or from YOU. A baby is not created from nothing but from cells that need nutrients and large amounts of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). If you are not getting these, the baby will pull the amino acids from your muscles, organs, and cells. This leaves your depleted and feeling yucky.
TIP #3: Shaklee Vitamins are as Close to Nature as Possible
Vitamins are not like medicine. Because medicine is synthetic and unnatural, it is possible to overdose and cause severe problems. Over 100,000 people die yearly from this, and well into the millions over the past 30 years. Only 4 cases have ever been heard of in regards to vitamin “overdose” and these were unreported (meaning, there was no confirmation in death that the vitamin overdose was really the cause).
Now, It is very wise to check the vitamins brand you take because not all vitamins are the same. Some can actually do more harm then good because they are synthetic, meaning they are produced in a lab somewhere to mimic the real think. Your body rejects this and unnatural. See the different types of vitamins here.
Shaklee vitamins are different, however, in that they are like eating food (obviously nothing is as good as the real thing, but it is as close as you can get in a pill form!). So to avoid vitamins while pregnant is like saying “I can’t eat too many apples. It might hurt me.” You can’t over-dose on apples or spinach (again, remembering all things in moderation).
TIP #4: Understanding Shaklee Label
By FDA standards, vitamin companies must label their products certain ways thus you will sometimes find “Ask your health care professional if pregnant or nursing.” Herb Lax is a primary example. If anything has a laxative effect it must be labeled as such. Herb Lax is comprised of 9 different herbs in which one has a laxative effective, thus the appropriate labeling. Many companies do not adhere to FDA standards and so you will not find the appropriate labeling on the bottle. So although the label may read “Ask your health care professional if pregnant” does NOT in any way mean a pregnant lady should avoid this product…this is just following proper FDA protocol (Which, btw, is WAY higher and more stringent for natural vitamin companies than it is for drug companies. New drugs come out every day without any human testing. This is dangerous and oftentimes deathly to the consumer, yet the FDA allows it. Shaklee, on the other hand, does millions of dollars of research, only tests their products on humans, and 340 quality control test on every individual ingredient before a product is released each time. Backwards, huh? There is no money in health care, therefore there are a lot more “hoops” for natural companies to jump through.)
In the example of Herb Lax, a pregnant woman can highly benefit from the product in that toxemia is becoming more and more common among pregnant women who have trouble eliminating waste from their colon. HerbLax IS NOT a laxative but helps to loosen junk that sits in the colon day after day, building up, blocking nutrient receptions in the colon, and eventually creating toxic overload and an inability in the body to absorb nutrients (all nutrient receptor sites are in the colon. If these are blocked, your body misses out on valuable nutrients!).
TIP #5: Know what the Baby and You Need, And When
Throughout the different stages of pregnancy, the baby is developing different things. Knowing what is going on in your body can help you know what to take and when. I’m working on this blog in full soon, but some examples are:
- Protein is HUGE for the early stages (and throughout) because the baby is just developing and those cells come from somewhere. Protein will also help keep hormone levels even and help ward of nausea.It also makes you feel more full than less nutrient dense carbs. Take in morning and again at night to keep off hunger during the night and allow the body to build and repair while you sleep. This is proteins primary function–building, repairing, and healing. Nighttime is the primary time for this function.
- Vitamin B (that has all 12 Bs in the PERFECT ratio that they are found in nature; not taking one B and overloading on it. i.e B12, or B6. Anytime B occurs in nature it is with all 12 and in perfect ratio.): This is crucial for many development things but folic acid is necessary to prevent spina bifida. Also can help with uterine cramps so taken in large doses right before and during labor can help ease the pain of contractions.
- Lecithin: Helps in later stage (around 6-7 months) when the brain is going through rapid growth. Lecithin will increase the amount of brain synapses that the baby has.
- Herb-Lax: Prevents toxemia and helps with constipation, thus preventing the ever dreaded hemorrhoids that pregnant women can get.
- Calcium/Magnesium (Called Osteomatrix) : Aids in building strong bones, but the Protein is just as, if not more, crucial than Calcium. Bones are primarily made up of water and amino acids, not calcium like most people think. Calcium is also huge for acid reflux as the baby gets bigger and pushes your stomach up higher to your esophagus. Within 5 minutes, chewable cal/mag (or about 10-15 for the regular OsteoMatrix) will soothe the worst case. Calcium, like B, can also help with uterine cramps so taken in large doses right before and during labor can help ease the pain of contractions.
- Multivitamin (VitaLea): The body needs a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals for various functions and development. Shaklee’s multi (as well as all of their vitamins) are bioavailable (meaning the body can get to the nutrients and use them) and will be absorbed. The scientist, doctor, and nutritionist team that develops Shaklee vitamins have tested which nutrients should be paired together to optimize absorption in the body. A poorly manufactured vitamin does not take this into consideration and you basically are paying for expensive pee!
- Omega 3′s and 6s (in the form of GLA): Important for brain development and hormone balancing.
If this was helpful information, let me know! Share you Tips here or email them to me at info@healthyoates.com
