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omg... the things that I take... DH spoke to his chiropractor who loaned him a book about vitamins, and some of the things in there were quite shocking (good and bad). The book was geared towards normal, healthy adults, and recommended specific quantities of specific nutrients to obtain optimum LONG TERM health.
Specifically, the things that it said to make sure you do NOT have in your vitamins:
- no more than 4.5 mg of iron per day (especially for men as they have no way of releasing iron and it does build up and become toxic). Speak to your doctor on this one if you have a tendency to be anemic as you will still want to have iron in your diet, but for most people there's enough in the diet.
- no more than 2000 IU of Vitamin A in the retinol form. This is particularly important for TTC or pregnant women as retinol can cause birth defects. Note that there is no limit on Vitamin A from beta-carotene as this nutrient is not dangerous.
There were a ton of micro-nutrients which were suggested which we couldn't find in any store-bought vitamins (brand name or other). The book also rated vitamins on a variety of factors and the only one that got a gold star is available through DH's Chiropractor. It's really expensive, but I think it'll be worth it.
So what I'm taking:
- MultiVitamin (Douglas Laboratories brand, from chiro) 4 tablets a day, which is half the recommended dose - this is a standard "adult" vitamin
- Vitamin C (Exact brand, from Superstore) 2 x 500 mg
- Vitamin D (Exact brand) 1 x 1000 IU
- Folic Acid (Exact brand) 4 x 1 mg (I am going to get a prescrip for the 5mg tablets next time I go to my doctor)
- EPA/DHA (Pure Encapsulations brand, from chiro) 2 capsules per day - this is a very high-end Omega 3 Supplement. I will be switching to a less expensive brand (same amounts of stuff in it) when these have run out.
- Calcium Citrate (Exact brand) 1 x 300mg - this also contains 200 IU of Vit D
- Vitamin E (Wampole brand, will be switching when done) 1 x 400 IU
- Echinacea (Health Balance brand, from Costco) 1 x 2000 mg. This is for overall immune system health, not specifically because I'm TTC, I've been taking it for 3 years and have rarely been sick.
So yeah, I take a lot....
The Omega 3s - specifically the EPA/DHA are *very* important to baby's brain development. I honestly think there should be more emphasis on this as a supplement for TTC and/or pregnant women - when DH came home with it from the chiro who said "force her to take this if she doesn't want to" was the first I'd heard of it. Up to 70% of a baby's brain is DHA at birth, and if it's not going into a mom's body, obviously baby can't get it.
Folic acid: Most vitamins and doctors will recommend 1mg (no more, no less) for TTC women. However, there was new research about a year ago which suggested that if high-risk mothers took 5mg of folic acid for 3 months prior to conception, that the number of birth defects was decreased. Folic acid is like Citric Acid (Vit C) in that whatever your body doesn't use is simply flushed out of your system and so unless you take a whole crap load at a time (50mg I think was a number I read), you really can't overdose on it. I am not considered high-risk, but since I'm not willing to take a chance that I'm not getting enough of what my baby might need, I am taking 4mg extra a day. There is less than 1mg in my multivitamin, but I got into the habit of taking 4 mg extra because my previous multivitamin had 1mg in it, for a total of 5mg. I will be getting a prescrip for 5mg tablets of folic acid next time I'm at my doctor's (next week).
The rest of the vitamins/minerals I'm taking are for general overall health of myself. I try to eat a balanced diet, but it doesn't always happen, so my vitamins make sure I'm getting what I need.
If you want more info on any of these things, either reply here or PM me.
Hope that helps,
Melissa
Married my true love September 29, 2007
TTC Since Sept '08 (not expecting a bfp for awhile, due to health issues)
Making long URL's smaller daily: http://tinyurl.com
Disclaimer: I am not here looking for your approval, admiration or appreciation. I'm often considered abrasive, rude or inconsiderate. And I'm 100% ok with that. If you don't like me, feel free to ignore me. My life will go on.
"How to upload charts" instructions now in my profile under "Interests".
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I have a naturopath who has told me to be careful of taking vitamins. He said that people start popping vitamins because they think they should and in reality can be causing more harm than good. If you are thinking of taking several types of vitamins, I would suggest talking to your doctor or even better a naturopath. They can tell you what ones you should be taking and when as some do not mix well with other.
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Summer07 (8/28/2008)
I have a naturopath who has told me to be careful of taking vitamins. He said that people start popping vitamins because they think they should and in reality can be causing more harm than good. If you are thinking of taking several types of vitamins, I would suggest talking to your doctor or even better a naturopath. They can tell you what ones you should be taking and when as some do not mix well with other.I was going to say something like this before, but you said it much better. I'm taking supplements, but all have been recommended to me by a naturopath.
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dogmelissa (8/28/2008)
The Omega 3s - specifically the EPA/DHA are *very* important to baby's brain development. I honestly think there should be more emphasis on this as a supplement for TTC and/or pregnant women - when DH came home with it from the chiro who said "force her to take this if she doesn't want to" was the first I'd heard of it. Up to 70% of a baby's brain is DHA at birth, and if it's not going into a mom's body, obviously baby can't get it.
There are other ways to get Omega 3's than from vitamins. You can eat ground flax seed and that's full of omega 3's and you only have to eat 2 teaspoons a day to get omegas. For many people you can just put it on your cereal or sprinkle it on salad. Two teaspoons of flaxseed has 146.3% of your daily intake for omega 3's.
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Loving Planning!
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I agree with both of you, Summer & SofaQueen, that people shouldn't just pop pills, but discuss their diet & lifestyle with a professional. I would, however, suggest that naturopaths are not the ONLY professional who can offer this advice, as many chiropractors and other practitioners (dietitians, nutritionists, etc) are also just as qualified to recommend supplements (and the vitamins I am taking in the combination I am taking them are under a chiropractor's "orders").
I wanted to post this article I just found about Omega 3s in pregnancy. Granted, it's written by a company that sells flaxseed oil, but it's not like a marketing article - it's a good read regardless.
http://tinyurl.com/k86z
Skipping to their "point": "In summary, be sure to consume one to three tablespoons daily of flaxseed oil and one to two servings of omega-3 fatty acid-rich seafood weekly or their equivalent in the form of a dietary supplement."
ETA: I just found an article that said that doctors sometimes recommend *against* taking flaxseed (oil, seeds or ground) during pregnancy as it can sometimes affect estrogen and other hormones. Like any supplement, talk to your doctor or other health practitioner!
Melissa
Married my true love September 29, 2007
TTC Since Sept '08 (not expecting a bfp for awhile, due to health issues)
Making long URL's smaller daily: http://tinyurl.com
Disclaimer: I am not here looking for your approval, admiration or appreciation. I'm often considered abrasive, rude or inconsiderate. And I'm 100% ok with that. If you don't like me, feel free to ignore me. My life will go on.
"How to upload charts" instructions now in my profile under "Interests".
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