One of the most important times in a woman’s life nutritionally is when she is pregnant, and passing the nutrition she takes in to a growing baby. Which prenatal vitamins are best becomes an essential question to both mother and baby. You should note that no prenatal vitamin will provide all the nutrition that a mother-to-be and the baby need. Plus, a woman should focus on a healthy diet because simply taking a vitamin won’t make up for a bad diet.
If you think all prenatal vitamins are alike, you’re wrong. We know that there are differences. For example, there are studies that showed only 3 out of 9 prescription prenatal vitamins provided the amount of folate that was stated on the label. If the ingredients are not released and absorbed in your body, you can’t get the benefit. The reason this can happen is that vitamins are not regulated by any governing body. It is up to an individual company to make sure their product will get absorbed in your body.
Unfortunately many women think that a prescription vitamin is better than a non-prescription, maybe because the doctor orders it. The reality is that what’s more important is the ingredients in the vitamin, the quality of those ingredients, the delivery system in your body so that you will absorb the full amount that is stated on the bottle, and personally, I feel that a natural vitamin is an essential requirement.
Synthetic vitamins are made made in a test tube in a lab, to resemble the real thing. The problem is that this can be toxic to the body and can do more harm than good. It’s not real food you get when you take synthetic vitamins. There are no enzymes in synthetic vitamins and there can be side effects. Recent studies have shown that synthetic vitamins can actually be harmful to a women’s health.
It’s important to note that vitamins only have to be 10% organic or natural to say it on the label. The problem with that is the other 90%. The heating process used in making this type of vitamins results in weak enzymes, and unwanted components can include low quality raw materials, and harsh binders and fillers.
Whole Food Vitamins
Natural, unaltered, whole food supplements is the best answer when you ask, which prenatal vitamins are best. This type of vitamin retain all enzymes so that you get nutrition that is as close to nature as possible – that feed and actually improve cells. Natural, unaltered vitamins are balanced and able to be absorbed by your body. The most reputable brands will be able to show that their vitamins contain safe, high quality ingredients that get absorbed.
From Shaklee:
One of the difficulties in offering a prenatal vitamin is that one product may not meet the needs of individual mothers to be. A customized selection of Shaklee supplements will provide nutrition that is superior to most prenatals on the market. If one checks labels, one will find that many off-the-shelf and even prescription prenatal vitamins contain artificial colors and/or flavors. Shaklee, of course, formulates its supplements without these artificial and unnecessary ingredients.
As a general rule, nursing mothers and pregnant women need higher amounts of several essential nutrients than women who are not. Such higher level nutrients include protein, calcium, vitamin B, and vitamin A to name a few.
Two options:
1: Vitalizer* + extra B-Complex (to make sure mom gets enough folic acid) — and extra calcium and/or iron if doctor recommends it
2: Vita-Lea+Iron, extra B-Complex, and consider CarotoMax (for extra vitamin A) and Fish Oil — and extra calcium and/or iron if doctor recommends itAlso consider protein shakes (Either Meal Shakes or a serving of Cinch meal shake prepared as directed, and used as part of healthy breakfast or midday snack provides a mother and her growing fetus with an additional 270 calories, 24 grams of high quality protein and 6 grams of fiber).
Here’s what Shaklee Vita Lea has (and why I used it for four very healthy pregnancies):
- contains all essential 12 vitamins and 7 minerals in proper balance
- contains 27 whole vegetable sources which are readily absorbed by the body
- contains live phytochemicals and the live enzymes not found in synthetic vitamins
- contains 100% of the RDA of Biotin
And here’s what Shaklee Vita Lea doesn’t have:
- no chemicals
- no herbicides
- no pesticides
- no sugar
- no artificial colors, flavors or additives of any kind
Cinch Meal Bars or Snack Bars could be added as convenient snacks (not meal replacements) to make sure the extra calories needed during pregnancy are packed with good health and nutrition.
To learn more about which prenatal vitamins are best, visit: SAFE, NATURAL, WHOLE FOOD VITAMINS – GUARANTEED
*2 Vita Lea tablets are in each strip of Vitalizer
