Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Supplementing Your Diet

Kelli and I have been getting a lot of questions about what supplements we take.  So, I thought it might be helpful if we shared what we're taking and why we chose those supplements.

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When I was pregnant with my Sweet Pea, I was anemic.  My midwife recommended that I take an herbal iron supplement instead of a pill.  She recommend Herbal Iron from Mountain Meadow Herbs.  I started taking it and I immediately felt a difference!  I was intrigued with the idea of taking herbs as a way to get the nutrients my body needed.

This, in part, led me to become a certified Family Herbalist.  During the coursework, I realized that I would be a lot better off getting my vitamins and minerals from whole food sources.  One benefit from using whole foods is that I don't have to make sure that my calcium has vitamin D and magnesium to go with it, or that my iron has vitamin C!

As I continue to research and figure out what my body needs, I've added a couple other herbal mixtures to my daily routine.  Most mornings I make a smoothie for breakfast.  For an added nutrition boost, I add chia seeds and this mix from the Bulk Herb Store.  With this smoothie, I'm getting a great boost right away in the morning (and can sometimes even convince my kids to have some ;) ).

During the day I drink a lot of herbal teas.  They are my go to drink.  One of my favorites is the Mama's Red Raspberry Brew.  What am I getting by drinking this?  Red raspberry leaf is filled with essential minerals and vitamins like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, E, A and B complex. It also contains easily assimilated calcium and iron. 




Another favorite is the Dr Cinnamon tea.  Cinnamon has been shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Cinnamon also has the remarkable ability to reduce inflammation in the body. 

With these few additions to a fairly good diet, I have been able to get all the nutrients that my body needs.

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I always walked through the vitamin aisles at the stores and got so overwhelmed.  While I did Weight Watchers they insisted that everyone take a multivitamin so I always bought whichever was cheapest at the store and normally remembered to take it every day.  When I was pregnant my doctor prescribed me a prenatal vitamin and an iron pill (I was anemic with my first two pregnancies) that I would take religiously and would throw up half the time.

Then I started working with a lady that sold Juice Plus and I started buying that and I took it often because it was so expensive and it came to my house monthly!  When I started working with a personal trainer she told me about a lot of supplements that I decided to try and I stopped taking Juice Plus.  However, I realized that I was still shelling out a lot of money and not really seeing or feeling any different.

During my pregnancy with Anna I started reading more about real food diets and the belief that if you are eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats from reputable sources that you don't necessarily need a ton of supplements.  I began investigating that theory more and decided that since I don't take any of my supplements religiously that I would try that out.

My family and I are all healthy and when we do get a check up or blood work done we are all in healthy ranges.  During the winter or when we are around sick people I use herbs and oils to boost our immune systems. I make sure that we literally eat a "rainbow" daily.  I make sure that we get in healthy fats and I have a lot more room in my cabinets because I don't have a bunch of bottles that we aren't using in there!

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