My Daily Supplements
In general I am not a huge fan of overdoing it with vitamins and supplements. I believe that eating a varied diet rich in plant based foods helps me cover all of my bases nutritionally. However, since a few months before becoming pregnant with Hermione I began taking prenatal vitamins to make sure I was getting everything I need in order to support the growth of a healthy baby. When you are pregnant your body needs more of certain vitamins and minerals that can be hard to obtain no matter what your diet. Think of a good prenatal as your "insurance policy." I actually never stopped taking my prenatal between my first pregnancy and this one. I needed the extra support while nursing and even after that my body was so depleted from 10 months of pregnancy and 20 months of nursing that it continued to need all the help it could get!
The search for a really high quality prenatal vitamin can be daunting. There are a ton on the market and many of them are cheaply made and not ideal. A common complaint amongst pregnant women is that their prenatal either makes them nauseous or constipates them. Two things you do not need anymore of when pregnant!
So, what is key in a prenatal vitamin for a pregnant or nursing mama to look out for? Folate (folic acid) and Vitamin D. Folate is essential for proper brain development and Vitamin D helps boost your immune system, promote healthy bone development and can even help prevent gestational diabetes. A high quality, full spectrum prenatal vitamin will also be made from whole foods (not synthetics), iron (great if you eat a plant based diet like me), Vitamin C for immunity, and a Vitamin B complex to help maintain your energy levels.
Enter LifeEquals. I am 100% in love with their whole foods based prenatal vitamin. It is truly amazing. I have truly put it to the test and it has never let me down. No matter when I take it morning or night, with or without food it has never once made me nauseous. Plus the added digestive enzyme it contains has helped keep my digestion moving along. Life Equals more than covers my bases on everything I need and has keep me healthy and energized and baby girl growing these past five months!
The other supplement I cannot live without is a probiotic. In order to balance my gut bacteria and maintain healthy digestion I take a probiotic every single morning. Probiotics also range widely in quality and sadly many are poorly made and not effective. It is not a surprise that Life Equals also makes the best probiotic I have found. The best part about their probiotic is that it is shelf stable so can live in my bathroom next to my beloved pre-natal and does not have to be stored in the fridge! This makes it ideal for travel as well.
Recently I was honored to be asked to be a Life Equals Brand Ambassador and I could not be more thrilled to partner with such a wonderful company.
If you would like to try Life Equals supplements for yourself (you should!) head on over to their site and take a look. The prenatal and probiotic are my personal favorites but everything they make is excellent!
Life Equals was also kind enough to give my readers a special 75% off (yup you read that right) off their first month's order when they set up a monthly subscription. Just use code SJM75 at checkout after you use the "subscribe and save" option. I hope you love them as much as I do!
