Supplements Archives - The Workout Mama

Vitamins & Supplements for a Healthy Family

You will never see me promote anything on here, sponsored or otherwise, that I haven’t used myself and researched before using. This post is not sponsored and I have never been sponsored by the brands listed.

Do you take vitamins or supplements? What about your kids? It can be overwhelming at times as a parent figuring out what your child needs let alone finding the time to research what you need for yourself. This is a list of what has worked and is working for me and my family.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN PURCHASING VITAMINS/SUPPLEMENTS

I take the responsibility of sharing my opinions and recommendations very seriously and would NEVER post about a product without researching it to the best of my ability. So what are some of my recommendations when purchasing vitamins/supplements? I am glad you asked…

1. WHAT YOU EAT IS KEY

It is important to keep in mind that vitamins and supplements are a support to your diet. Your diet is the key to healthy living. You CANNOT take enough vitamins or supplements to counteract a bad diet.

2. GET FAMILIAR WITH THIRD PARTY TESTING

It is important to become your own advocate and do your own research. Without this testing there is no way to determine if what is actually inside matches what the label says. The FDA does NOT monitor vitamins and supplements so ANYTHING could be put in these products.

USP and Consumer Lab (there are a few others as well) are third party unbiased companies that are hired by the vitamin company to test their products including product validity, absorbability, and make sure there is no added ingredients or the amount in the ingredients matches the label.

3. GMO-FREE

If possible try to limit the amount of GM ingredients in your vitamins. An easy way to do this is to be sure that your products are free of the most common GM ingredients: corn, sugar beets, high fructose corn syrup, and soy.

MY RECENT VITAMIN ORDER

This week I received my vitamin order in the mail and I thought it would be fun to share what we use in our household. Remember to check with your doctor before taking any new vitamin or supplement.

For the last few months I have been using Integrative Therapeutics – Clinical Nutrients for Women. I love this vitamin, you can see the supplement facts in the picture below! If you decide to try out this brand my only recommendation would be take with your meal and work up to the three tablets. If you have never experienced a Niacin flush, they aren’t super pleasant, and I am guessing somewhat equates to what a hot flash feels like, in addition to your joints becoming flaming red because of increased vasodilation. FYI, these don’t smell super great so if you notice an odd oder it is probably coming from these vitamins. My naturopath recommended this brand. Josh is also taking the Men’s version – Integrative Therapeutics – Clinical Nutrients for Men. $25 for 90 tablets, 3 tablets daily

Thorne Research – Meriva-500 is an anti-infalmmatory supplement derived from Turmeric. Thorne is such an amazing brand! Super high quality! If you have an autoimmune disorder this is something to look into and talk with your doctor about. I also take this during that certain time each month instead of an ibuprofen and it works just as well. $28 for 60 capsules, 2 capsules daily

I have taken Innate Response – Adrenal Response for the last year for adrenal support. Adrenal fatigue is estimated to affect around 80 percent of people in the world. Most people struggle with adrenal fatigue at some point in their lives. Symptoms include: body aches, trouble concentrating, racing thoughts, moodiness and,irritability, always tired, feeling overwhelmed, hormone imbalance, and cravings for sweet and salty foods. If you have adrenal fatigue, it can also be a major cause of excess fat storage and low energy levels. $51 for 90 tablets, 2 tablets daily

The be all and end all to any kid vitamin – SmartyPants Gummy Vitamins. I could seriously eat this whole bottle. Supplement facts shown in the picture below. Josh and I have been known to sneak a few of these as a treat every so often, I know, I know, it is so bad, but these are just so good. They are chewy, sweet, without artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup, and the best part GMO-FREE! In order to stop eating the kids vitamins we now have a bottle of SmartyPants Vitamins Adult Gummy Multivitamins. I promise we are not overdosing on vitamins, we maybe have 1 a day, if that (an adult serving is 6 yummies). $16 for 120 gummies, 4 gummies daily

Lastly, we take SFH Stronger Faster Healthier SO3+D3 Super Omega-3 Liquid Fish Oil EPA+DHA (Orange) and I also take Integrative Therapeutics – Bio-Zyme® between meals. I know this might sound like a lot to some but to me and my family it is just part of our routine. Having dealt with an autoimmune disorder I know how fast your body can revolt against you. This is why I have made a commitment to learn as much as I can in order to promote the ongoing health of myself and my family.

I would love to know if you take any vitamins or supplements. Leave a comment below and let me know.

The links in this post are part of an affiliate program. This means if you purchase an item from a link I provide, I might receive a commission. This does not change the cost of the product to you. I only share products and services that I would personally use and think are a good fit for my readers. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that help support our family. This is not a sponsored post.

Losing The Baby Weight: Nutrition

Happy Wednesday friends! If you are just joining the Losing The Baby Weight series welcome!

Here are the topics that have previously been covered:

Wednesday, June 12: Pregnancy & Exercise

Wednesday, June 19: What To Expect After You Deliver

Wednesday, June 26: The First Six Weeks

Wednesday, July 3: Nutrition

Good nutrition after delivery is so much more important than during your pregnancy. Please don’t misunderstand. I am a huge advocate for eating a nutrient rich diet during pregnancy. Your diet after pregnancy directly impacts the quality of your breast milk and how quickly you recover from childbirth. Regardless of if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding your baby a balanced diet of complex carbohydrates, protein, and fats, with as little sugar as possible is going to increase your success with losing the baby weight.

Complex Carbohydrates vs. Simple Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates take a little longer to digest, are high in fiber, more satisfying, and they don’t raise the sugar levels in the blood as quickly as simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates act as the body’s fuel, and they contribute significantly to energy production and have a higher nutritional value than simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are commonly found in whole plant based foods and are high in vitamins and minerals. Most people should consume between 40-60% of total calories from carbohydrates with the majority being complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates include:

Green vegetables
Whole grains and foods made from them, such as oatmeal, pasta, and whole-grain breads
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin
Beans, lentils, and peas

Helpful Hint: Consume foods that are high in fiber to improve your digestive health, lower cholesterol, and improve blood sugar levels. Adults need between 20-30 grams of fiber daily.

Simple carbohydrates will cause your blood sugar to spike and can leave you feeling tired. No new mama wants to feel this way. Most simple carbohydrates contain few nutrients (fruit and milk being an exception) and are often called “empty calories”.

Avoid these simple carbohydrates:

Candy
Soda
Syrups
Table sugar

Helpful Hint: Make sure you are getting enough nutrients and not just more calories while you are breastfeeding your baby.

Enjoy moderate sized portions of these simple carbohydrates:

Fruits
Milk and Milk Products

Protein & Fats

For a 14-70+ year old woman the Recommend Dietary Intake for protein is 46 grams per day. For lactating woman add an additional 25 grams. If you eat meat daily there is a good chance you are already consuming the correct amount. If you are vegetarian or vegan you can supplement your diet with a plant based protein as needed, keep reading for more information on supplements. Lentils, kidney beans, peanuts, and sunflower seeds are just a few sources of plant based protein.

Helpful Hint: Once your body gets the amount of protein it needs, it converts the rest to energy, and if you already have enough energy, it is converted to fat. High amounts of protein can also deplete calcium stores in the body leading to osteoporosis.

Not all fat is bad. In fact our bodies need between 20-35% of our total calories consumed to come from fats in order to properly function. Stock up on avocados, nut butters, olive oil, walnuts, and fish. Avocados can easily be added to sandwiches, salads, smoothies, or can be eaten by themselves for a quick snack. Stay away from chicken with the skin on, anything that comes in a wrapper, fried foods, and candy bars.

Dairy & Sugar

If you are looking to lose weight try eliminating dairy and sugar from your diet. Hey, I never said it would be easy, but this elimination method is a tried and true way to shed a few pounds. Plus this will have no adverse affect on your milk supply if you are still nursing.

There were several moms I spoke with prior to delivering Caden that mentioned that they had eliminated dairy products from their diets because it caused their babies to have upset tummies. After hearing this I cut out most dairy products from my diet while I was still pregnant. I didn’t typically drink cows milk so only using almond milk was not a huge deal. Cheese on the other hand was a little harder but after two weeks I didn’t miss it.

Helpful Hint: Use nutritional yeast to add a cheesy flavor to salads and taco’s. Read more on nutritional yeast later.

Excess amounts of sugar can lead to weight gain and cause you to feel overly tired after the initial sugar rush has passed. I suggest slowly weaning sugar out of your diet. Sodas and candy should be the first things to go. Baked goods such as cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and pastries while tempting are not going to fuel your body for the long haul.

Helpful Hint: Try a KIND Bar. The Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt only has 5 grams of sugar in it! Much better than the 24 grams of sugar in a two Twix cookie bars. Yikes!

Grocery Shopping Must Haves

Set yourself up for success by always keeping several key items stocked in your pantry and fridge. I love all these items because they can easily be used to create several quick and easy meal or snack options ranging from smoothies, salads, omelets, and oatmeal.

Helpful Hint: Plan ahead of time. Stock up on key items. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

You can find key items that we keep stocked in our home on the Buschel Family Grocery Shopping List HERE. This is not an exhaustive list but does have our most used purchases. We try to keep these items always on stock for meals, juicing, snacks, and desserts.

Do Breastfeeding Mama’s Need Extra Calories?

Honestly this could be a separate post but I think it is important to share this information with the nutrition section because if you are a breastfeeding mama what you eat is important not just for you but also for your baby. If you have ever nursed a little baby you know how common it is to feel hungry all the time. I do mean all the time.

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