Pregnancy (Nutrition / Supplement) Questions From A Reader

I received the following on one of my posts about pregnancy but thought I'd also include the information here.

Kristen! 

I'm newly preggo for the second time (first time being 4 years ago). My diet and knowledge have changed a lot since. I've been researching your blog and have a couple of questions. First what prenatal vit did you end up liking the best? Why did you stop taking vitamineral green and fruits powders while you were pregnant? And, just out of curiosity, why do you use both hemp powder AND seeds in your smoothies and not flax? 

Love your blog, you rock. 

 

Thanks, 
Jamie

Here is my response:

Hi Jaime,
Congrats on your pregnancy.

You ask great questions....

1) I was partial to Vitamin Code's prenatal in spite of the controversial vitamin D3 being/not being vegan, especially for people who couldn't get enough vitamin D from sun exposure due to where they live. However, I have since learned that vitamin D2 (vegan) is just as effective as vitamin D3, so supplementing with extra vitamin D2 and taking a truly vegan prenatal is an option. The high amount of vitamin D in Vitamin Code is great - they are way ahead of the curve with respect to this. I don't know of any other prenatals doing that and it's so important while pregnant. I also like that Vitamin Code uses capsules instead of tablets.... usually means less processing.  However, New Chapter is still great. They've been around a while and have many happy customers. :)

2) I stopped Vitamineral Green and Fruits of Earth while pregnant because of ingredients that could be questionable during pregnancy. I know of women who took VG during pregnancy, but I opted not to. You could consider their other product Greener Grasses though - good stuff! I'm taking it now while breastfeeding. (I think they might've changed their VG formula since then because I don't see one of the questionable ingredients in there. There is parsley juice in it though, and parsley is known for affecting breastmilk, so it still might be better to go with Greener Grasses. If you decide to go with VG, you might want to double check with your midwife or physician.)

3) Hemp has a more ideal ratio of omegas than flax (read more about this here). I also like the higher protein in it which is why sometimes I used both hemp powder and hemp seeds.

Thanks for reading,
Kristen