Vitamins from Food in place of Supps

[FairyRae]

So, I'm interested in dropping my prenatal vit (I take it, just to take it--I'm not pregnant but nursing my 2yo). I also take vit C, zinc, (for helping w/ detox issues) fermented CLO, all which I'm fine w/ continuing. I also eat 2 brazil nuts a day for selenium. We are also gluten, dairy, soy and corn free, and working on gut healing.

My regular diet includes poultry, salmon, eggs, beef (not often--maybe 1x a week--discounting the raw beef liver pills I take--2 a day=4 oz a week I think? I'm working on putting the frozen beef liver in the freezer into our meals!!

I also use bone broth for cooking--probably getting 4 cups a week or so (I need to get more in I know!!!)

Lots of greens--some almost at every meal, including a daily green smoothie w/ some sort of raw leafy greens + fruit, coco milk kefir, raw honey...

Also coconut oil, ghee and olive oil, avocados along w/ lots of coconut milk (kefir and more) for fats.

Usually 1-4 grains servings a day (br rice, oats, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.) mostly prepared tf style.

Legumes 3-5 servings a week (blackbeans, chickpeas and kidney beans prepared NT style).

Lots of fermented veggies as well, plus lots of cooked veggies (tomatoes, onions, potatoes, peppers, broccoli, carrots, brussel sprouts, collard and turnip greens, more) and fruits (bananas, various berries, other stuff in season) in general...

Celtic sea salt in most foods to add minerals (any other recs for minerals appreciated!) I also add kelp granules to most foods.

I just ordered some nettle and oat straw to make herbal infusions--just recently read about these here and am excited!

I've also read bee pollen is awesome--something any of you use??

What am I missing? What would you all recommend to add to get any nutritional boosts?? Should I add in diff. vit. supps if I drop the prenatal? Would you rec. I don't drop the prenatal?

TIA for any input!!!!

[AngelBee]

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[Koalamom]

: about the herb infusions.
I find that I don't need any supplements when I drink infusions. But I do take supplements on days when I can't drink the tea. I only take Garden of life raw vitamin code and living calcium. I would stop a synthetic prenatal if that is what you are taking. I do take additional magnesium to prevent lag cramp while pregnant. I also have a whole food iron for days that I am not eating the greatest. I wouldn't take this if liver sounded good to me, but as a pregnant lady, liver currently sound gross. But I would build up our stores before getting pregnant and before food sounds yucky. (and a note, give the herb infusions to your child too!)

I take bee pollen everyday since it is supposedly so good for you. I feel great from it. I also eat chia seeds every day for added nutrients too. I add them both to my smoothies.

Sounds like you are eating pretty good. I am interested to hear what other have to say.

[mbravebird]

If you're eating all that consistently enough, I'd think you wouldn't need a prenatal. I have supplements for days I don't eat as well as I want to, or for when I just "feel" like I need more. I find that liver and herbal infusions take care of a lot of nutrient needs for me. But I keep extra magnesium on hand (we use Natural Calm), brazil nuts for selenium, am trying to eat more kelp/alaria for iodine. I am pregnant, so there are days I can't do the clo or liver, so I keep b vitamins and a/d on hand for those days. I supplement with D sometimes in addition to the A/D combo (always take supplemental vit D with a good amount of A to help process it). I have bee pollen but have never taken it.

Anyhow, your nutrient profile looks great to me. How do you feel?

I guess iodine is the one thing that you don't seem to have a food source of. There is some in your salmon, but not much. But there's not much in your prenatal, either, so that's not a reason to keep it.

[FairyRae]

Iodine is something I actually think about but am nervous to supp w/ b/c I've read it can be very detoxing--while I'm nursing (w/ 4+ amalgam fillings and other gut/detox issues) I'm just afraid I'll dump more crap into my ds through my milk. I don't know enough about it at all!!! I've read a/b adding peices of kelp to bone broth during cooking--maybe I'll try that...I have some kelp/iodine pills but also read something about arsenic usually being in them?? So I'm really torn on the iodine issue!!!!

Thanks everyone for the input so far!! I'm learning a lot from all of you! I'm so grateful for this forum!

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by mbravebird

How do you feel?

Great really--some days a bit less energy than others, but for the most part, better than I've ever felt in my life! (I was vegetarian for 12 years and all over just generally unhealthy b/4 and during that time...)

I LOVE the way TF eating feels!!!! :

[honeysesame]

here's the infusion i did instead of vits when preg (+ of course keep eating all that other good stuff!) from rosemary gladstar's book:

nettles, red raspberry leaf, alfalfa, lemon balm, partridge berry (squaw) vine, peppermint.

can't exactly remember the proportions-- you could look it up or do a search, i've posted it either here or health and healing before-- it might be 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1 (well, she uses more peppermint, but i'm not sure about doing that). anyhow, it's yummy and nourishing. 6 tbs in to a quart of (boiling hot) water per day. my midwives felt it was a decent sub for the multi as long as i was eating really well (tf style). it felt way better.
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