Supplementing with Vitamins

[NewMom0208]

Hello healthy moms! my apologies if this is not the right forum. I also tried a search and didn't find what I needed.

I live alone with my wonderful 16 month old baby boy.

I do believe good nutrition makes vitamins and other supplements unnecessary. However I am on a personal transformation path and good meal planning is one of my weak points. I am unsure if I am eating enough fruits/veggies/others, same with my baby. :
I need the vitamins as safety net for a few months until I figure things out.

Currently we are on Juice plus. I love the product (No, I don't sell it) but I know there are other cheaper yet good products out there. I am on $41 for baby (gummies) and me.

I want all natural, food based, emphasis on veggies multivitamins.
I do not need it to be vegan but vegan is ok too.

I found gummyking, looks good at $10/month for baby. Any others?
For adults seems to be around $20/month. I like rainbow.

So it seems I would be reducing the budget from 41 to 30.

Any other suggestions while I get my meal planning in decent shape?
Thanks!

[robynlee97]

I am just bumping this up for you because I am facing the same problem. I like Juice Plus, but I'd really like to find something more inexpensive.

[summermay]

In Europe the consumption of one Kiwi a day is suggested to booster up your immune system if you really want as many vitamins as possible, or during pregnancy. Basically vitamin supplements have not the good reputation they used to have (cancer etc), so we opt for the fruits:

[ChickyMama]

I agree a healthy diet is best, but I hear all the time that even produce is depleted of its proper nutrients so I like the extra safety net of supplements not as a replacement but in addition to a healthy diet.

I use Nature's Plus Animal Parade, for my kids, it is $12.65 on Amazon. They will last about 2 months for one child. Though he may not like the tartness of the chewables. My dd loved them around age two.
We use the same brand for Vitamin C. I also buy children's probiotics chewables but i think I might try a powder to just add to their yogurt or drink. The sugar in all these chewables can add up! If I could get them to drink the green drink that I mention below that would be ideal.

Flax seed is also full of vitamins and Omega 3's and could be easy to add to your diet, grind up the seeds and put them on your cereal or use Flax seed oil on your salads or just swallow a spoonfull.

I really like Garden of Life Perfect Food Berry for myself. It is $27.22 on Amazon for a 30 day supply. I drink it mixed in with some orange juice and it isn't too bad, it definatley gives me energy and I feel like I am getting what I need. I also like it because it has vegetables, berries, and probiotics.

HTH!

~Diana

[ChickyMama]

Originally Posted by summermay

In Europe the consumption of one Kiwi a day is suggested to booster up your immune system if you really want as many vitamins as possible, or during pregnancy. Basically vitamin supplements have not the good reputation they used to have (cancer etc), so we opt for the fruits:

Thanks for the tip on the kiwi! I will remember that for my next pregnancy.

I also found this site which lists best bets for vitamins and minerals. It could be very helpful for planning a menu and maximizing your vitamin and mineral intake!

http://www.realage.com/nutritioncent...nutrients.aspx

~Diana

[es1967]

Originally Posted by summermay

In Europe the consumption of one Kiwi a day is suggested to booster up your immune system if you really want as many vitamins as possible, or during pregnancy. Basically vitamin supplements have not the good reputation they used to have (cancer etc), so we opt for the fruits:

Interesting. I love Europeans. It just seems they always do what makes sense. Not saying we don't but often they take the most natural approach. I'm going to be eating a ton of Kiwis that I get in my produce delivery next week. Getting golden and green kiwis. Which part of Europe are you in?