[bright_eyes]

I am really struggling with lack of energy and am not sure how to get more energy. What are some things to eat/do when you are feeling really fatigued?

 

[IsaFrench]

It tried virgin coconut oil and apple cider vinegar because I wanted to loose a little weight .... and it seems true indeed that the VCO is giving me a little more energy than I had before (I read it in the thread on "have you lost weight ...." I didn't quite belive it before trying it myself but I can definitely see a difference now ...)

 

[bright_eyes]

That is something that I've been taking every day for the last 5 or 6 months. But maybe I'm not taking enough? I put 1/2 tbsp to a full tbsp, or more, in a smoothie every morning (I don't measure, I just grab a spoonful and take more or less depending on how much coconut flavour I feel up to).

 

[mbravebird]

Liver and nettle infusion. You'll feel the biggest difference from liver. Also goji berries.

 

[JaneSmith1010]

vit B complex works for me, then again I am a celiac with deficiency in B.

 

[Shami]

I got more enery by quitting caffeine (except one cup of tea in the am). I also quit sugar and flour stuff. I limit my rice and potato and eat lentils/beans more. I eat plenty of protein and fats. Eggs for breakfast.
And...
I started taking 3-4 tbs VCO and 3 tbs. of raw apple cider vinegar every day.

It has only been one week and one day and I feel much better. At first I was more cranky, and had a headache from caffeine withdrawl, but now I feel great. I wouldn't say that I feel super energetic to go run a marathon, but I feel stable and able to carry out my daily functions. I don't have that my-behind-is-really-dragging-feeling.

 

[Leersia]

Carlson vitamin D drops - 2000 IU per day.

 

[bright_eyes]

I've been thinking about adding liver to my diet. My prenatal blood work showed my irons to be on the low side. It wasn't too low, my mw just told me that that it is on the lower side of normal, which means I don't have a lot of iron store to draw upon should anything happen and I lost blood.

So I asked the farmer who sells grass fed organic cows if they still had liver and they are all out until the fall.

So that means I am stuck with buying it from a local butcher. I am in Canada, and we have pretty high standards for meat, but it still wouldn't be organic and it wouldn't be completely grass fed. Beef here is finished on grain for the last 6 weeks. I was thinking of doing the raw liver pills that I've read here that you could do (I have no desire to lean how to cook liver). Would that be a bad idea to do since I won't know exactly how the cow was raised and it's won't be organic?

 

[bright_eyes]

How do you make a nettle infusion?

 

[Metasequoia]

LIVER! Seriously, there is nothing like the boost from liver. I recently gave up my only caffeine, one cup of green tea in the morning & suffered a MONSTER headache that day (not unlike a meningitis headache, actually), even vomited six times. Withdrawal took a week this time - just from one cup of green tea a day!!

Anyway, I feel AWESOME without caffeine now. I don't know why I let myself fall off the wagon in the first place because I know how good it is once you give it up.

I keep my liver frozen (good grass-fed, organic) & chop off pill-sized pieces & swallow them whole with water. I never even taste them & feel the boost immediately. It lasts a looong time (don't eat later in the day) & there's no drop-off like with caffeine or sugar.

 

[bigknitwit]

Okay, about the raw liver pills - I ahve all kinds of grassfed liver in my freezer. But I am scared to do the pills because I don't know how clean the slaughter conditions were for the animal. Am I the only one who's worried about this? I know the beef is high quality.

 

[mbravebird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright_eyes So I asked the farmer who sells grass fed organic cows if they still had liver and they are all out until the fall. So that means I am stuck with buying it from a local butcher. I am in Canada, and we have pretty high standards for meat, but it still wouldn't be organic and it wouldn't be completely grass fed. Beef here is finished on grain for the last 6 weeks. I was thinking of doing the raw liver pills that I've read here that you could do (I have no desire to lean how to cook liver). Would that be a bad idea to do since I won't know exactly how the cow was raised and it's won't be organic?

I tend to be picky about my liver, because it's a filtering organ, so for myself I'd always choose no chemicals (highest priority for liver), and then grassfed too if I could get it. You can mail-order it online if you want. I'd say for most people, it's worth the cost of shipping it. It will last a long time if you do the frozen pill thing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright_eyes How do you make a nettle infusion?

Use dried nettle leaf; you can order it for a great price from Mountain Rose Herbs, or some local health food stores will have it or order it for you. Take about a cup (I always just use a big handful), and put it in a quart size glass jar. Fill with boiling water, stir, cover and let sit for 4-8 hours. Strain and drink within 36 hours, refrigerating what you don't drink right away.

You have to get used to the taste -- but it's worth it. And you can add spearmint or peppermint if the taste really gets to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigknitwit Okay, about the raw liver pills - I ahve all kinds of grassfed liver in my freezer. But I am scared to do the pills because I don't know how clean the slaughter conditions were for the animal. Am I the only one who's worried about this? I know the beef is high quality.

The farmers I buy from use a really good processing plant, chosen by them with exactly our standards in mind. The quality of the slaughterhouse is part of the higher cost of their meat. Most farmers who are raising pastured meats do the same, but some can't find a good processor, I guess. Can you call your farmers and ask?

You could also just try one pill, guinea-pig-esque, to ease your mind.

 

[mbravebird]

Oh, I just noticed you were pregnant, bright_eyes. Nettle infusion is soooo good for pregnancy! Order some Red Raspberry Leaf along with your nettle, make an infusion out of the RRL too (let it sit less time than the nettle), and you'll be good to go!

I'm due in June, and on my organized days I have a cup of nettle infusion, a cup of RRL infusion, and then just a regularly steeped cup of hot RRL tea. On my non-organized days I have nothing

, and on my semi-organized days I have some random combination. The nettle infusion is what I miss the most on the days I don't get it, because it's so good at helping me sleep deeply, even after multiple wakings to pee.

 

[dogmom327]

Okay I'm inspired. I'm going to haul my pregnant butt over to the fridge and actually drink the nettle infusion I made the other day

 

[bright_eyes]

Where can your order liver online? Being in Canada, I don't know if the shipping would be way over the top. Some of the butcher's here sell grassfed beef, so I wonder if they could sell me grass fed liver. But I don't think it's organic. I'll have to look at what the health food stores sell- they sell some organic, grass fed beef cuts. If I find some at the hfs, or a butcher, how can I be sure of the slaughter conditions were? I know nothing about slaughtering, so I wouldn't know what kind of conditions to look for, it they could tell me.

Is an infusion different from just regular, steeped tea? I bought some rasberry leaf tea from the hfs, but haven't taken any yet. I've been unsure on whether you could take it your whole pregnancy or just near the end.

I'll look into the nettle, as well. It sounds really good!

 

[mbravebird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright_eyes Is an infusion different from just regular, steeped tea? I bought some rasberry leaf tea from the hfs, but haven't taken any yet. I've been unsure on whether you could take it your whole pregnancy or just near the end. I'll look into the nettle, as well. It sounds really good!

An infusion is both a higher concentration of herb, and it is steeped for MUCH longer. Tea is usually steeped for just 5-10 minutes.

The nettle infusion you can start right away at infusion strength. It will give you extra energy, better sleep, and lots of great nutrients.

The RRL you might want to work up to infusion strength, depending on where you are in the pregnancy -- I forget when you're due. RRL will give you braxton hicks, probably. The fragrine in it is a uterine toner. Start with tea-strength, then steep the tea longer, then go to small amounts of infusion-strength, then go to cups or more of infusion strength. Monitor your body's reaction as you go along, and let it adjust.

The Canada beef issue is an interesting one. Just in taking a quick look, I found these folks: http://www.natural-beef.net/grassfed.html , who say:

Quote:

Producing quality grassfed beef in Canada can be difficult due to our colder climate. We have heard from several people who have had very bad eating experiences when they've tried grassfed beef. This is because some producers don't understand how to properly grass "finish" an animal. To begin with, an animal has to be gaining when it is processed - if not, the meat will be tough. This means that it has to be receiving enough calories to gain as well as maintain healthy body function. When it is minus 40 in Alberta it is almost impossible to grass-finish an animal without some supplementation - there aren't enough calories in standard feed to keep them warm and gaining. This is why most cattle producers supplement their cattle with grain during the winter. During the cold winter months we supplement our cattle with hay and sprout pellets - a nutritious and clean by-product of the malting industry. When barley is malted it is soaked in water and then placed in a warm room until it grows a small half-inch sprout. Once sprouted the grain is dried. The sprout is then broken off and separated and the malted barley sold to breweries to make beer. These sprouts are high in energy and nutrients and provide the calories our animals need to keep warm in the winter while being finished properly. These sprouts do not affect the pH balance of an animal's rumen like grain so acidosis is not a problem. The cattle stay healthy and contented while being finished properly.

Have you looked at the Canada page of Eat Wild? It has lots of grassfed producers in Canada. http://www.eatwild.com/products/canada.html

 

[mbravebird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogmom327 Okay I'm inspired. I'm going to haul my pregnant butt over to the fridge and actually drink the nettle infusion I made the other day

Haul it, baby. You'll get the best night of sleep you've had in a while. Those pee wakings are dicey. Bottoms up!

 

[dogmom327]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbravebird Haul it, baby. You'll get the best night of sleep you've had in a while. Those pee wakings are dicey. Bottoms up!

Any idea how much of it I have to drink? I'm not fond of the taste but of course I'll do just about anything these days for some energy and good sleep (maybe nausea reduction too? dreaming over here).

 

[Theloose]

For a slightly longer term solution, folate makes a HUGE difference for me and dd (see our story in my sig). It takes a couple days to kick in, but wow.

Food form wins over supplements for us, so lentils, legumes, chicken liver, romaine, spinach...

http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=63

 

[mbravebird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dogmom327 Any idea how much of it I have to drink? I'm not fond of the taste but of course I'll do just about anything these days for some energy and good sleep (maybe nausea reduction too? dreaming over here).

Well, you're probably asleep by now, as I should be, but I'll say that for me I have to have close to two cups to feel a really, really deep sleep that I can slip into even after waking multiple times.

Yeah, the taste is ... very.... green. I get more used to it as time goes on. I had stopped doing it for a while, and started again with this pregnancy, and it's taken me a while to adjust to the taste again.