Paleo Pregnancy- Supplements

Here is a little nugget of inspiration from The Food Lovers' Primal Palate:

What eating sugar DOES NOT do:

1. Eating sugar does not make you wrong.
2. Eating sugar does not make you a bad person.
3. Eating sugar does not make you a failure.
4. Eating sugar does not make you worthless.
5. Eating sugar does not mean you don't care about your health.
6. Eating sugar does not mean that you are lazy.
7. Eating sugar does not mean that you are not Paleo!

What eating sugar DOES do:

1. Eating sugar makes you store body fat.
2. Eating sugar makes your skin break out.
3. Eating sugar makes you age faster.
4. Eating sugar makes you depressed.
5. Eating sugar causes more symptoms of pms.
6. Eating sugar compromises digestion.
7. Eating sugar compromises your immune system.

I liked it. It sums up why I like to follow the "80/20 rule"- follow good dietary rules most of the time, but allow for a little wiggle room. Like my husband always says, "I care about quality of life, Jennie"- meaning he will not eat broccoli every night for dinner on the off chance he may add three years to his life.

Balance. Balance.

On that note, I have decided to forgo the post on exercise. You all know you should exercise. Most of you like to exercise. It is very feasible and even recommended to exercise as much as possible when pregnant. Good for mama's brain, body, and baby.

But if you don't exercise, don't feel bad.

Since this series is supposed to be pregnancy-related, I did want to share the supplements I have been taking this time. I have told you how I have struggled with many (minor, really) health issues in pregnancies past and because I am a creature who attempts to make my life as pain-and-problem-free as possible, I wanted to experiment on myself to see what safely makes my body work a little better.

First, this:It is a magnesium citrate powder. Did you know that most Americans get far too much calcium and not enough magnesium? Calcium contracts muscles, excites nerves, and clots blood (in a good way, like in wound healing). Magnesium relaxes muscles, calms nerves, and keep blood flowing. Pregnant women are advised to ingest plenty of calcium, but if the calcium/magnesium balance in the body is off, the result can be a cranky insomniac with crampy legs. Anyone been there? I have, but not this time.

Next, this: This is a blend of high vitamin butter oil and fermented cod liver oil. The cod liver oil provides highly absorbable vitamins A, D, and K. Modern diets are deficient in most of these fat-soluble vitamins, because most people are scared of "fat". These vitamins bolster and protect the function of the brain and nerves of mama and baby. The butter oil acts as a catalyst to help your body absorb these fat-soluble vitamins as well as any other vitamins you ingest. Beware: these pills smell and taste like fish. Not so great for a pregnant nose...I would take them with plenty of orange juice!

Then, this:

While I don't think one necessarily needs a "raw" prenatal (in freeze-dried capsule form, really?), I liked this prenatal because it has plenty of folic acid and an easy-on-the-tummy iron formula. It also has a blend of 25 fruits, vegetables, greens, and sea plants. I will continue to take it while I am nursing. While I honestly believe that my diet gives me most of the nutrition my body needs to build a baby, I would never take the chance that I may be missing something of crucial importance. It is a wise decision to begin building up stores of nutrients for months before conception, but please make sure you take a prenatal as well.

Apparently my blogging is interfering with one Call of Duty, so I will post more on this later. :)