Diets for Nutrient Deficiency/Vitamin Tips

Hi all!

I recently found out that I'm anemic (common for a lot of pregnant women, recommended to supplement with iron) after that AWFUL glucose test. I'm sure all you mama's out there can relate, not only does that drink for the test taste awful but it also makes you feel like complete crap!! FYI, if you haven't taken it yet make sure you plan to go home after and not to work, lol, learned that the hard way. I've also been experiencing a lot of leg cramps (again, common in pregnancy) and since hydration isn't an issue my doctor recommended getting plenty of foods with magnesium. On top of all of those fun pregnancy symptoms, it's good to include more fiber in your diet especially with taking an iron supplement.

However, while supplements/vitamins are good and I take various vitamins (and have my entire pregnancy) I still think it's super important to use food as your main source of nutrition. If you're pregnant (and feeling good) it's also important to try and eat so your baby gets those good nutrients as well. No matter what you are lacking, focus on your nutrition first and then follow up with a supplement. If your food intake is full of poor quality foods, then any type of supplement is not going to help you. The best vitamins and the purest come from your foods! Some supplements can have a lot of additives (especially fiber supplements) that cause you more issues than they resolve. Also, make sure you know your supplements (don't just take the pushy salesman's advice) because they can get expensive and some are falsifying information to make more money. For example, your body can only digest so much vitamin C and disposes of the rest. So you may see a supplement that has a ton of vitamin C and wants you take four pills per day even though you're not getting half of what you're taking. Do your research and read your labels!!

First, I'm focusing on getting more iron out of my diet and that comes from foods like red meat, spinach, seafood, beans, raisins and other dried fruits (be careful here, lots of sugar), other leafy green veggies, and peas. Second, I'm focusing on my magnesium intake by including things like leafy green veggies, nuts, pumpkin seeds (without the shell), seafood, beans, whole grains, bananas, dried fruit, and yogurt. Lastly, I'm looking for foods with fiber as well like beans, artichokes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, berries, oatmeal, and peas. I've been combining all of these foods for all of my meals and my snacks. A day of this eating may look like this:

BREAKFAST

Oatmeal with berries and turkey bacon

SNACK

Rasins and pumpkin seeds

LUNCH

Salad with a lot of leafy greens, avocado, beans, and any other toppings you like (nuts, berries, etc.) topped with a lean cut of beef

SNACK

Banana and yogurt (I love greek yogurt)

DINNER

Salmon (well cooked if you're preggo) with peas and brown rice

The serving sizes can all be adjusted based off of your diet but don't force yourself to eat more just to get more nutrition (remember your body disposes of some). Once you get a good nutritious diet going, then see how you feel and add supplements as needed. Be careful with magnesium supplements, they can give you stomach issues ESPECIALLY if you're taking them with fiber. I take my iron with vitamin C to let it absorb and I don't take any of my other supplements until later because things like calcium can sometimes block the iron from digesting correctly. So far, I've been feeling a lot better! I'm not as fatigued from the anemia and my legs haven't cramped in weeks. I also make sure to try and keep up with my hydration because that's what really keeps your body going! Don't stress if your diet isn't perfect daily, as long as you're making the effort to get your nutrients then you're winning! Email me with questions or more posts you'd like to see.

xo
katie lynn