Choices for prenatal vitamins are abundant. You can easily stop by any drugstore, grocery store, health food store, or even a pharmacist and find a choice for a prenatal vitamin. But, are all prenatal vitamins really the same? Are you really getting the same nutrition for a little pink pill that you are a green pill or a tan colored pill? Does it really matter which one you take or if you take one at all?
Most of the time, care providers will tell you to take a prenatal vitamin because you most likely aren’t getting enough nutrients from your food. I have even had care providers tell me that as long as I am taking a prenatal vitamin that it really doesn’t matter which vitamin that it is, most of the time they really don’t check to see which one you are taking they just ask if you are taking one.
After spending years researching natural health and wellness, even though I’m do not carry a degree in health or nutrition my research tells me that not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. And, certainly not all vitamins that you take on a regular basis are created equal either. And, with so many choices out there how does one know which vitamin to choose? How do you know the vitamin that you are taking is actually doing its job?
I know you want the best for you and your baby. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when choosing a vitamin prenatal or not:
What does the label say? Can you understand what is in the vitamin? Does it contain any synthetic ingredients, artificial colors or fillers? As you already might have guessed it is best to stay away from ingredients you can’t read, artificial colors, preservatives, or anything that doesn’t belong in a vitamin.
Does it contain any superfoods or whole food sources? Your body is designed to get its nutrients from food. Often times some supplements don’t contain pure ingredients, contain manufactured nutrients, or are packaged in a way that our body can’t really handle the vitamin anyway. It is always best to take supplements that come in whole food forms. Your body will process it best and be able to use all the nutrients contained in the whole food. The last thing you want is to take a supplement that your body doesn’t recognize and your body won’t use it anyway. If that happens there goes the extra nutrition you were trying to add to your diet as well as the money that you spent on that “nutrition”. There are many herbal supplements that are wonderful as well because they contain herbs that are packed full of nutrients good for you and your baby.
Is the company reputable? The company really does matter. There are lots of vitamins on the market, but you will often times get the most for your money if you are spending a few extra bucks. Typically good companies do cost a little more than the drugstore version. Make sure you do you research before you buy or ask around.
Still need a little help? Here are some of my personal favorite sources!
Vitacost.com– There are lots and lots of great quality products to choose from. The New Chapter prenatal vitamins are amazing and include whole foods and probiotic support. And, don’t pass up the WholeOmega prenatals especially when you get to the 20 week mark to ensure your little one has help in brain development. Click through this link and get a free $10 towards your purchase.
Beeyoutiful.com– I may have mentioned it here before, but the Super Mom vitamins are one of my favorites. I am using them personally for my pregnancy right now. They are high quality and a whole food.