If you've ever been pregnant, you know that one of the first things your doctor will do is recommend a prenatal vitamin. It is vitally important to take a prenatal vitamin so your baby gets all the nutrients he or she needs while developing, but I've learned through experience that not all prenatal vitamins are created equal.
I remember at the beginning of my first pregnancy my OBGYN office recommended a prenatal vitamin. I’d already been taking a robust array of nutrients as part of my pre-conception health plan, and was feeling great with the supplements I was already using. But I wanted to keep an open mind to my doctor’s recommendations, so I took the product home and did a side-by-side comparison with the three Nutrilite products I’d been using: Double X, Iron Folic, and Balanced Health Omega. To be honest, I was a bit shocked by what I found…
Of the 11 nutrients contained in the prenatal vitamin handed to me by my doctor’s office, Nutrilite beat out 8 of them with higher quantities (and the 3 that were lower were still well within the recommended ranges for pregnancy). In addition, the Nutrilite products contained another 24 beneficial, whole-food-derived nutrients that Brand X did not. I wondered if perhaps Brand X was significantly cheaper to buy than what I was already using. But when I looked it up, I realized that it was actually over $40 MORE EXPENSIVE per month. Then I read the fine print and literally got queasy (which isn't hard when you’re in your first trimester).
Brand X contained added food colorings like Yellow 5 & 6, Red 40 and Blue 1, which are known carcinogens, allergens, linked to ADHD in children, and are banned in Europe.
The fine print from Nutrilite? No added colors, flavors, or preservatives. Halal, Kosher, and NSF Certified. Made from whole foods grown on their own organic farms. In my opinion, it is so important to read the labels of everything we're putting in our body. I recommend only consuming high quality supplements - especially during pregnancy when you're supplementing for two!
If you'd like to talk more about prenatal vitamins, feel free to email me at meredith@bellacorbodyworks.com.
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