Happy August!
I think we can call this time of year the “height” of summer. It’s full of travel, water splashing, family time, laughter and so much more. It’s also the time of year when many moms feel like healthy eating gets hard, veggies are sparse, and dinner by the pool might just be chips and salsa.
We get it! Here me when I say this…. Supplements absolutely do not substitute for healthy eating and exercise, BUT they do help supplement the nutrients that we might not be eating on a regular basis.
If there’s anything in the world that’s overwhelming, it’s picking supplements. Which ones matter and which don’t, which brand or product is best for the price and so on. We are here to help you narrow it down to a few important supplements that help our families thrive even when we might not be getting 8 servings of veggies every day.
What might we need? A solid multi-vitamin.
Here’s the thing. Most vitamins that we find in drug stores are what I like to call “expensive pee”. They aren’t highly absorbable, are full of fillers, and often have questionable preservatives and sources.
You may or may not know this, but six years ago, my husband (an integrative MD) and I started a product line of supplements for families and children because we were so disappointed with the options out there. Women don’t need pink vitamins full of junk and kids don’t need sugar filled gummies that are known to not be consistent or stable. Additionally, while quality is of utmost importance, products also need to be affordable for families.
When I was pregnant with Hutch in 2015, I was less than impressed with the prenatals on the market. My sweet husband went to work to help formulate a simple vitamin for pregnant and breastfeeding women that had all the best sources of vitamins (like methylfolate rather than folic acid, methylB12, Vitamin K2 and glutathione) and kept it simple. For marketing purposes, many supplements throw in tons of ingredients that are unnecessary. Here I am 7 years later still taking that vitamin (NO I AM NOT PLANNING MORE KIDS). Why take a prenatal? Well because it’s an awesome multi-vitamin.
I get asked often- “Do I need to take a multivitamin”? Well that depends on lots of things, but the truth is that most of us are deficient in many vitamins and minerals. Even if we eat tons of produce, our soil is depleted. For general wellness, most women benefit from a good daily vitamin and that’s why I’m still taking the Raise Them Well prenatal.
How about our kids? Well, I know about zero kids who eat enough fruits and veggies. Even my own children who eat incredibly healthy compared to their peers, need a quality vitamin. Arguably, kids' vitamins are even worse than those for adults because there is so much marketing that goes into making vitamins attractive for kids. Sadly, in making them taste like candy, their nutrient profile is often sacrificed big time. We all have different opinions on this, but I don’t WANT my kids’ vitamins to taste like candy.
We created our Children’s Chewable Vitamins for our own kids. Again, containing the most bio-available sources of vitamins and including the nutrients kids need and nothing they don’t. Our own children taste tested the Strawberry flavored chewables and helped us refine flavors. And, we do our best to keep things as affordable as possible without compromising quality.
All this to say. It might be time to 1. Start a multi-vitamin for your family and/or 2. Take a look at the vitamins you’re using and see if there is anything in them that might not be awesome for you and your kids. Just because a brand is popular, doesn’t mean it’s high quality. As always, read the back of the label, look for sugars, fillers, vitamin sources etc. and make the best decision possible.
If you need help, we would love for you to check out Raise Them Well Prenatal and Children’s Chewable vitamins for your family’s needs. We take the guesswork out so you can maintain Momsanity and provide your family the best.
- Coach Emily