Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Let's Talk About Vitamins and Minerals

I was very curious about my vitamin and mineral intake and whether I was getting enough of certain kinds for baby. The NP at the clinic had asked me about vitamins during my first appointment with her. At that time, I wasn't on anything. I had been for a while, but I had quit when it was clear I wasn't going to get pregnant on my own. She said that a multi-vitamin would be fine as long as I was getting enough folic acid (800 to 1,000 mcg for a pregnant woman). So, I went that day and bought a bottle of Women's One Daily vitamins and a bottle of Folic Acid supplements. I have taken them religiously ever since she told me I needed to.

Well, I was on
WebMD, one of my favorite sites, and was looking at an article about prenatal vitamins. It had a list of what you, as a pregnant person, should look for in a vitamin. The list goes as follows:
  • 4,000 to 5,000 IU (international units) of Vitamin A
  • 800 to 1,000 mcg (1 mg) of Folic Acid
  • 400 IU of Vitamin D
  • 200 to 300 mg of Calcium
  • 70 mg of Vitamin C
  • 1.5 mg of Thiamin
  • 1.6 mg of Riboflavin
  • 2.6 mg of Pyridoxine (I understand from researching on the internet this is the same as Vitamin B6, if I'm wrong on this, please tell me)
  • 17 mg of Niacin
  • 2.2 mcg of Vitamin B12
  • 10 mg of Vitamin E
  • 15 mg of Zinc
  • 30 mg of Iron

I'm going to assume this list is accurate since it is from WebMD. Even if it isn't, I am still following the instructions given to me by my doctor...ok, Nurse Practitioner so I'm really not too worried about it, more curious. I hit a few roadblocks when I was trying to add up how much of each I was getting. I just went off of my vitamins and the Slim Fast that I drink, not my other dietary intake. Well, Slim Fast doesn't have the actual amounts of each vitamin on it's nutrition label. It only has the daily percentage of each vitamin/mineral based on a 2,000 calorie diet. I tried to search it on the net, but didn't get anywhere so I had to work with it. I made my personal calculations off of the values a normal woman should be getting based on a 2,000 calorie diet since that seems to be the norm.

All in all, I am getting more than enough of everything except for iron. Keep in mind, though, that this is only based upon my vitamin and Slim Fast consumption. I assume I make up the iron I need in everything else I eat.

Also, if you were wondering, I don't only drink the Slim Fast for breakfast and lunch anymore. I have started to supplement my diet with real food, too.

Stay Healthy Blogger Buddies!

5 comments:

Nikki said...

Yes I was wondering and was going to ask if you had added anything to the SlimFast diet yet. Good that you have!

Miss Tori said...

Lisa,

For what it's worth, my RE was having me take both the prenatal vitamin and a folic acid tablet each day. One in the morning and one in the evening.

So, are you showing yet? lol

The Vincents said...

I'm glad that you are back on the food. Speaking of which, you might need to take your "Flintstones" with a meal because, of all things, those too can make you feel nauseous! Eeh gads!! Wishing you well as always!!!!

Mercedes said...

If you are coming to wichita any time soon I have a good book for you. What to eat while you are pregnant. It has great tips and recipes. Also What to expect while you are pregnant is a great book. I took my prenantal in the evening. It helped me not feel so sick. Also they have prescription ones if it still makes you sick that are so much easier on the stomach. That is what I did.

Mercedes said...

Oh and eat with your vitamins. Well at least that helped me.