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!