I don't like taking vitamins. It's not that I don't think they're valuable, just that I can't seem to remember to take anything in pill form.
My husband and I would like to have kids. Who knew I'd actually get my ducks in a row someday? Usually I do things out of order, but we got married, are buying a house, kids should come next, right? Well, we can hope anyway.
But back to the vitamin issue. If I want to get pregnant I should be taking prenatal vitamins. That is, after all, why they call them "prenatal". BUT, if you should look at these vitamins they're like horse pills. They're huge, not tasty, and don't go down all that well. To make matters worse they make me queezy unless I've had food with them.
My plan was to take kids chewables. I'm not too bad at taking them, and although they've got a bit of extra sugar, I'm thinking the amount in one pill is not too significant. But then I have to worry about folic acid and all that other stuff. Sure, I could try to monitor my diet, but I'm not too sure about my ability as a non-nutritionist to do so.
And while walking in Walgreens I found Belly Bars. The box says "Packed with key prenatal nutrients, Bellybar satisfies your need for something nutritious and your craving for something delicious. And it delivers the essential iron, folic acid, calcium, and Omega-3 DHA that you and your baby need".
Their website claims "The Bellybar team works with nutritionists and medical advisors who are knowledgeable about and extremely experienced in prenatal nutrition. Our research suggests that if you eat a healthy diet, one Bellybar daily will provide the supplemental nutrients needed for normal pregnancies. You get vitamins in most of the foods you eat, and we have identified the nutrients needed to "fill the gap" for most women. However, as with any important decision regarding your pregnancy and nursing, you should consult your health care provider to discuss your individual nutritional needs."
Check with your doctor. I don't know any doctor that would say abandoning a vitamin for a nutrient bar is a good idea. I'm not sure they COULD say that, even if it was a good idea. BUT if I can't seem to take a vitamin I'm wondering if this is a realistic alternative, at least for now. I'm not pregnant so I don't have to worry about what the kid would be getting ...yet. The nutrient information says it delivers 100% of the iron needed in a 2000 calorie diet, 200% of folate (is that folic acid?) and 50mg of Omega 3. With the amount of milk and cheese we eat I'm not too worried about calcium.
They have 180 calories each, so they're a significant snack, but I tried one and it didn't taste hideous. I'm not endorsing this product, I'm not even sure I'm going to use this product, but it has peeked my curiosity. Any thoughts on this product?
***I was not paid for this review
2 comments:
Most prenatal vitamins made me ill also. My ob gave me half a dozen different kinds of samples when I was preggie with Charlotte. They all came back up. I think, now, the issue is the extra Omega-3 stuff they add (flax seed and fish oil in anything still bothers my tummy).
For the most part, I took Target's generic brand prenatal vitamins, and was never sick with them, but they're still horsepills :)
My kids do gummy vitamins (because I can cut them in half to adjust dosing--neither of my kids would take the liquid infant vitamins, but they could chew the gummy ones by a year or so). I've tried them. They taste just like gummy bears. How much sugar can they possibly cram into a gummy bear? :)
Forgot to say this: ask your doctor his/her opinion. Mine's pretty laid back. He basically told me to do whatever worked for me (prenatals, Flintstones, etc). If the bars are what works for you and you can't take a traditional vitamin, then do what works. And research foods high in folic acid (and whatever other specific minerals are currently recommended).
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