supplements while pregnant

[nicadai]

I'm in the process of trying to get pregnant. I'm pretty much living the whole30 because I feel good on it, but I'm concerned about my micro nutrients. Especially Calcium, K2, folate and A. I have been taking pure essentials Nutrient 950 with vitamin K and Jarrow formulas Max DHA. I've been told the Nutrient 950 with K is too high in Vitamin A by my doctor. I understand it is beta carotene and not retinol (I don't think he gets the difference), but from my internet research the jury is still out on taking too much beta carotene while pregnant. So to be safe, should I take separate supplements for only the needed micro nutrients. Calcium, folate (or b complex), and K2 (I live in the eternal sunshine of California, and walk daily, so I think I'm fine with D). Is there anything I'm missing? I can't add liver, and raw fermented foods are looked down upon as are fish eggs, soft cheeses and pretty much anything full of K2 are also not recommended during pregnancy. Do you have any calcium supplement suggestions or at least what I should look for as a source? And should I maybe add in some dairy?

[Tom Denham]

If you do not trust your doctor, find one that you do. Internet research is dangerous because well-meaning people say a lot of crap on the internet that sounds completely reasonable and is backed by largely irrelevant research that only a real expert can recognize as irrelevant. 

 

You are unlikely to need to supplement vitamin k while eating a good Whole30-style diet. Dark leafy greens are high in vitamin k. See this list of high k foods: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-k.php

 

You are unlikely to need to supplement calcium eating Whole30-style because you are eating dark leafy greens (high in calcium) and sardines and salmon with bones (high in calcium). 

 

Actually, a lot of dark leafy greens are high in folate. Here is a list of more foods that are high in folate. Most are Whole30-compliant: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-folate-vitamin-B9.php

 

You don't need no stinking supplements. Here is a list of foods high in vitamin A: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-A.php

[nicadai]

Thank you Tom for the fast response. I would like to believe that I was getting all of the vitamins necessary, but I'm still a bit worried.

The vitamin K2 that I'm worried about is not necessarily found in leafy greens (I believe that is K1). K2 I have read is found in liver, fermented foods, soft cheeses and natto. Since three of those are off limits while pregnant (liver, fermented foods and soft cheeses) and Natto is mostly found in Japan and, from what I hear, an acquired taste to say the least, I don't believe I will be getting enough of that micro nutrient.

Not getting enough K2 then puts me at risk of not absorbing enough calcium. Or at least not putting the calcium I do get to good use. Although I do eat a lot of wild seafood (3-4 servings a week) I'm not eating sardines nor salmon with the bones (I'm just not there yet).

With Vitamin A, my concern is not about getting enough, but actually getting too much, which is why liver is off limits while pregnant. The supplements I am taking are good about all of the other vitamins, even on a prenatal level, but contains 300% of my daily vitamin A (which is about what I am consuming with my diet as well) although it is in the form of beta carotene, my doctor advises against this amount.

I do agree that I am consuming a lot of folate rich foods but the 800-1200 Mcg recommendation for pregnant women is hard to hit with diet alone. Since I want folate and not folic acid, most prenatal vitamins are off limits.

I hope this clarifies some of my questions. Although I do trust my doctor for all of the medical side of the journey, he is not a nutritionist, and I haven't had much luck with those (but that's another topic).

[missmary]

ok, deep breath. Remember that women have had healthy pregnancies for hundreds of years without knowing anything about foliate or vitamin K. You are already a step ahead just trying as hard as you are trying. really.

 

I seem to remember a few posts from Melissa Hartwig about supplements during pregnancy, and Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950 one she recommended. Chris Kresser recommends that one too. good job! 

 

Here is a podcast where Kresser talks about supplementation during pregnancy http://chriskresser.com/the-healthy-skeptic-podcast-episode-7 he doesn't seem worried about too much vitamin A, maybe worth some additional research on that?

[LadyM]

I worry about people taking supplements without proper guidance. I'm glad you're seeking guidance and doing plenty of your own research. But it's still so easy to get it wrong. If you're seriously concerned, I'd recommend finding and working with a good functional medicine doctor who can test and prescribe for you supplements that you actually need and can use. So much of what we find at the health food store and choose for ourselves without really knowing what's in those supplements or what their effects will be on our unique bodies is useless at best and harmful at worst. 

[nicadai]

Thank you guys for the information. I am a bit nervous about taking "pills" instead of getting what I need from food. It is great to have a community I can call upon to have a discussion and get input.