My Vitamin Regimen

Thanks Kim H, for contacting me! I would be happy to share my vitamin regimen, it is one I have really put a lot of time into to make sure it is effective (ie, the results of my bloodwork prove it!). First though, I want to mention that I AM NOT endorsing any brand or trying to SELL anything, I am just tell you you what has worked for me. Please note, this article contains a lot of hyperlinks that will take you directly to what I am talking about!

I don't know about your nutrition pre-op classes, but mine were a bit lacking in info, and I am a research-info person, so this was a fun project for me. From what I understood, when they removed my stomach (I had the full/open RGB, they removed my stomach, my gall bladder and my appendix) gone with it were the acids that hence would work to break down and absorb things such as vitamins, tablets, etc. into my blood stream.

A vitamin with a high soluability, or oxidation rate is what I was looking for. While most multi vitamins are broken down in the stomach from the acidic environment, we frankly don't have that tool any longer. I needed a good vitamin that would break down and be absorbed directly from the intestines. Research, research, testing, trying, skip ahead....

What I was looking for was right under my nose because I use their products for my home anyway, it was a new kind of vitamin from Melaleuca. If you haven't heard of this company, they produce organic, chemical free products to clean your home, for beauty, health, etc. What I am currently using are the Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatal, the Prenatal Omega-3, the CellWise Broadspectrum Antioxidant, the Activate Immune Complex Immunity Booster, and Caltrate 600 plus Vitamin D.

I know, it sounds like a lot! Well, it is! But, it's so worth it. Here is how my schedule goes,
AM, tea then some breakfast (egg, toast), 1/2 hour after eating, with water I take:
2 Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatals
1Prenatal Omega-3
1 CellWise
1 Activate

about 2 hours later I eat again, 1/2 hour after I've finished eating, with water I take:
1 Caltrate
1 Activate

2-3 hours later, 1/2 hour after I've eaten something, with water I take:
1 Caltrate
1 CellWise

Late in the afternoon, 1/2 after eating with water I might get in another Caltrate

1/2 hour after dinner I take:
1 Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatals
2 Prenatal Omega-3
1 Activate

These are all spread out during the day for a few reasons, first, when you take Iron, you cannot take it with Calcium or Vitamin D within a 2 hour period or else they can cancel each other out. Second, your body cannot absorb any more than 500-600 miligrams of Calcium in a 2 hour period, so to get in 1200 - 1500 mgs you need to spread out your tablets.

If you are like Kim H., and are preparing for pregnancy, you absolutely need to start taking at LEAST a multivitamin with B6, B12, Folic Acid and your Calcium. These are accumulative in your system, they build up in your cells and need to be there BEFORE baby comes!

Again, I am not selling Melaleuca, but I have found these vitamins have a super high absorbtion, make me feel awesome and are reasonable to purchase, here is the description directly from the website about their Prenatal Vitamins:

Vitality Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatal is designed with essential vitamins and minerals to help bridge nutritional gaps and provide the extra nutrients nursing and expectant mothers require. With 1,000 mcg of folate to help reduce the risk of neural-tube defects and 30 mg of iron for optimal health during pregnancy, Vitality Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatal looks out for you during this special time of life.

Melaleuca’s Exclusive Oligofructose Complex™:
This groundbreaking, patent-pending process binds minerals to organic compounds (amino acids & oligofructose) to dramatically improve absorption and protect the potency of your antioxidant vitamins during digestion. In short, Oligofructose Complex delivers nutrients in a form that mirrors the way they are naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods for energy, vitality, and balanced nutrition.

Vitality Multivitamin and Mineral Prenatal meets USP specifications for potency, uniformity, and disintegration, where applicable. Suitable for a vegetarian and kosher diet.

Women who consume healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce their risk of having a child with birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. Folate intake should not exceed 250% of the Daily Value (DV) of 1,000 mcg.

Warning: Accidental overdose of iron containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning of children under six. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or Poison Control Center immediately.

You of course will want to try your own thing, this amount if vitamin taking may not be for you... but it is what works for me! If you do decide to try it, I can help connect you with a Melaleuca account. You should write out the schedule, I keep mine on a white board on the cabinet door. If you are on the go, put them in a ziplock baggie and write on the baggie the approximate time you should take them with a sharpie.

I hope this helps! Keep the comments and questions coming!
Mrs. Murphy