I received the following on one of my posts about pregnancy but thought I’d also include the information here.
Kristen!
I’m newly preggo for the second time (first time being 4 years ago). My diet and knowledge have changed a lot since. I’ve been researching your blog and have a couple of questions. First what prenatal vit did you end up liking the best? Why did you stop taking vitamineral green and fruits powders while you were pregnant? And, just out of curiosity, why do you use both hemp powder AND seeds in your smoothies and not flax? Love your blog, you rock.
Thanks, Jamie
Here is my response:
Hi Jaime, Congrats on your pregnancy.
You ask great questions….
1) I was partial to Vitamin Code’s prenatal in spite of the controversial vitamin D3 being/not being vegan,especially for people who couldn’t get enough vitamin D from sun exposure due to where they live. However, I have since learned that vitamin D2 (vegan) is just as effective as vitamin D3, so supplementing with extra vitamin D2 and taking a truly vegan prenatal is an option. The high amount of vitamin D in Vitamin Code is great - they are way ahead of the curve with respect to this. I don’t know of any other prenatals doing that and it’s so important while pregnant. I also like that Vitamin Code uses capsules instead of tablets…. usually means less processing. However, New Chapter is still great. They’ve been around a while and have many happy customers. :)
2) I stopped Vitamineral Green and Fruits of Earth while pregnant because of ingredients that could be questionable during pregnancy. I know of women who took VG during pregnancy, but I opted not to. You could consider their other product Greener Grasses though – good stuff! I’m taking it now while breastfeeding. (I think they might’ve changed their VG formula since then because I don’t see one of the questionable ingredients in there. There is parsley juice in it though, and parsley is known for affecting breastmilk, so it still might be better to go with Greener Grasses. If you decide to go with VG, you might want to double check with your midwife or physician.)
3) Hemp has a more ideal ratio of omegas than flax (read more about this here). I also like the higher protein in it which is why sometimes I used both hemp powder and hemp seeds.
I’m asked all the time about which supplements I’m taking while pregnant. There are a few things that I take for sure… meaning that I will take them throughout the pregnancy, and there are some things that I’ll take for a certain period of time and then, perhaps, stop. There are some women who don’t feel the need to take supplements while pregnant. Personally, because I’m vegan, I want to make sure my diet is complete, so I feel better by supplementing. Moreover, with the “all-day ‘morning’ sickness” I’m experiencing, I feel even more compelled to take some things because it’s hard for me to get a balanced diet right now.
The following are things I’m taking, but they may not be what you took while pregnant, or want to take if you’re pregnant now. Everyone is different. I researched these items thoroughly before deciding what would work best for me and my baby. If you have questions about your own situation, I’d suggest researching information yourself, and then asking your midwife or doctor.
Here are the items I will take throughout the pregnancy for sure (the prenatal and DHA I pretty much take daily, the others in this list I take every other day or a couple times a week).
Vitamin B12
DHA (vegan) (there are many vegan options other than NuTru)
prenatal*
wheat grass (in pill and/or powder depending on how I feel)
probiotic**
Vitamin D
*Vitamin Code sent me their Raw prenatal to try, which is what I’m taking now. I’m happy with it although it’s hard to say whether I notice anything (as is the case with many multi-vitamins when your diet is already good). I’ve been told that the Vitamin Code prenatal would help with morning sickness. It has not changed that for me – I’m still nauseated all day (remember though, I love it, hard as it is. It’s the daily sign of my pregnancy, so I’m not complaining. In fact, if it went away before the second trimester started, I might be a little bummed). Vitamin Code also sent me other products to try.
UPDATE: Vitamin Code’s prenatal might not be very vegan after all. The D3 is derived from lanolin – ugh! However, they state that they are following the definition of “vegan” as prescribed by the Vegan Society. You can read more about it on Garden of Life’s website. **Also, you’ll see Dr. Ohhira’s probiotic in the picture. That has beeswax in it so I no longer take that for my probiotic. Instead, I’m taking Ejuva’s Moflora for my probiotic.
I have also spent part of the past year taking New Chapter Organic Prenatal. That is a highly reputable company and many women have successfully used their prenatal. I love that it’s made from food and is organic, but my biggest complaint is that it’s in a tablet form instead of a capsule. From what I understand, when a company makes a tablet, it usually requires heat. Vitamin Code’s Raw Prenatal is in a capsule form, making it easier for them to keep it Raw, which I love. Update {2/9/11}: I have since learned that New Chapter’s Prenatal is not vegan.
The most important thing for me when getting a prenatal was making sure there were not any synthetics in it. Here is a blog post about when I found synthetics in my prenatals last year. If a prenatal is truly a whole food vitamin, then it shouldn’t upset my stomach when I take it without food. And, in my experience, whole food multi-vitamins don’t turn my urine yellow.
There are some other things I take, although I don’t take them daily, and I’m not sure I’ll take them through the whole pregnancy. It depends on how I feel as time goes by, as well as what foods I’ve had in any particular day. They are:
Spirulina
Chlorella*
Kelp granules
Iron
B-complex
Vitamin E**
Protein powder(s) to help me keep my protein higher on all-raw days
Chia / Flax seeds
*Chlorella can be tricky because it can cause detox to occur. I’ve been taking this all year pretty much, so my body is used to it. I’m not sure I’d be taking it while pregnant if I hadn’t already had experience taking it prior to getting pregnant. And, it’s not something I take daily anymore either.
**Vitamin E is known as a fertility vitamin because it’s reputed for helping to reduce the rate of miscarriage. I try to get most of my vitamin E from foods, such as organic sprouted sunflower seeds, but I don’t always get enough of those, so on occasion I supplement with it.
I’ve listed some of the things I’m currently taking, but there is so much more than just writing a list.My diet changes all the time – sometimes I get in bananas and avocados (these have B-vitamins) and sometimes I get lentils and other higher protein, iron rich foods. Some days I have oranges and kiwi and greens so I’m getting minerals and phytonutrients. Some days I have herbal teas of nettle and alfalfa (and in the future trimesters, I’ll add raspberry leaf tea). The bottom line is that my diet changes, and as a result, I’m prepared for any possible inadequacies I might experience. I pay attention to my diet every day, with every meal. Some people might say that I over-think this stuff. Quite the contrary. One way I don’t stress about getting the perfect diet is knowing that I have supplements and super foods available to help balance everything. Plus, most importantly, I’m doing everything I can to provide the best environment for my baby. There can be no over-thinking, if you ask me, so long as you don’t stress about it (stress is one of the worst things for a pregnancy).
I’ll say again, not everyone is the same. Not all pregnant, mostly Raw, women will think they need to supplement. I’m not here to prescribe a list for you. It’s simply what I’m taking. Based on my information here, you can further research it, and evaluate your own lifestyle – Do you live in a toxic city or in the woods? Do you have a balanced diet? Is it organic? Are you stressed? Did you have fertility issues? Do you get enough rest? Do you meditate? Do you exercise or burn extra calories? Are you older or younger? Do you have allergies which restrict certain foods from your diet? – As you can see, we are all different and we should all take care and pay special attention to our own, unique situations. A great example is that when I told people about my nausea, I had many people tell me to have ginger. Ginger didn’t help me one bit. I had others tell me to have lemon. Lemon didn’t help me one bit. The list went on and on (peppermint, carbonation, acupressure bracelets, etc). What I think is great is to have all of these wonderful options available and experiences from people. But keep in mind that we’re all different (my mom is amazed that I still love the smell of coffee because she hated it when she was pregnant. She also finds it weird that she only had sickness in the morning and I have it all day. So, as you can see, it’s even different for people in the same family). You never know what might work so don’t be afraid to try different things. Do what is best for you and your baby.
After leaving Oklahoma City, we headed to Santa Fe. I’ve always loved Santa Fe… I really feel a sense of belonging there (although it’s too cold for me during the winter). It’s beautiful, from the Sangre de Cristo mountains, to the adobe architecture, to the warm and eclectic people. As my husband so eloquently stated about Santa Fe – Gentle Seattle-fleece vibe meets Southwest style, artists, and old-world authenticity.
The food: Other than Whole Foods, we had a few places from which to choose for eating organic, vegan, and some raw (whether as salads or other raw dishes). We only had time to sample two of them, Chocolate Maven (which was disappointing in its limited organic and vegan options) and Tree House, which we really liked. We look forward to returning to Santa Fe soon (only 8 hours by car), going back to Tree House, and trying some of the other restaurant options. My husband, a huge fan of Southwestern and New Mexican cuisine, has made it his personal mission to catalog all the vegan options at many of Santa Fe’s famous restaurants.
At a cute coffeeshop in the historic district, I had what instantly became my favorite brand of kombucha. It’s produced locally by the Santa Fe Tea Company. (I’m going to see if our Whole Foods will carry it.) Unfortunately, I’m mostly staying away from kombucha while pregnant due to conflicting information I’ve read about it. I’d rather play it safe than sorry. But, I did try some to know if I liked it, and I love this brand. My favorite flavor is the Rasta with my second favorite being the Sangria, but there are others I’ve yet to try.
We spent time walking around the downtown area and look what I found: Santa Fe Hemp! I was so excited! We probably spent an hour in the tiny shop. I bought a sticker for my computer that reads: Eat Organic. I also bought my little Monkey an organic cotton onesie that reads: Organic Baby – Save The Whales.
The most exciting part of our time in Santa Fe was stumbling upon a gem called El Milagro Herbs – Organic Skin Care. We interviewed the proprietor, Tomas Enos, a brilliant man who has his PhD in ethnobotany and has been making organic skin care products for almost 20 years. As you’ll learn in the video, he makes only small batches of product to ensure freshness and only uses the best ingredients. His formulations are nothing short of amazing and I’m happy to be one of his loyal followers now.
One of the things we discussed regarding herbal skin care products is that when you buy products from a place where big factories are creating the product, the product starts to lose its energy from the plants. As the number of steps increase from harvesting to packaging to shipping, and the number of hands increase who get involved, the precious energy goes down. I really believe in that philosophy.
I bought a face wash, skin lotion, toner, sea weed mask, hair oil, as well as some herbal tea to drink. I haven’t tried the hair oil yet, but I enjoy the other products so far. They smell and feel great. And, as you’ll learn in my video below, they harvest all wild and/or organic seasonal herbs, and they make them in small batches right there in the store.
OH! And awesome news! He is currently working on a Raw organic skin care line! He should have his face cream done next week, with other companion Raw organic products following shortly. I highly recommend checking his wonderful goodies out.
I should add that my husband was delighted to meet a real ethnobotanist and had a nice chat about toxic pufferfish and the ethnopharmacology of Haitian Zombieism… um, did you say zombies?… kinda scary, but good timing, as Santa Fe was all adorned with sugar skulls and flowers for its upcoming Day of the Dead festivities. Gotta love Santa Fe!!
So, I’m going to back track a bit and write about the awesomeness of our stay in Pensacola, FL. We have family there with a farm (horses, cat, dog, huge pond with fish, etc) so we stayed a few days and just relaxed. It was amazing. The day after we arrived we were blessed with warm sunshine so we went to the beach briefly and stuck our feet in the water. The remaining days were filled with pouring rain, but it was magical as we sat on the big porch in rocking chairs and talking for hours and hours and witnessing nature do its thing.
One late afternoon when it wasn’t raining, but the grass was wet after having just been rained on, we went out and blew bubbles. How fun! And! How meditative! Gently blowing into the wand, watching the beautiful bubbles form and then float softly to the ground, where they stayed for many minutes at a time, was soothing. It’s funny… I was telling my mom about it and she relayed a story to me,“Yes..I use to buy you those cheap bubbles in the bottle… When you were done with the bottle, I filled it with water and kitchen soap. It took you two minutes to tell me, ‘ITS NOT THE SAME!!!’”
There were a few highlights to this leg of our trip (in no particular order). First, being on the farm was nurturing to my soul as I awaited the day for my first pregnancy blood tests. The full moon, the fresh air, and the warm night breezes completely relaxed me. Secondly, the horses. I love horses. I really really love horses. When I’m around them, I’m in the moment… I’m under their spell. I don’t think about the past or the future. I’m just calm, mesmerized by their beauty, and in awe. Being around the horses and feeding them organic apples and carrots was enchantment. The third aspect of the trip that was awesome was spending time with family that we rarely see. This was one of the main reasons for taking the drive down south instead of cutting across the Midwest. We laughed so much and had a blast. Lastly… I found out I was pregnant while in Pensacola. I had the first blood draw on Monday morning and received the awesome news of our success in the afternoon, which most of you know by now from my earlier blog posts. It was wonderful to share that exciting time with our family. So, as you can see, Pensacola has a very special place in my heart.
Regarding our food adventures while there, we had access to a fantastic natural foods market called Ever Man’s. It was filled with all kinds of fresh organic produce.
I bought fresh sprouts, pineapple, apples, kiwi, kale, and spinach to make nourishing green smoothies. Yum! There were also two vegan (mostly organic) restaurants that we tried. End of the Line was quite good. I had a sauerkraut Reuben sandwich that was mega tasty and a bowl of lentil soup that I swear was the best lentil soup I’d ever had.
I get tons of requests to post my daily food intake. Here you go! :) Today was a very High Raw day for my husband and me, and it was awesome! Everything is organic – always.
~ Water with fresh squeezed lemon
I love starting my day with a big glass of fresh, purified water. I usually wake up feeling thirsty and this is the first thing I want. To make it extra nutritious, I added the juice of half of a lemon. Nice and alkalizing.
~ Strawberries
My breakfast was 2 cups of delicious strawberries that were locally grown (from the CSA). I added a teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy drizzle of raw agave nectar on it to get them extra juicy. They were so good! Strawberries rock. They have fiber and they’re loaded with nutrients (phytonutrients, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and more).
~ Power Ick!
This is pretty disgusting and I can’t help but make some crazy faces when I’m drinking it. Ick! I plug-n-chug it and then chase it with water. It consists of 1 1/2 cups water, 1 heaping tablespoon wheat grass powder, 1 tablespoon Berry Greens, 1 tablespoon Fruits of the Earth, 1 tablespoon Vitamineral Green. When I finished drinking it, I looked over my shoulder, thinking for sure I had a cape on. Damn… no cape. I thought I might have taken on some super powers after drinking this.
I’m loving raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut lately. It’s so dang good for you!!! (Check out my post about sauerkraut here.) I made a little Krautwich for part of my lunch. It consisted of 2 slices of kamut bread (not raw) with sauerkraut in the middle. That’s it. Delish! The rest of my plate was filled with the slices of one red bell pepper and one yellow bell pepper. BTW, I never eat green bell peppers because they’re not ripe, which can cause digestive trouble.
~ Hypnotic Orange Juice
This was heaven in a cup. I went to my friend’s house and picked oranges from her tree today. I took them home and squeezed them . They were still warm from the sun and it was so amazing. My goodness… when someone gives you a hard time about loving the raw lifestyle, give them a glass of this heaven and they’ll understand why you’ve chosen this path. It’s hypnotic.
~ Savory Garden Veggie Pasta (recipe at end of post)
This dinner was so good! With every bite I felt like the cells in my body were getting stronger and stronger. By the end of the meal they were dancing for joy and struttin’ their stuff. Even though I’m giving you the recipe below, it was basically a bowl of zucchini noodles topped with veggies (broccoli, carrots, yellow and red bell peppers) that were marinated in a wonderful, savory sauce that my husband loved so much he was licking the bowl. We both are not crazy about the taste of raw broccoli, but when we have it like this – we LOVE it! We each had a bowl of this. (Leftovers will be my lunch tomorrow.)
~ Dessert Time
I was craving something sweet to follow my meal. I quickly downed a nice plump medjool date (I get them here – 11 pound box, baby!). Then, I was inspired to make my recipe for Holiday Chia Pudding (it’s so easy, recipe here). After I soaked the cashews and made it, my husband and I each had about 1/2 cup. Yummers in our tummers!!!
~ Late evening snack
We found ourselves a little hungry later on and we didn’t want anything sweet. We opted for another Krautwich. Mmmmmmm…
Whisk the marinade ingredients together and set aside. Place the veggie mix in a large bowl and pour the marinade on top. Stir to mix and coat the veggies with the marinade. Set aside for 30-60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. (Alternately, you can make this a day ahead of time and put the marinated veggies in the refrigerator overnight.)
Put your spiralized noodles in serving bowls and top with the marinated veggies. Voila! Yummy, easy, extraordinarily nutritious, and delicious!
*For extra mojo, sprinkle on some hemp seeds and raisins!
Here is a list of my nutrient filled, awesome Raw food I had today. (Everything is always organic.)
1 cup water with 1T Amazing Grass’ Wheat Grass Powder, 2T Navitas Naturals’ sprouted flax meal, and 1T New Chapter Organic’s Berry Greens ~ I started my day with this alkalizing concoction. The taste is pretty decent and it’s so good for my body.
2T goji berries, 2T cacao nibs, 2T hemp seeds ~ This was a high energy, nutrient dense snack. On my kitchen counter (see pic), I have a cute gold tray with four bowls (goji berries, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds). I have a little spoon so my husband and I can just walk by and have a little spoonful of goodness when we want. I like to change the bowls’ contents from time to time. The cool thing about the raw cacao is that it suppresses my appetite, so there is no risk of my overeating on the snacks. :)
1 cup sliced strawberries, 1 banana sliced, 1/2 cucumber sliced ~ I just adore fresh fruit (sweet and non-sweet). It’s filled with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. It’s a great high energy snack that keeps the cells of my body happy and dancing.
Hummus with sliced carrots and broccoli bites ~ I love the hummus recipe in my Sides/Snacks book – so yummy. I seriously don’t know why people would eat processed (non-Raw) hummus when this delicious and nutritious alternative is available (and so easy to make).
1 cup Exotic Chocolate Milk ~ This is a FUN and unique recipe that will be featured in my upcoming chocolate book/ebook (available within a couple of weeks – fingers crossed!). I enjoyed this drink in one of my wine glasses to make the experience extra sassy.
Small Fluffy Green Smoothie ~ 1 cup water, 1 handful spinach, 1 apple, pinch cinnamon
Marinara with kelp noodles, Omega Crackers ~ I’m not a huge fan of kelp noodles. They have a weird texture to me. But, I’m eating them tonight anyway. My marinara sauce (available in my entree book/ebook) is so good (and I didn’t have any zucchini to make noodles) so I decided to use the kelp noodles in my refrigerator. I would probably like them a little more if the noodles were used in a salad where I might expect the texture they offer. I made Omega Crackers the other day (I used Navitas Naturals’ Sprouted Omega Blend with veggies, herbs, seasoning) and we ate a few with our noodles.
Kale Salad ~ Purple curly kale, yellow bell pepper, carrots, raisins, lemon juice, Himalayan crystal salt, and Vega’s EFA oil. Major YUM!!! I LOVE kale salads!!! Teeccino with Sweet Pomegranate Cheesecake ~ I love ending my day with a nice cup of Teeccino alongside a delicious Raw vegan dessert.
I’m heading to the gym later tonight to walk on the treadmill for about an hour. Yesterday, I ordered the book, The Face on Your Plate (for my Kindle 2), so I’m eager to start it tonight while I’m working out.
It’s time for a little “Girl Talk” on Kristen’s Raw Blog.
The idea of using organic cloth pads for “period time” has always intrigued me… and, scared me a bit. I love the eco-friendly aspect of it, as well as not having to always buy organic cotton pads (I’m not a fan of tampons, even if they are organic, and only use them on rare occasions). However, I’ve always been a bit shy to try the cloth pad option. But… it keeps coming to my attention, so I decided it was time to give it a try. When I was buying my husband a hemp sweater from Rawganique for Valentine’s Day, I saw they had these “LunaPanties: organic cotton period panties” and I decided to give them a try. I haven’t had the chance to use them yet… but that full moon is on its way. UPDATE: I’ve used them and they are a bit stretchy to wear they don’t fit that well. The “pad” part is fine, but the overall comfort of the underwear isn’t anything to write home about.
Then, that same week, I was reading up on some blogs I follow, and a fellow blogger actually wrote an informative post on the topic. I highly recommend checking it out. She writes, “The minute I tell folks I use cloth menstrual pads, their expression noticeably changes into one of confusion and sometimes disgust. But as I glowingly tell them about the benefits of cloth both to myself and to the environment, they start to listen and realize it’s not so weird or strange after all.”Read more here.
On to the topic of Raw food now…Here is my food intake/plan
Water w/ New Chapter Organic’s Berry Greens(I buy mine from Vitacost.com but they also sell it on Amazon and in some Whole Foods Markets)and Amazing Wheat Grass Powder ~ I like the taste of these two products, both together and independently. It’s a great alkalizing way to start my day. I also add them to smoothies, too, if I’m not drinking them straight with water.
2 Bananas ~ Bananas are easy, full of vitamins, and taste awesome. Need I say more?
Cherry Tomatoes, Carrot Sticks, and Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce ~ I know… AGAIN? Emphatically… YES! I cannot seem to get enough. I’ve been making it every other day. If I’m not eating it with veggies, I eat it with Raw corn chips, and I’ve even enjoyed it w/ organic, baked corn chips. I love the flavor!!! It’s a satiating snack that keeps me filled for hours.
Strawberry Fennel Kale Salad (2 servings) ~ I’ve also been eating a lot of kale salads lately, trying different combinations of ingredients. This was a lovely combo.
3 Spoonfuls of Chia Seed Pudding w/ Raw Cashew Milk ~ This is a great way to fix a sweet tooth. And, chia seeds are loaded with nutrition (read more here). The Raw cashews and chia seeds are from Navitas Naturals.
Goji Berries (a few small handfuls) ~ I’m making a new dessert recipe, with goji berries, so I have them sitting on the counter. I’ve been munching on some here and there when I walk by them.
Kelp Noodles and Raw Marinara ~ I have a bag of kelp noodles begging to be used in the refrigerator. I think I’ll whip up some Raw Marinara tonight and we’ll enjoy that for dinner… alongside some Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce and Corn Chips of course – ha ha.
Dessert ~ We’ll either have some more Chia Pudding or the new dessert recipe I’m working on. Either way… we’re having dessert!
Tonight, I’m going to make miso soup (soy-free) with fresh garlic and ginger added – alongside a huge bowl of Fennel Orange Kale Salad with a Raw Chocolate Macaroon for dessert :) If I get hungry I’ll have another protein shake.
A Great Blog I want to share another AWESOME blog that I follow regularly: Nature Mom’s Blog. I learn a lot from Tiffany – she’s full of great info! Practically every time I read a post of hers, I find myself saving it for future reference (for when I have kids especially). And, if it’s not kid related, it seems to always be relevant in some way.
Another Awesome Giveaway! I’m going to have another awesome giveaway for the month of February. Be sure to check back for details!
Whole Foods Demonstration Canceled For those of you planning on stopping by the Raw Food day of demonstrations (Feb 20), Whole Foods announced to me today that it was canceled.
Conversation Question Would you be likely to survive alone in the wilderness?
*For those who don’t know, the conversation question” is from these cute “conversation starter” cards I found at a little boutique. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable when meeting new people, or if there is silence while around co-workers, or maybe you’re meeting your boyfriend/girlfriend’s parents for the first time and you want to ensure stimulating conversation. These are fun and made for just that!
I'm Kristen, and welcome to my blog. I'm a wife, mom, author, and I love to eat so food is usually the topic of my blog posts. I'm a former (almost decade long) vegan turned back omnivore who enjoys reading, rebounding, coffee, and dark chocolate. More...
I'm Kristen, and welcome to my blog. I'm a wife, mom, author, and I love to eat so food is usually the topic of my blog posts. I'm a former (almost decade long) vegan turned back omnivore who enjoys reading, rebounding, coffee, and dark chocolate. 
