5 Ways to Get Your Vitamins and Minerals Naturally During Pregnancy

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, midwife, certified nutritionist or naturopath. I am not qualified to give medical advice and the following should not be viewed as such. I am instead a mom who seeks to steward her health to the best of her ability and this is what works for my family. 

With my first pregnancy, I took my prenatal vitamin faithfully. I hated taking it, and I really couldn’t tell if it worked. Not to mention, it was so expensive to get a good quality vitamin (from a whole foods source). The majority of ingredients in the more affordable brands weren’t beneficial to growing a baby – containing synthetic vitamins and minerals and full of preservatives, dyes, sugar, and soy products. Furthermore, our bodies simply do not absorb the necessary levels of vitamin and minerals when taken in these synthetic forms.

Therefore with my second pregnancy I was determined to do things differently. After much prayer and research, my husband and I decided to forgo the traditional prenatal vitamin, and instead seek to get the vitamins and minerals naturally through diet and nutrition. When necessary, we have implemented specific supplements (through the guidance of our midwife) to aid my body in areas where we noticed a deficiency.

With that said, here is what has worked for me this pregnancy.

5 Ways to Get Your Vitamins & Minerals Naturally During Pregnancy

1. Real, Whole Foods Diet

We switched to a more whole foods diet about five years ago. I shared my journey into natural living last week. Much of the reason taking a prenatal vitamin (or any vitamin) is so important is because, as Americans, we typically have a poor view of proper nutrition. Basically synthetic vitamins have a place on the market because we aren’t getting the necessary vitamins and minerals through what we eat and drink. Also some will argue that our soil is deplete of necessary vitamins and minerals and eating a real, whole foods diet isn’t even enough. For us, we decided that eating a varied diet and supplementing when necessary will cover for the depletion in our soils.

A real, whole foods diet can be overwhelming, especially during pregnancy. I found Nina Planck’s book Real Food for Mother and Baby to be especially helpful in knowing what to focus on in each trimester.

Other articles to check out:

Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers from Weston A. Price (overwhelming list, but a wonderful guide!)

Essentials of a Pregnancy Diet from Natural Fertility and Wellness

Super Foods for Pregnancy from Kitchen Stewardship

2. Cod Liver Oil

Occasionally throughout the pregnancy, if I’m not getting enough fats in my diet, feel like my immune system is down, hear of an illness going around, or haven’t been outside much to get natural vitamin D, then I will supplement with Cod Liver Oil. I do not take cod liver oil on a daily basis.

We use Twinlab Norwegian Cod Liver Oil. We just mix it in a little orange juice and gulp it down. We’ve tried many different brands and ways of consuming cod liver oil. This is the best way for us! You hardly taste it and the after taste is hardly even there.

Other articles to check out:

The Benefits of Taking Your Cod Liver Oil from Keeper of the Home

3. Calcium Magnesium Supplement

When I hit the third trimester of pregnancy, I started noticing leg cramps when I was trying to sleep. In order to really boost my calcium magnesium stores, I started taking Osteo CALM twice a day. This brand came highly recommended by my midwife.

Before taking this particular brand, I took Liquid Calcium Magnesium Plus Vitamin D. It worked well too. I prefer to the taste of  Osteo CALM. I can tell when I don’t take my CalMag for a few days. This one has been pretty imperative for me.

Another way to get a nice boost in calcium and magnesium is through herbal teas. I love the herbal tea mixture in the Making Babies book. It has peppermint, oatstraw, and alfalfa. It’s really tasty and makes getting additional vitamins and minerals simple.

Eggshell water is another simple way to boost your calcium stores, if you can stomach it. I drank eggshell water a lot before pregnancy, but just can’t do it now that I’m pregnant. But it’s a great way to get additional calcium!

Other articles to check out:

How to Make Eggshell Water from Bulk Herb Store

4. Protein Powder

Protein is an essential part of building a baby! You should get at least 60 mg of protein a day (more is even better!). I try to eat protein rich foods each day.

Protein rich foods:

• Raw milk and cheese
• Yogurt or Kefir
• Cottage Cheese
• Almonds and other nuts and seeds
• Eggs
• Meat, poultry, fish
• Beans
• Quinoa
• Oats

But on days when I struggle to get my protein, I will mix some protein powder into a glass of milk or smoothie. I use SunWarrior Classic Protein at the recommendation of my midwife. I have it in vanilla, but I think chocolate would be much tastier. My midwife also runs an apothecary so I usually just purchase what she has in stock. She’ll have her site, Aspen Botanicals, set up for online purchase soon, if you’re interested.

Other articles to check out:

Pursuing a Natural Pregnancy – Protein from Passionate Homemaking

Nourishing Protein Bars from Passionate Homemaking

5. Daily Herbal Tea

We love herbs! I have become more and more fascinated with herbs the more I study them. I’m mesmerized by all God has created in His natural world for us to use to heal, comfort, and boost our immune systems!

I purchase my daily tea from my midwife because it’s affordable and easily available. My daily tea mix includes raspberry leaf, nettles, lemon balm, hibiscus, dandelion leaf, rose hips, red clover, and oatstraw.

Now that I’m in the third trimester I drink about a quart a day (when I remember!). I didn’t drink it during my first trimester because I couldn’t stomach it, but began gradually adding it into my daily routine during my second trimester. Now that I’m nearing labor and delivery, I’m trying to really be faithful to drink my tea as I believe it is essential to aiding in natural labor.

I like to drink it hot or cold with a bit of honey! If you struggle to drink your daily tea, you could try hiding it in a smoothie. I’ve been known to do this before too!

Other posts to check out: 

Using Red Raspberry Tea for Pregnancy and Postpartum from The Humbled Homemaker

Pregnancy Tea from Creative Christian Mama

Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew from Bulk Herb Store (where I buy all my bulk herbs)

In addition to the above mentioned, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water is on my daily to do list in order to keep my body healthy and strong during pregnancy.

What ways do you find to get your vitamins and minerals naturally?

This post is part of our Grace for the Pregnant Mom Series. See all our posts here.

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