Sophia and Patrick are smart, and want to do everything they can to maximize their health before and during pregnancy. They want a healthy, happy baby and want the pregnancy to go well. They also want to get pregnant easily. So they have decided not just to believe the hype of the prenatal vitamin company marketing. They want to really understand the most important nutrients and the best sources of those nutrients. Are you as motivated as Sophia and Patrick?
Nutrition has a profound effect on the fertility of both men and women, and on the proper growth and development of your fetus.
Are The Fat Soluble Vitamins Important Prenatal Vitamins?
- The fat soluble vitamins – vitamin A, D, E and K2 – are CRITICALLY IMPORTANT!
They are required for the production of hormones and for the development of healthy eggs and sperm. They are necessary for the proper function of your thyroid and adrenals, and your immune system. They are necessary for the digestion and absorption of your minerals, proteins and water soluble vitamins.
If you did not read the previous paragraph, read it. If you read it, read it again. I cannot stress enough how important these fat soluble vitamins are. Vitamin D deficiency has become quite well recognized because of it being so common. You do not want to be deficient in any of these vitamins.
Why should I get my vitamins from food?
- To obtain necessary co-factors
- To prevent toxicity
Vitamins do not exist as single components, as seen in most supplements. They are part of a complex of compounds with naturally occurring “co-factors,” such as trace minerals, enzymes and co-enzymes, as well as other vitamins. The only way to get this complex is through real, whole foods and a few truly whole food supplements, such as fermented cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil.
Prevent toxicity that can potentially occur with the fat soluble vitamins, by consuming all of these fat soluble vitamins in your diet. Vitamin A, D, E and K2, together. Therefore it is doubly important not to take them as isolated supplements. Consume them from whole food sources that are naturally high in all of these vitamins. Whole, fresh foods are the ultimate truly natural vitamins.
VITAMIN A FOODS and VITAMIN D FOODS
- Liver and other organ meats
- Fish liver oil (Fermented Cod Liver Oil)
- Shell fish and fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies)
- Butter and cream
- Egg yolks
- Fish eggs
- Insects
- Fat of birds (ducks, geese, chickens)
- Fats of mono-gastric animals (pig, bear, guinea pig)
VITAMIN E FOODS
- Butter
- Organ meats
- Egg yolks
- Whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes
- Dark green vegetables
VITAMIN K2 FOODS
- Fish eggs are very high
- Goose liver is very high, other liver and organ meats
- Butter, cheese
- Animal fats
- High Vitamin Butter Oil
All animal products must come from healthy animals eating the diet that they are genetically designed to eat. Have you heard the saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, so are animals. And since animal products are necessary to get all of these fat soluble vitamins, choose which animals you eat carefully. Also, animals must be in sunlight for their fat to contain vitamin D. Fish can be contaminated by heavy metals and pollutants, so be sure to identify which are safe.
Healthy animal diets:
- Meat and dairy products from grass fed animals on rich pastures
- Chickens eating grass and other plants and insects
- Pigs diet is leaves and grasses, roots, fruits, insects and dead carcasses
- Wild seafood (not farmed)
To Your Vibrant Health!
Veronica Tilden, DO