Here's The Plan

So a friend of mine and I have been talking recently about vitamins and supplements and which ones are the best, which ones to put our family on, and which ones are affordable for our limited budgets. There are so many products out there that it's all so overwhelming researching it. I want to get the most for my money nutritionally speaking. Not all brands are the best or comparable to other brands. Just because it says "All Natural" doesn't mean it is. I prefer to have supplements that are not sweetened with fructose.

I talked to our local chiropractor about what supplements children (2 years and older) should be on and she recommend a good quality fish oil, a good quality multivitamin, and a probiotic. Now, when I say good quality, I am not referring to the GuumiBear vitamins from Wal-Mart that are full of artificial colors and flavorings. They are not worth the money. I highly recommend a whole food vitamin with maximum absorption without added sugar, preservatives, colors, or flavorings.

Libby is currently on a powdered probiotic, a liquid fish oil, and "Catalyn", which is explained below. I am researching alternative products that are cheaper, but still a great product.

Kellie, our chiropractor sold us a whole food supplement for kids (similar to a multivitamin) from the company Standard Process called "Catalyn" chewable. Libby was even taking this one at 14 months just smashed and added to her food. Now that she has teeth she can easily chew it. It has 19,000 phytonutrients! Awesome stuff, but it's a little pricey for me to keep buying it. So I found an alternative that our whole family can take. Children simply take half the dose. It's an organic liquid vitamin. And it fits our budget. It only costs $16.26 for 30 oz. So no need to buy three different vitamins for all our needs. This one will do the trick.

I also found her a chewable softgel fish oil at $17.99 for 180

softgels by Nordic Naturals.

Garden of Life also has "Primal Defense" for kids which is a probiotic powder for $16.25. Children can start taking that as soon as they can

start other liquids besides formula or breast milk, which is around six months of age.

So, I was able to find three different products with a price that fits our budget.

Here are a few brands that I highly trust that I myself have taken personally or my family has taken. This list is not exhaustive, but I simply can't list everything.

Garden of Life (excellent products. A little on the pricey end)

Nordic Naturals (makes great products for kids)

Standard Process (available only through health food stores or licensed health care professionals)

Integrative Therapeutics (again, only available through health care professionals).

So what am I taking you ask? Well, I am simply just going to take a good multivitamin as I described above and fish oil softgels at 180 softgels for $12.72. I love yogurt and sour cream so I get my probiotics in that way. Be sure and eat yogurt that is free from high fructose corn syrup, the ingredient in most store bought yogurt. I buy the organic variety at Wal-Mart without added antibiotics and hormones.

Where am I getting all these supplements at such affordable costs? http://www.vitacost.com/. They sell everything from vitamins, bath and body supplies, to food, to books, etc. They are well below retail price and shipping is only $4.99 no matter how much you order. So head on over there and check out there products.

Included in my order (which I will purchase when Joey gets paid this week) is all natural toothpaste without flouride (that's another post), deodorant without aluminum (that's another post), all natural baby products, and other bath care products. I currently purchase my toothpaste and deodorant from Wal-Mart both from the company Tom's of Maine, but vitacost has them much cheaper.

This is the toothpaste I am getting for Libby without flouride.

Hope this info isn't too overwhelming, but rather helpful in helping you decide the best products for your family's needs. Every family is different and the needs different and the budgets different so do what you can afford.

More to come in a later post information about aluminum and flouride.