Pregnancy Supplements + Why I’m Not Drinking Shakeology While Pregnant

(Tom has taken over as the Shakology fanatic in the house for now)

When I found out we were expecting, it was like there was an obvious list of things to do/change/continue:

-Skip nightly glass o’ red. Check.

-Stop saving cookie dough batter for myself. (Make vegan cookie dough instead and everyone wins haha)

-Continue taking prenatal vitamins and add DHA

-Heat up deli meat

-Continue exercising/moving, as long as it feels good

-Eat a vegetable when I don’t feel like death on a stick

and there are the more subtle nuances… the things that I kind of wonder about, but usually end up skipping if I’m uncertain or don’t get a clear answer from the midwives.

-What kind of protein powder can I have?

-Can I still drink kombucha? It’s healthy bacteria, but aren’t there trace amounts of alcohol? (Midwife said she didn’t know, midwife friend said she thinks it’s NBD)

-What about sushi? I’d smear some wasabi on a sashimi plate and destroy it in about 4 seconds. (This source says it’s perfectly fine if the fish comes from a good source, but my midwife today told me n-o. Sushi dreams, crushed.)

-What about when I wake up on my back in the middle of the night? (Midwife said I don’t need to worry about that until the third trimester -YESSSSSS- and even then, it’s NBD.)

-How safe are my current supplements? I took a look at which ones I was already taking and decided, based on my midwife’s advice, what I needed to start taking and what I needed to lose.

What I’m Taking for Pregnancy Supplements

-Iron: My blood tests showed I was slightly anemic, so it’s back on the Floradix for this girl. Confession: I really like the taste of it. It has a beautiful fruity, floral taste.

-Vitamins: Food-based Prenatals <— I take these all the time

-DHA: Currently, I take this DHA and I also like this one

-Cod Liver Oil:  Fermented Cod Liver Oil is supposed to have awesome benefits for mama and baby (this was a gift from Whitney!).

I take 1 prenatal, 1 DHA and 1 fermented cod oil capsule each night.

The Rundown on Protein Powder While Pregnant

As far as the protein powder goes, I’ve been skipping out on my beloved Shakeology for some different options and am not having protein smoothies nearly as often as I used to. There are a couple of protein powders I’m still using in the meantime (the occasional Vega, plain vanilla hemp from Trader Joe’s, Daily Burn Fuel-6), but I’ve been trying to add other protein-rich whole foods, like hemp seeds, chia, almond butter or nuts, cooking an egg in my oatmeal, or adding Greek goat’s yogurt to a smoothie. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this one, so I thought I’d share my choice about why I decided to skip it for now, and pick up with it sometime after the baby is born.

I definitely think it’s worth noting that quite a few women I know have taken Shakeology while pregnant and nursing and have beautiful, healthy babies. I’ve never been one to judge or care what other moms and humans put into their bodies, and just wanted to share why I don’t think it’s a great choice for me. It’s up to all of us to use our best judgment, research, ask questions, and make decisions that support our needs and the needs of our families. <3 If you have any questions about supplements or protein powder while pregnant, talk to you doctor or midwife, k?

Here is the list of ingredients for the vegan chocolate Shakeology (which tastes like a dreamy chocolate dessert and is PACKED with nutrition).

At first you might be like “WHOA, that ingredient list is as long as my arm,” which was my first thought. If you check out the ingredients, you’ll see that it’s a mix of vegan proteins, superfoods and herbs.  In daily life, I am all about this stuff. I love the energy and nutrition boosts that herbs and superfoods provide, and I find Shakeology to be a satisfying and energizing drink.

Here’s Why I’m Skipping Shakeology While Pregnant

The hormonal effects of herbs

This is the big one for me. When I was pregnant with Liv, the midwife told me to be very cautious about the types of herbs I was taking. I was taking two at the time (from my homeopathic doctor) and they removed one from my treatment because they said it could potentially affect the baby.  She raved about the herbs in this homemade pregnancy tea (one of my faves), but said that as far as anything else goes, to talk to them first. Many of the herbs included in Shakeology have hormonal effects on the body, particularly maca (can affect hormones, energy and sex drive), camu-camu (can increase energy and aid with depression), ashwagandha (a variety of uses including decreasing anxiety, promoting good sleep, increasing fertility), and moringa (used to prevent pregnancy…). Anything that can alter our body’s hormonal system makes me nervous while someone else is residing in there. I’m sure it could be fine, but I’m just not comfortable with it for now.

It’s not organic

This has always been my #1 problem with Shakeology -don’t get me wrong, I still drink it, and a LOT of non-organic food is consumed up in here- but I think for the price you pay (it’s about $127 without the coach’s discount), I think it should be organic, especially since I’m sure many of these ingredients are sourced internationally. It contains all of these beautiful ingredients and superfoods, which could be sprayed heavily with pesticides and herbicides. I have no idea.

Too much of a good thing

Shakeology is also pumped full of vitamins, and I’m already taking my prenatal. Incredibly high levels of certain vitamins can have negative effects, so I feel like if I were to take it, it would be in lieu instead of in addition to the prenatal. I showed the bag to a couple of friends (one is an RD and the other is an ER nurse, and they both said they would not take it while pregnant and aim for a prenatal instead).

So there ya go! I’d love to hear any supplement stories, or cravings and aversions from my pregnant friends! Friends sans kids, do you take any vitamins or supplements or just aim to get it from food?

xoxo

Gina

*In full transparency, I am a Beachbody coach, but do not sell the products on the blog at this time. <3