vitamin supplements

[newstart2011]

My husband and I will both be starting day one of phase one on Friday. We are excited to start craving good foods instead of junk!! this was recommended by our trainer at the gym. Couple questions:

1. since dairy/milk not allowed, and I am a woman, should I be taking a calcium supplement (as already suggested by my dr but have a hard time getting those big pills down)? I regularly drink milk, eat yogurt for calcium/vitaD requirements and think I'll miss out on those vitamins.

2. really, we can have any evening dinner we'd like? We have 2 small children and I still need to continue normal meals for them obviously.

Thank you for your feedback, Really looking forward to seeing some progress!

[AJ hungry]

I just started this diet a week and 2 days ago and absolutely love it. I've lost a little over 4 pounds now and feel like a have a lot more energy than i did prior to this diet.

1) For vitamin D, a bit of sun exposure causes your body to naturally produce vitamin D. I too would like to know about taking the calcium supplements.

2) I skipped the first two stages and went right to stage 3, although I wouldn't exactly recommend it to everyone. It was a bit rough for the first 5 days. I would say eat as healthy as you can during your "feast". Don't go overboard with the bad foods at dinner and try to slowly cut back on them as you progress during the first stage. It's never too early for your children to begin eating healthy too. Teaching your children good eating habits at an early age is always a good thing.

Good luck with everything! I hope I was somewhat helpful.

[Falcon]

Hello, and welcome to the tribe!
Don't forget, before the domestication of cattle, sheep, goats, horses etc, our ancestors didn't eat dairy at all and didn't, as far as we know, suffer from osteoporosis. So it is more than possible to eat paleo and not get calcium deficient.

Here is a list of paleo-approved foods rich in calcium:

Salmon, Canned, with bones, 75g; 185 mg Calcium
Rhubarb, cooked, 240ml; 174 mg Calcium
Spinach, frozen, cooked, 240ml; 138 mg Calcium
Almonds, 240ml; 92 mg Calcium
Mustard greens, cooked from fresh, 240ml; 52 mg Calcium
Orange, 1 medium 52 mg Calcium
Halibut, baked, 75g; 51 mg Calcium
Kale, fresh, cooked, 240ml; 47 mg Calcium
Broccoli, cooked from fresh, 240ml; 36 mg Calcium (a good source of vitamin D)

Also, any weight-bearing exercise you do, including walking, forces your bones to become denser and is vital in later life to prevent the onset of osteoporosis. So a healthy measure of these foods each week and lots of exercise, and I don't think you'd have anything to worry about.

However, if you're still concerned, a decent multivitamin will always contain at least 33% of your RDA. Combined with some broccoli and spinach, you'll do fine.

You can have any evening feast you like, but only for stage 1. Stages 2 and 3 are a conversion to a true paleo lifestyle, so at this time you will need to cut out dairy, grains and legumes. Until then yes, you could eat whatever you like.
I also think there is no harm in converting your children to a paleo lifestyle - at least at home. Healthier, more vitality, less risk of obesity, more energy to exercise... what's not to like? But that, of course, is your choice as parents. Perhaps see how it works for you and then contemplate changing your children's diets.

Hope this helps, and good luck to you both.

Falcon

[Lilnicki]

My kids have a semi-paleo diet...... they have rice and potatoes sometimes, brown bread about once a week, but no white bread or pasta. Cakes and biscuits are also few and far between and only for special treats. MY daughters Dad ( my ex) thinks this diet is bad for her and as a growing young girl she should be having (and i quote ) " lots of white bread sandwiches, biscuits, cakes and tea with sugar" (( cos she likes it don't you know)).....lol...... needless to say i've told him " not in my house". He also thinks it's ok for her not to have any fruit or veg when she stays with him......

Sorry for going a bit off track there...... but to answer your questions..... if you eat plenty of spinach/fish/nuts, you should be OK for calcium, but a suppliment won't harm. You children can cut out any processed food which will certainly help...... if they're not fond of greens, then a vitamin pill is a good idea for them too.

Let us know how you're getting on

Nicki

[SidheDraoi]

Falcon- Thats some great information, thanks for taking the time to put it up here    I always thought kale had more to offer Calcium wise, but thats ok I love it regardless haha.

Nicki- I can see why hes your ex!    what a load of bull..

I am taking prenatal vitamins currently, but even after my child is born I will continue to take them. I have seen a great increase in my health since i started taking them. Vitamins are a girl's best friend haha :p  I still eat dairy products every now an then, I find it helps with my heartburn >.<

[newstart2011]

I love this feedback!! We are so excited to start tomorrow. Stocked up on lots of yummy fruits and nuts for stage one. On the kids subject....it's really a funny thing but they eat better than we do, and I make sure NOT to give them processed foods, sugar, and anything with artificial flavors/dyes in it. Given a choice, they always choose the healthy alternative. I've got them on the right track for sure. I think once we've embraced this lifestyle as parents, the kids will surely follow! My 3yr old son LOVES salad, he requests it for lunch and dinner. My dear daughter likes the sweet stuff, she's going to be tough. All in time.

Thank you for the awesome suggestions! I will take a 1000mg supplement though for Calcium since my doc recommends...

[newstart2011]

OH also...I am most looking forward to the ENERGY portion of this lifestyle. I am at my ideal weight and am very active, just want to clean up my diet. My hubby needs a huge weight loss, probably 100lbs so I'm working this program to get him motivated but am equally excited to try this!

[houmax]

I have yogurt 3 or 4 times a week, no problems with my diet.

mark had a funny but true article on yogurt(a good read)
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/yogurt-mania/

[SidheDraoi]

I have yogurt 3 or 4 times a week, no problems with my diet.

mark had a funny but true article on yogurt(a good read)
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/yogurt-mania/

awesome links as always   when i eat yogurt its usually Chobani brand greek yogurt. I prefer it over most other yogurts. though i have a hard time eating the plain yogurt, I am slowly but surely leaning over in that direction.  another good probiotic source that wasent listed is raw apple cider vinegar, I used to drink a table spoon once a day before i got pregnant. Now i drink it whenever i get heartburn, it seems to help.

[Najlae]

A healthy lifestyle needs to consits of regular exercise, eating the right foods and a balanced diet. But a daily intake of essential vitamins and minerals are also essential, yet many of us do not get enough of what we need. But there are ways of getting our daily dose of vitamins without having to eat a five course fruit and veg meal every day. Multivitamin supplements are available from most supermarkets and pharmacists and provide a great method of supplementing your daily diet and exercise routine with some of the things you need.