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| VITAMINS AND MINERALS |
| Since each person's body has different needs I am just going to provide some basic vitamin and mineral information and I will be adding in some links as I find them. I do recommend that you obtain a good book about vitamins and minerals and learn about symptoms of deficiencies and of over-dose. KNOWING YOUR LABS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR HEALTH CARE. IRON: For those of us with gastric bypass surgery about one-third will need to supplement iron into our plan. This should not be done without the proper tests to verify that we need to add iron (an iron profile AND ferritin test are part of the process). The basic rules of iron for us is that Ferrous Sulfate does not get along well with us. You need to take Iron with only vitamin C, NOT with other medications, juice, coffee or tea (reg or decaf), dairy products, calcium, antacids, whole grains, high fiber foods, etc. It does not play well with other things. For best absorption try to take your iron an hour before anything else (except the C) and two hours after a meal, etc. We have a hard time absorbing iron so it is important to follow the iron rules. We also do not absorb more than 150 mg at a time. CALCIUM: Calcium citrate is the proper type, not calcium carbonate. See my calcium information page here to learn why and to learn how to read the label so you pick out the right kind. We can absorb calcium about 500 - 600 mg at a time. Most of us take 1500-2000 mg of calcium citrate a day in divided doses. It is believed that calcium needs vitamin D and Magnesium to work. MULTI-VITAMINS: I am currently using Sci Fit multi-vitamins that I purchase from www.vitalady.com. There are other excellent sources for good vitamins, check out my Links page for some sites to examine. B12: Many of us start off with a sublingual B12 tablet that is dissolved under our tongues. If our lab work proves that we are deficient in B12 we might need injections. This can be self-given and is reasonable in cost. Do not take within an hour of Vitamin C as this might interfere with absorption. Although I am not sure this applies to when you take the sublingual or injectable form of Vitamin B12. OTHERS: If you take Vitamin A, D, E and zinc - make sure these are in dry form because we cannot absorb anything in an oil type gel cap, any that is enteric coated, or time-released versions. I purchase many of my supplements in the proper form from www.vitalady.com and use her for my protein supplements as well. She is one of us and carries items that are known to be good for us. Problems with hair loss or brittle nails ... add Biotin On a personal note: I am currently taking a variety of things and having a full set of labs every four months to track my process. I am still learning exactly what my body needs to function properly. This is a process of discovery. On my personal list is: Calcium Citrate about 2300 g daily in 500 - 600 mg doses Sci Fit multi-vitamin four capsules a day Biotin 1000 mcg daily Stress B + C (this is from vitalady) two capsules a day Sublingual B12 - 2 times a week since my B12 numbers are very good Zinc 50 mg daily Magnesium citrate 400-800 mg daily (I have a deficiency of magnesium). Iron carbonyl -This is also from Vitalady and my gut tolerates it well. It has brought my Ferritin numbers up from 12 to 100 in five months. I am currently on 150 mg a day (I was on 300 mg for the first 3 months and that brought me up to 65). I usually take this in the middle of the night with a glass of water. This way I keep it totally separated from all other supplements. Vitamin C 500 mg with the Iron as it helps the iron absorb better. Dry Vitamin E 400 IU daily Coromega Omega-3 fish oil supplement, this one is believed to be easier for us to absorb. Potassium Plus from hi-health 74 mcg plus some other things. Dry Vitamin A & D I take 20,000 IU of the A (2 capsules) daily because I have a deficiency of A. Milk Thistle I take two capsules daily to help benefit my liver. I set up an excel spreadsheet to track my supplements and compare ingredients to like ingredients so that I would be able to avoid over-taking a particular supplement. This is where a good vitamin book comes in handy and helps you to learn about what you should be taking. It is important to know the total amounts that you are taking of same ingredients. It is important to know symptoms of over dose and symptoms of deficiency. This can be over-whelming, but just be patient and you will learn as you go. I am sure my list will be changed over time. Updated January 24, 2005 |
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