Ok.. so.. Shakeology while
preggo! I am NOT a doctor.. obviously! These are just my observations,
research, and opinions! I am always open to new credible info too, so if
you have anything feel free to leave a comment below or send me a message. I
also have a video on this topic added to my to do list since it seems to come
up A LOT! I have been running around all day and even snuck in a nap so you don’t
want to see my face on camera right now lol!
For those of you that don’t
know I have two wonderful princesses and a third on the way! I am currently 22
weeks along with said third princess. :) If you want more information on my pregnancies
histories and issues I’ve had with them I have a post coming your way and you
can also leave me a comment below!
Ok Enough about all that..
let’s get into what you came here for..
The average pregnant woman
should have NO issue drinking Shakeology! This obviously does not include high risk pregnancies (depending on
the risk factors), specific health issues, or allergies! Let’s just assume we
are using common sense here! Do read the paragraph further below marked with an
* on Vitamin A since that is the concern I hear most often! In fact in a normal pregnancy Shakeo is better for you than a
lot of things you might already putting into your body.. fast food, ice cream,
soda, “eating for two”, etc! (I too am guilty of all of those things at one point
or another!!!) Shakeo is actually going to help you with a lot of that by
curbing cravings and giving you & baby really good nutritional value. Even
though I eat pretty healthy most of the time these days my shake is still the quickest,
easiest, and healthiest meal of my day!
You might be wondering what
Shakeo has done for me that has me soooo in love with it… to the point where I
refuse to miss a day drinking it!
My top 5 personal benefits (This could go on for pages upon pages if I didn't limit it to the top 5!!):
My top 5 personal benefits (This could go on for pages upon pages if I didn't limit it to the top 5!!):
#1 Morning Sickness &
Nausea!! It made a HUGE difference in my morning sickness! To the tune of I
could maybe keep on meal a day down and barely any water… I was sooo miserable
and could barely function. I was so dehydrated that I almost had to go into the
ER multiple times. Within a couple days of drinking my shake I was able to not
only keep it down but keep down about 75% of my meals and function mostly
normally again! If I stopped drinking it for a few days my morning sickness
would come roaring right back. ( I did begrudgingly test this twice just for
curiosity’s sake… let me tell you it was not pretty!)
#2 Nutrients!! I still can’t keep my prenatal down so Shakeo
gives me the majority of what I need to be getting. I add in Folic Acid (This
is KEY! All pregnant women or women trying to conceive should be taking folic
acid daily. Shakeo has folic acid but not up to the recommended level for
pregnancy.), high quality fish oil, and iron ( I hemorrhage quite a bit after
delivery so my doctor watches my iron levels like a hawk. For most women this
probably wouldn't be an issue.)
#3 Digestion! The next biggie
for me isn't something a lot of people want to talk about but if you struggle with
this especially during pregnancy it is something you want an answer to!
Digestive issues! I know.. gross.. but the struggle is real my friends! I have
terrible issues with this during pregnancy and Shakeo has seriously changed my
guts for the better! I have not had a single discomfort or issue in this
department since drinking my Shakeo daily.. not one! I have tried so many
things with very limited relief so I was soooo happy to find a solution. (This
got tested when I would stopped drinking my shake for the few days I was testing the nausea factor as well..
same outcome!) I also suffer from extremely bad heartburn and acid reflux and was
on daily meds + my max dose of tums.. I was still very uncomfortable. This
symptom has been cut in half or even more actually. I was able to half my dose
of daily meds and rarely take tums now.. and I’m rarely uncomfortable!!
#4 ENERGY & SLEEP!! You
preggos know what I’m talking about!! Especially if you are chasing other
kiddos around and/or have a busy schedule! I am not doing caffeine this time
around so finding ways to help boost my energy in a more natural way has been
so key for me! (I didn't do caffeine with Jocalyn and tried out limited
caffeine with Alaeyna. Needless to say I’m sticking with no caffeine or
extremely limited amounts for this pregnancy and any future ones!) Just to be
clear I am not talking about icky jittery fake energy bursts or “energy” with
horrid crashes and withdrawals! I have general and consistent higher energy levels
daily. It doesn't take off right after I drink my shake like coffee would.. I
just notice it anytime I’m awake. :) Don’t worry this won’t make it so you can’t
sleep! I actually sleep 2-3x better than I used to too!
#5 Cravings!!! Ok confession
time.. don’t judge me!!! For a while I was totally that girl that could eat 3-4
cupcakes and still be considering eating another one.. not to mention the ice
cream and whatever else I wanted or that was around. This has been an up and
down struggle with me for a very long time. I have had success controlling it
in the past but typically that was sheer will power and proper diet.. but the
cravings never really went away. I am not joking you when I tell you that my
daughter will offer me a bite of cupcake or ice cream and I genuinely do not
want it… say what!?! Honest truth! Once in a while I will want something but it doesn't feel uncontrollable or overwhelming at all. I couldn't believe what a
huge difference Shakeo made in my cravings! Even more so that it wasn’t just
for sweets but just for “bad” food options in general. It is so much easier to
stay on track when I am not constantly battling the cravings and feeling
deprived!! I still sometimes can’t believe what a difference it has made for
me!
So there are my top five
reasons haha… if you can’t tell I’m very passionate about my beloved Shakeo and
I hope after reading my reasons you can understand why! It has made such a huge
difference in my daily life and I cringe to think about going back to the way I
used to feel without it.
*THE CATCH!!! Haha just
kidding! The only thing I would say that you do need to be aware of and careful
with while pregnant (concerning this) is your vitamin A
levels! What am I talking about?? You definitely want vitamin A in your
diet in general and while pregnant but too high of levels of a certain kind of Vitamin A can cause birth
defects and other issues with pregnancy. Don’t freak out! Shakeo contains the beta-carotene version of Vitamin A which is not the kind that causes issues!!! I think this is a great thing to be aware of in pregnancy so I'll give you a little more info below if you want.
I tell all of my pregnant customers to do their research and do what they and their doctor feel is best. From my own research and talking with several of my own doctors I have found that depending on who it is (like just about anything in pregnancy) you will find a variety of answers. The huge majority of this research will tell you that you want to stay within a range of 2500IU and 10,000IU of Vitamin A (retinol or retinoids form) per day. If you are breastfeeding your minimum will jump up to 4000IU per day. As you are seeing there are different kinds of vitamin A. The simplest and easiest article to explain this, that I have found, is this one HERE I would encourage you to read it! What does this mean for you?? Prenatals combined with you daily Shakeo are completely safe with your daily limits for Vitamin A!!! I have looked at several prenatal labels and have yet to see one that would cause you to exceed the safe levels… now there could be one out there so check your own labels!
For me.. I prefer to just drink my daily Shakeo (especially since I can’t keep the dang prenatal down 19 out of 20 times anyways) and forgo the prenatal vitamin. I do add in folic acid since that is the only thing I don't quite get enough of vitamin wise for pregnancy with my Shakeo. This is completely up to you and your doctor.. whatever you feel comfortable with!
I tell all of my pregnant customers to do their research and do what they and their doctor feel is best. From my own research and talking with several of my own doctors I have found that depending on who it is (like just about anything in pregnancy) you will find a variety of answers. The huge majority of this research will tell you that you want to stay within a range of 2500IU and 10,000IU of Vitamin A (retinol or retinoids form) per day. If you are breastfeeding your minimum will jump up to 4000IU per day. As you are seeing there are different kinds of vitamin A. The simplest and easiest article to explain this, that I have found, is this one HERE I would encourage you to read it! What does this mean for you?? Prenatals combined with you daily Shakeo are completely safe with your daily limits for Vitamin A!!! I have looked at several prenatal labels and have yet to see one that would cause you to exceed the safe levels… now there could be one out there so check your own labels!
For me.. I prefer to just drink my daily Shakeo (especially since I can’t keep the dang prenatal down 19 out of 20 times anyways) and forgo the prenatal vitamin. I do add in folic acid since that is the only thing I don't quite get enough of vitamin wise for pregnancy with my Shakeo. This is completely up to you and your doctor.. whatever you feel comfortable with!
While this has been a bit
long I genuinely hope that it has helped you! If you are like me you want all
the information before making a decision and so I have given you my 100% HONEST
option! Yes, I am a Beachbody coach and I do “sell” Shakeo as well as other
amazing products our company has to offer. That being said I would never use
something or promote something that I didn’t 100% believe in and be willing to
use myself. Not only that but I would never want you to use or try something
that wasn’t safe or wasn’t something you wanted or needed. In fact haha when I
signed up I decided not to mention a peep about what I was doing to anyone
until I had a chance to form my own unbiased opinion. Not only did I discuss it
with two of my doctors but I also did my own research as well as testing it
myself for a whole month. To be honest I was completely prepared to cancel and
get my refund with the 30 day empty bag money back guarantee! As you can tell that didn’t end up being the
case and I’m soooo happy every day that I decided to give it an honest chance.
:)
Note: I also use Shakeo while
breastfeeding for those of you that are wondering about that topic as well! I
am actually currently still breastfeeding Alaeyna! My doctor and I also have 0
issues with this! I have also seen some great benefits in this area as well! If
you would like me to do a post with more detail on this please just comment
below and let me know!
Take care and thanks for
checking in!!
-KK
Find me elsewhere!
