Children's Vitamins

Children's Vitamins

What is wrong with giving my kids Flinstones vitamins or others like it?

As parents we do everything in our power to protect our children from harm. We do what we can to ensure they are offered proper nutrition and a safe environment. Many parents understand that children require nutritional supplements to offset what their children may be missing in their diet. 

The sad thing is that as parents are attempting to do good by giving their children vitamins from the local stores, they are actually giving synthetic, possibly harmful things to their children to ingest.  

This is what is in Flinstones vitamins and mostly all the vitamins on the shelf at grocery stores and even “health food stores”:

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

Aspartame and other man made sweeteners are used to make the vitamins taste good for children to chew them. Aspartame and other synthetic sweeteners have been proven to cause; weight gain (as if our youth need that), cancer, alzheimer’s disease, lupus, hypertension, arthritis, neurological disorders, behavioral issues, seizures, depression and endocrine disorders. Thats alot of trouble for a little sweetness!

*Artificial sweeteners are never found in any Shaklee products, ever!

*Shaklee uses all-natural tropical punch, grape and berry flavors to sweeten things up.

ARTIFICIAL COLORS

Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves such methods for coloring foods/vitamins, these dyes (because this is really what they are) are known to cause hyperactivity and other behaviors issues in many children. Studies have shown that children have consumed as much as three pounds of dye by age 12! Another fact is that the American companies  that produce products that are sold in Europe must reformulate their products to contain natural coloring, not artificial dyes. Why is is strict over seas but not here in the USA? Maybe those Europeans are on to something?

*Artificial colors are never found in any Shaklee products, ever!

LEAD

The FDA once again gives approval for many foods/vitamins to contain an “acceptable” level of lead. This is shocking!  The government has strained about lead posioning in children over the last 20 years, but it is okay to hand them a chewable that actually contains lead? The very saddest thing about this fact is that there is not enough testing on these products to ensure that they do not exceed the maximum level of lead as described in the FDA guidelines. So my question is “who is monitoring the levels in the products that so many parents are giving to their children?” The horrible truth is that there are not enough FDA employees to test every product on the market. It is much easier to get a product on the shelf at the store than to get it yanked off the shelf. It takes a lot of money and usually multiple deaths to pull a product from the market.

*Lead is never found in any Shaklee products, ever!

GLUTEN

This is questionable. According to the label Flintstones do not contain any added gluten, however they also state that they cannot guarantee that the raw materials they outsource to manufacture the vitamin do not contain gluten. Hmm? So, “who is monitoring and testing for the accuracy?”

*Guaranteed gluten free, always!

SYNTHETIC vs WHOLE FOOD BASED VITAMINS

The best way to describe this scenario is: "would you rather eat man made food or real food from the earth?"

 This scenario is applied directly to vitamins. We are made up of cells which need to be feed to help maintain our life source. Man made synthetic vitamins cannot be properly digested. When we digest something that is dead (never been alive) it cannot feed our cells. It may give false or intermediate energy, but it cannot sustain what what we need to function at 100%. However when we digest something that is alive (or once alive) it feeds our cells. Cells need to be nourished.

*All Shaklee products are whole food, as close to nature as possible, always! 

Order Here

Supernutrition for Superkids

Shakleekids Incredivites is the first children's chewable multivitamin in the U.S. with lactoferrin, which helps kids' immune systems stay supercharged.* Packed with 23 essential nutrients, it's the world's best kids' supplement-with 600 IU of vitamin D to support strong bones and teeth, and 100% of the Daily Value of all eight B vitamins and vitamin C. Just two a day and off they play. Now that's incredible!

 Order Ocean Wonders Here

Nutrition Your Kids Will Love

Filled with pure goodness, Vita-Lea Ocean Wonders is a kosher-certified chewable multivitamin for kids. It's packed with 19 essential nutrients and provides 100% of the Daily Value of vitamin C. Plus, Ocean Wonders now has more vitamin D - 600 IU per serving, that's 150% of the daily value! - as well as calcium, magnesium, and more to help support strong bones and a healthy body. With cool dolphin, sea horse, and fish designs in natural orange, grape, and mixed berry flavors, Vita-Lea Ocean Wonders is sure to be an ocean of fun. Just two a day and off they play!

Order Mighty Smart Here
 The Smart Choice

Supertasty and supersafe, Shakleekids Mighty Smart is scientifically formulated with a power-packed blast of 100% natural, ultra-pure DHA. DHA is the most abundant omega 3 fatty acid in the brain and eyes and each great-tasting chew provides 100 mg.

Order Shaklee Baby Here

Eating Right Starts Right Now

Shakleebaby Multivitamin & Multimineral Powder delivers 23 essential nutrients that your baby may not be getting from foods. In addition to providing a healthful serving of vitamins A, C, and all eight B vitamins to support proper growth, this pow- dered mix is formulated with a unique blend of clinically proven prebiotics—nutrients that encourage the growth of friendly microflora in the digestive tract to help support a strong immune system.* Plus, it’s got 400 IU of vitamin D to support strong bones and teeth.

Me and my kids......my how they grow quickly!
This was in 2009...Now Joseph and Sarah are taller than me and Jacob is getting close!

Parents, be aware of what you are giving for children, read those labels. Do not trust that the industry is trustworthy unless they have the research to back up the claims.

Thank You SHAKLEE for healthy children!

Have a fantastic day!

Marie-anne

Free Supplements?

Following up on Stacey's story that I shared with you last week....

She often get asked "what vitamins do you take?". Well, she's considered quite the unique situation indeed. Because she has malnutrition due to bariatric (weightloss) surgery, nutrient supplementation needs to be increased and always, as in forever must be consumed. The scenario goes like this, no matter how much of a "good" thing she eats or drinks, it will never all get absorbed because so much of her intestines has been bypassed. "Normal" folks do much absorption in the area of the intestines that for her is not being used.

Here were her problem areas

IRON

It was not too long ago that she was considered severely anemic (I mean severe, her average ferritin level was 2, a hematologist gets concerned when it drops to 12!).

Even weekly iron infusion (IV drip) did not help. 

VITAMINS/MINERALS

She also was dealing with deficiencies in:

Vitamin D

Vitamin B12

Vitamin K

Calcium

Omega's

Before Shaklee came into her life, she tried every way to get these things back within normal range, nothing seemed to help.

B12 shots (her poor hubby was injecting stabbing her every week)

Her body proved that consuming synthetic forms of the vitamins she was deficient in did not help her, in fact it made her feel worse. Her levels were not budging and she felt crappy (no nice way to put it).

PROTEIN

With any bariatric surgery folks are taught that ingesting high quality/low calorie protein is a main staple in their new diet for life. She had tried every thing on the market, even stuff from other countries. Most of it was unpalatable, like... down right nasty. The stuff she could tolerate seemed to either upset her stomach or leave her hungry for more, not to mention it was expensive. It wasn't until about a year ago that she learned most soy based protein is genetically modified (GMO). 

Then she began consuming the protein from Shaklee that is when she felt a difference and full. 

It was then she learned that nothing from Shaklee is GMO, never.

To top the issues she was dealing with listed above, she was also coming to grips with the fact that her thyroid glands were being attacked by her own immune system. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. Since our thyroid/endocrin system controls basically every function within our body, she was at battle with herself. Before Shaklee her body was winning (or should I say loosing?). Now that she has armed her self with what she need to fight off anything that comes her way, she is in a WAY better place with her health. 

All her levels are higher than ever and her iron for the 1st time in almost 10 years is high normal! Her thyroid will eventually die off which means she will need to take thyroid hormone for the rest of my life. Since she am taking the most natural form of the thyroid hormone, her body seems to be happy with it, so she is happy.

Here are her daily SHAKLEE supplements:

VITALIZER

OSTEMATRIX

VITAMIN D3

take quiz HERE

OMEGA GUARD

 

ALFALFA COPMPLEX 

(great for allergies and digestion)

GARLIC COMPLEX 

(naturally kills parasites/bugs, aides digestion)

MOODLIFT COMPLEX 

(her newest addition to my armory, naturally raises serotonin levels, happy pills!!)

YES, to a "normal" person this may seem excessive, however how many prescription drugs to you see in her list? There is only one for her thyroid! 

Also, if you asked her how often she is sick, she would tell you it is rare. When she does get a cold, it only lasts for about 1-3 days. With working with children, she is very fortunate to not be sick more often.

The next question she gets asked is "Wow, that must be expensive?"

Not really. Keep in mind that because she had bariatric surgery, she knew going into it that she would be required to consume nutritional supplements no matter what. She listened to her surgeon and doctors and bought the expensive chewable brands designed specifically for bariatric patients (of course now she know those same doctors get a percentage of the sales!).

She was spending on average $190 per month on just the vitamins not including any protein she would try to eat as part of her diet.

Now her vitamins/supplements cost about $140.

So, $190 made her feel crappy OR $140 and feel better than she did 10 years ago? 

It's a NO brainer....GIVE HER SHAKLEE any day!

Now she feels that she has HEALTH insurance....because if you really think about it "health" insurance in our country is really not for healthy people. We should call it SICK insurance. We go to the doctors when we are sick not healthy. Stacey cannot even say that she was going to the doctors to get healthy either. Please do not misunderstand this, doctors serve a great purpose, but just like people all doctors do not think the same, nor do they have the same philosophy on nutrition and how it affects our overall health.

By now people are asking her "and how do you get them for free?"

After she realized SHE REQUIRED the SHAKLEE supplements (which did not take very long BTW), she became a distributor in an effort to help off set the cost of what she was consuming. That was her 1st and really only goal, breaking even. It would be many steps forward compared to what she was doing. She began sharing how this company was helping her. Actually folks starting approaching her and asking what I was doing, they could see the difference just like people are doing to me right now with my weight loss. She was feeling the difference, but was not paying attention to how she looked. True story: Strangers approach her and tell her how nice her skin is! She was totally creeped out by this at first, now she say thank you and had them a business card or ask if they would like more information. 

She never in a ga-zillion years would ever think she would be distributing anything, EVER! She is not a salesperson, but she likes to share and apparently she is getting better at it every day.

Her beliefs in the products and the company have over powered my pride & ego....WOW!

Do you take Supplements? What supplements do you take? 

Ever wonder what is truly in those pills, capsules or tablets? If you would like more information on how to get an answer from your vitamin company, contact me directly HERE

Have a great week!

Marie-anne

My Friend's Nutritional Supplement Story

WARNING!! This is a lengthy post, but I feel it is important.....

Here she is in December 2001, Holding her 6 month old (who is 11 1/2 now!) & on the right is her again (summer 2011) after getting her lab results at the hematologist. 

Clearly you all can tell that she is much healthier & happier. 

Back in 2001, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which since has been up graded (or down graded depending on your view) to hoshimoto's disease. Basically her immune system is destroying and killing her thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is what produces hormones that greatly affect metabolism (hence the extreme weight?), fatigue, mood and other various symptoms. She knew something was not right, however she was told it was all normal postpartum issues. She knew briefly about thyroid disorders from some of the women in her family including her own mother. She had an aunt who had her thyroid removed due to suspected cancer, her grandmother suffered in the past and had been on meds for most of her life. Her mother actually had radiation therapy when she was about the age of 2. I guess at 26, it was her turn? She went to many endocrinologists who kept telling her that her labs were normal and the weight was because of what she was consuming and that she needed to be more active. OK, so what does a FAT girl do? join weight watchers and exercise 2 hrs a day, 1 hr cardio and 1 hr weight training (with trainers too). She did loose a little weight...however she did not see or feel the results like she hoped. She did notice that through the exercising she felt mentally stronger and kept that up. She did her best with the diet regime. 

After many years of struggling with her weight, she decided to go under the knife. Was she scared you ask? Of course but not for the reasons you would expect. She had done her research and trusted the surgeon completely. Her fear was that it would not work and that she would have put her family and herself through this stress for nothing. She had the gastric banding that would restrict the amount of food she ate, which would help with controlling hunger. Again, she was lead to believe it was because she was eating too much, even though she was eating healthy food. It was just too much.

She lost over 90 lbs! For those of you that do not know much about the LAP band, the patient must visit the surgeon often to adjust the amount of saline that is in the band. The port is just under the skin in the abdominal area. Because this is her we are discussing, that port flipped and she required surgery to fix it later on. She had to sleep sitting up because she suffered (and still does) from esophageal dysmotility. This is when the esophagus does not help with swallowing nor does it help to keep the food/liquid down. She would drink water and lay down to sleep hours after drinking and would end up choking and gagging because the water would travel up her throat and she would aspirate it (breathe into her lungs). 

Then in 2006, along came her youngest child (who is now 6!). During the pregnancy she had gained back all the weight because she had to completely unfill the band due to reflux, causing her to eat normal amounts of food. 

It wasn't until they figured out her body was rejecting the surgical silicone the band was made out of that she decided to convert the band to the more invasive bypass, which restricts and adds in the malabsorption of nutrition (her youngest was about 3 then).

 Again she lost weight.

However her blood work which had always been so/so was now really bad. She was severely anemic, deficient in vitamins; D, C, A, K, B's and so on. Not to mention that no matter how much her thyroid meds increased her thyroid was always wicky-wacky. She also required multiple abdominal surgeries such as hernias (results of being over weight), hysterectomy (due to endometriosis) and she was requiring iron IV infusions weekly. 

She had known that it would be required to consume vitamins/supplements for the rest of her life, that no matter how much she ate, it would not be enough due to the malabsorption, she would never ingest enough nutrients for optimal health. She was taking the dr recommended chewable or sub-lingual supplements, injecting herself with B12 weekly. Her regiment of vitamins was CRAZY. She started at 5am, took something every hr and ended at about 10pm everyday. She had to sort out when she would take what. She learned a lot about which vitamins to take together for proper absorption and which ones to never ingest together because they would block each other from being absorbed. She did this religiously, and her labs were still crap. 

About 3 years ago, after a shocking visit to the Hemotologist, she was determined to be healthy. The Dr explained to her that iron is what helps carry oxygen and nutrients to her vital organs. He told her that if she did not do something, her organs would begin to fail as a result. He estimated 5-10 years. She cried. She sobbed. She thought long and hard of what to do. Then she wiped her tears and began research into a company she had been invested in as just a consumer of the non-toxic cleaners: SHAKLEE.

It dawned on her that just as she cleaned up her house of toxins, she needed to do the same to herself. She threw out all my bariatric supplements (which did not help and cost about $175 per month).

During her vitamin/supplement research she learned that many vitamins on the market are laced with toxic chemicals and ingredients that offset the potency of the vitamin. Also shocking is that after calling the companies of those expensive bariatric vitamins, they could not guarantee the results of the vitamins, nor could they guarantee they were safe. When she explained to them that her labs where not moving in the right direction, they tried telling her that the vitamins may be expired! Ummm, she can read the expiration date! Basically they did not stand behind the products they were pushing on people desperate to be healthy that had just had major surgery and were only listening to the advice of the surgeon.

She switched to the Shaklee  Vitalizer as a test run (cost $76 per month). Within 30 days her labs increased tremendously. The Endocrinologist could not understand why it seemed that  suddenly it appeared as though her thyroid meds where being absorbed better. Her Dr's where shocked. She went back after 6 months of consuming the vitalizer and for the first time in almost 10 years, she felt better, looked better and the best thing of all her labs were AWESOME! 

Since then she has added other supplements to offset the fact that she does and will always suffer from malabsorption. Some of the other supplements she added are B Complex, Vitamin D,  Vitamin C, Nutriferon, Omegaguard, and of course the  CINCH products. 

Her husband was so impressed with the increase in her overall health he also consumes shaklee vitamins and is sick less often than his co-workers! He complains less about feeling run down, joints hurting and his energy level is higher than it has been since he was in his 20's.

To make this long story a little shorter, she does not regret the weight loss surgery (regret the lap band tho). She is glad that it motivated her to continue to search for her optimal health by showing herself what feeling healthier was like and made her stronger, mentally :)

Stacey in august 2011
(still had a lil ways to go with to her goal weight but it's easy with CINCH)

She knows she is healthier now in her 30's than she ever was in her 20's, so we say bring on the 40's!

Have a great day!

-Marie-anne

Oh! The Controversy 

I have been debating on how to tackle this post. It's a controversial thought for many to think about ridding their home of bleach. I get strange looks from people, let's face it we all have grown up on the stuff. People just do not want to hear that what they have been doing is "wrong" or not good, but here it is.....NO MORE BLEACH!

There I said it, get rid of the bleach!

  

Why?

It's not just about saving Toxie “My Big French Boyfriend” (a.k.a. Melvin Ferd The Third from The Toxic Avenger......which, by the way, is a MUST SEE at the Aloha Theater (October 5 -20, 2012). It is a hilarious musical but does have a lot of “food for thought”......

 

Chlorine-based bleaches, like Clorox, are common in many households. Many people are not aware of the potential health risks of chlorine and the organic chlorine compounds that can form in some cases. Chlorine-based bleach, when combined with several other common household cleaning compounds, is very toxic and has resulted in a number of deaths.

Dangers from exposure to bleach

Dioxin

One by-product of chlorine and chlorine-based cleaning supplies can be dioxin. Dioxin is a far more potent carcinogen than the banned pesticide DDT. Dioxins can form as the chlorinated bleach combines with other materials. Dioxins do not break down and remain in the environment for many years.

Chloroform

Using chlorine-based bleach in the laundry can result in another carcinogen, chloroform. However, the levels of chloroform created through the use of chlorine bleach in the laundry are relatively small. It is unclear whether these chloroforms are sufficient to cause cancer.

Corrosive

Chlorine-based bleaches are corrosive and often labeled as such. Chlorine bleaches must be diluted or they can cause skin burns and irritation and damage other home surfaces.

*Chlorine, also known as "sodium hypochlorite" or "hypochlorite," is a toxic chemical that is the active ingredient in chlorine bleaches such as Clorox brand. This forms a gas that is extremely dangerous to both the environment and humans, causing multiple health problems from serious burns, cancers, birth defects, genetic alterations, to breathing problems and even death.

How dangerous can it really be?

Burns and Mucous Membranes

The active ingredient in bleach is a corrosive and works like an acid to clean by eating away organic material--mold, dirt, stains, etc--and it does the same to the human body. Wear gloves while using any bleach product because it can burn your skin. Mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, and esophagus are extremely susceptible because of the delicate nature of these membranes. The gas can literally burn away the layers of mucus protecting these areas in severe cases cause raw, open wounds.

Asthma and Chemical Pneumonia

Common household cleaners including bleach are known triggers for asthmatic attacks and some suggest that the 600 percent increase in Asthma cases since 1980 is a bi-product of cleansers and sprays with Chlorine.

Chemical Pneumonia is a non-contagious pneumonia--an irritation or swelling of the lungs--caused by breathing in fumes from chemicals. It is identifiable by a variety of symptoms including coughing, choking, gagging, troubled or rapid breathing, bluish fingernails, toenails, or skin; arrhythmia, headache, fever or upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, and convulsions.

Shock, Low Blood Pressure and Altered Heartbeat

Chlorine can cause rapid and erratic heartbeats as well as slowed heartbeats. Low blood pressure is generally brought on by dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea. Shock occurs when there is insufficient blood flow throughout the body.

Coma and Delirium

Delirium is rapid changes in brain functioning--alertness, feeling, consciousness, movement, and memory--which can be caused by chemical pneumonia or because of chemical poisoning. Toxic coma is decreased alertness and can vary from a few hours, to days. Persistent coma, which is what is commonly referred to by the term "coma" is known as a vegetative state and is usually caused by brain damage.

Death

Inhaling Chlorine can be fatal, sometimes causing death, but usually proceeded by coma and/or chemical pneumonia if the victim is unable to regain a regular heartbeat or breathing. This is usually only a risk when using industrial strength bleach or when it has been mixed with acidic chemicals, which produces a toxic gas

Still a sceptic, watch this shocking video!

What’s the alternative?

Shaklee's Basic G (Germicide)

*non-toxic once diluted (because it is super concentrated it must be diluted before considered non-toxic)

*kills 32 pathogens while bleach kills less than half that much non-flamable

*cost effective

Dilution

3/8 tsp in 16 oz water or 1 tablespoon in 1 gallon of water!

 (1/2 tsp per 16oz for childcare centers/homes)

Because it is super concentrated a small amount goes a long way!

Comparison to Bleach

*Basic G shelf life is 3 years from the time it is opened where as bleach starts to loose the effectiveness as soon as it is opened making it less effective on germs.

* No harsh odors, that could burn the lining of your sinuses.

*Will not cause dangerous fumes if mixed with other cleaners.

*Basic G has a residual effect which last up to 3 days after application whereas bleach lasts for up to 1 hour.

Where to use it

Bathroom

toilets

sinks & faucets

showers & tubs

floors

diaper pails

trash cans

walls (especially f you have boys!)

door knobs

Kitchen

counter tops

cutting boards (should be rinsed after cleaning)

sink & faucet

refrigerator handles 

floors

trash cans (will kill pathogens and leave a fresh scent)

great on surfaces to kill bacteria such as salmonella (from eggs & poultry)

door knobs

Other Uses

pet areas

weed killer (I’ll post about this as I am attempting to kill my lawn the weeds!!)

weed killer solution:

1 gallon water

1 tablespoon of Shaklee Basic G

1/2 cup of white vinegar

laundry

add 1 teaspoon per load of laundry 

*safe to use as air freshener

*safe on stainless steel & aluminum

*safe on non-porous surfaces such as granite and marble

*EPA registered

Basic G (Germicide) kills the following pathogens 

Streptococcus pyogenes *Vaccinia

Salmonella choleraesuis *Rubella (German Measles)

Candida albicans *Adenovirus type 4

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus *Feline picornavirus

Bordetella bronchiseptica *Feline leukemia

Chlamydia psittaci *Canine distemper

Fusobacterium necrophorum * Rabies

Listeria monocytogenes * Pseudorabies

Pasteurella multocida *Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis

Salmonella enteritidis *Infectious bronchitis (Avian IBV)

Enterobacter cloacae *Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Enterobacter aerogenes *Transmissible gastroenteritis virus

Proteus vulgaris (TGE)

Salmonella typhimurium Escherichia coli1

Shigella flexneri Proteus mirabilis

Salmonella typhi Streptococcus faecalis1

Staphylococcus aureus Staphylococcus aureus1

(methicillen resistant) Klebsiella pneumoniae1 Shigella sonnei Pseudomonas aeruginosa1 Serratia marcescens Staphylococcus epidermidis2 Trichophyton mentagrophytes Aspergillus niger *HIV-l (AIDS Virus)

*Influenza A/Hong Kong 1 ATCC & antibiotic-resistant strain

*Herpes simplex type I 2 Antibiotic-resistant only

*Herpes simplex type II * Virucidal

Our intention when killing germs is to make our home or work place a safer place, not slowly kill ourselves in the process! I love knowing I am helping my family and my childcare by killing these germs while not harming others, myself or our planet in the process :)

Email me :)

Thank you for stopping by,

Marie-anne @ Unlimited Solutions, LLC