A little back story on me, my family, and why this post matters so much, also known as, how changing brands can change your life.
As you know from my bio, I had a health and career crisis of a sorts 5 plus years ago, and through that journey, came to this moment, of being a health coach, business owner, happy full-time momma and flexible working around their schedule. My family desperately needed help when it came to health and nutrition; now we were aware that local, organic produce is the way to go, and when my first daughter was 1, we joined a CSA (community share of agriculture) to get farm fresh fruits and veggies all summer, and shopped at the Brooklyn farmers market as often as we could. Despite that, my daughter was a picky eater and was sick often and in a way that scared us so much as parents, in her first 2 years of life. We had frequent sick visits, fevers she couldn’t shake that would end us up in the hospital; it was tough to see her go through this, and to suspect that her picky eating habits, combined with daycare/nannies and constant exposure to germs, might be harming, not helping her.
So, we did what any good parents would do—set out to ask ourselves, what can we do differently, or better. Her pediatrician wasn’t given us any good suggestions to help her with weight gain, or developing healthy habits, so we did our own research, talked to friends, spoke with several mom friends who were already health coaches and were just discovering this “beyond organic” line that has now become our brand partner, for reasons you’ll soon understand.
So, I checked out the same info I’m sharing with you today, and was impressed. I said, wow, there’s a company with a 60 year history of integrity, purity and potency, and you can’t get it in stores? Tell me more. My daughter (Emma) started on 3 products to begin with–the incredivites multivitamin, the probiotics, and occasionally, as needed, the vitamin C tablets for immune support (ie, most of the winter!). Within 2 months, we were amazed at the difference in her. She was becoming a better eater (willing to try new flavors/more tastes), she was thriving in school, and when her classmates were sick she wasn’t always catching it (or was coming home with mild form that we could kick without doctor or hospital visits!)
Fast forward to her preschool year, she then was notoriously the kid in her class who never missed school from sickness (when her class was sick all around her Nov-April), and while still a picky eater, the doctors no longer showed her as off (ie, below) the charts–or in a worrisome range. We are so grateful for these simple, powerful tools that support not only my spunky, healthy, Emma, but also her two younger siblings, who’ve never been on anti-biotics or had a sick visit (They were shaklee from utero, thanks to the amazing pre-natal programs offered, see more here.) That’s alot of time and money saved, and I’m grateful we can spend the winter months enjoy the seasons, the holidays and not worried about every single exposure or dreading bugs that would linger as we used to. We’re paying it forward and we LOVE the testimonies of families everywhere. What will your experience be?
So when I began to do my research on this brand, I learned some things that impressed me. This company’s founder created the first multivitamin in 1915. The company has had a rich 60 year history of products that are superior in quality, potency and with 125 published studies backing up their effectiveness (This is truly unheard of in the supplement industry in general, to have that kind of purity and 3rd party research guaranteeing the safety of products). Do a quick google search and you’ll see there’s never been an FDA violation, a product recall or anything of that nature. Impressive. So, when the organic labeling came into vogue, the requirements are 80 tests per each botanical ingredient minimum. Well, long before that, Shaklee’s standards had them doing 350 tests per new raw/botanical ingredient. That’s 4 times the quality measure of an organic label. So, when we share the Shaklee label, what you’re getting is far and away “beyond organic”.
Here’s some more fun facts for anyone who likes to nerd out (like I do) on the science and history behind the #1 natural nutrition company. After all, our families deserve only the best.
So, now that we’ve established that everything here is beyond Organic, let’s talk healthy daily habits for kids, even the pickest of eaters benefit from and love these.
Until we can get our kids to eat all of the above….well, even then it’s not even realistic.
As our soil changes, and produce becomes less nutrient dense, the verdict is in that we NEED to supplement, starting at a young age, for optimal nutrition.
I LOVE the fact that these vitamins provide the same immune support found in breastmilk–no other vitamins can boast that, and it’s a great transition vitamin for kids as young as 1 year to begin supplementing. My 1 year old loves chewing them with his big sisters, and when he turns 4 I’ll increase the dosage from 1 to 2 chewables.
Now for some comparisons…
Yes, I admit I grew up with flintstones and I LOVED them–they were like candy–in fact, they actually probably had the same effect on me…but when we know better, we do better 🙂
Now this chart is illuminating, but what’s even scarier, and why this all matters so much, is that some companies actually get away with putting ingredients in their supplements that either not on the label, or are downright harmful. This study from the FDA shows that higher than acceptable amounts of LEAD were found in these common brands of prenatal and kids vitamins–even ones that have an “organic” label–that many of us know and have used.
Crazy. But the good news is, now we know.
This is the day in the life of our family; covering everything from the multi’s that all 3 kids can take (ages 7, 4 and 1 in different doses based on RDA standards) and hydrate electrolyte drink for active growing bodies, along with immune support (yep, needed often in the winter, nips colds in the bud within 12 hours in my experience), and of course the probiotics. See more about the science and importance of probiotics for immune and overall health here.
If you’re interested in doing a free 20 minute health assessment discussing the specific needs of your family; I’m honored to speak with you, and happy to schedule that. We’re all different, and so are our nutritional needs for growing kiddos.
Our community of coaches supports families with everything from immune support to autism/ADHD challenges, and more with natural nutrition support. I also create healthy meal plans and more as needed.
If your budget is $50/less, we suggest starting with the incredivites and probiotics. The ones my girls take daily no matter what 🙂
If you’re in need of building a larger natural medicine cabinet, and really focusing on immune support and brain health, then the healthy kids starter pack is a great option–and you can refill as needed. Healthy kids power pack found here.
Thanks so much for being here; the health of our children matters so much, and I’m grateful to not only share our story, but to continue to be part of your family’s healthy journey as well!
-maddy