Multivitamin Gummies Alternatives
Table of Contents
Gummies got the whole world interested in taking vitamins and supplements. To a certain extent, this is a good thing.
People were interested in ensuring that they received their recommended daily values of the things their bodies needed, even if that interest stemmed from a novelty product.
Every brand started making a gummy formula. Some were basic multivitamins, while others targeted concerns like healthy skin, hair, and nails. Even prenatal vitamin companies started to produce gummy formulas for mothers-to-be.
Children’s multivitamin companies jumped into the gummy game fast. Kids love gummies, and it’s not a hassle to convince them to eat something that looks and tastes just like their favorite candy.
On the surface, it appeared as though everyone was winning.
It wasn’t until more people started looking at these gummy multivitamins and realized what was in them that made parents question their fun, fruit-shaped multivitamins. They’re often packed with junk and added sugar, which inherently defeats the purpose of a “health product.”
Yes, the products do contain vitamins. But are they really the best way to ingest vitamins?
Are Gummy Vitamins Good For You?
Gummy vitamins are good for you in the sense that they provide your body with vitamins.
Most other aspects of a gummy vitamin are not so great. Outside of their vitamin content, gummy multivitamins are essentially the same as gummy bears. They’re packed with artificial fruit flavors, gelatin, and refined sugar, in most cases.
The serving sizes for gummy vitamins are relatively small, but most brands suggest taking as many as four a day.
Over the course of a month, all that added sugar adds up.
This creates an awkward balancing act. Some ingredients of what the gummy contains are good for you, and some of the gummy is bad.
When you take a gummy vitamin, the choice you’re making isn’t a thoroughly healthy one. It all depends on the level of flexibility in your diet.
Then, there’s the other side of the coin. Many people, including children and the elderly, have a hard time swallowing pills.
Pills may be harder for their bodies to break down, making it difficult for the body to access the vitamins and nutrients within. In this case, a vitamin that can be chewed is ultimately useful.
There’s a list of pros and cons, and at the end of that list, it’s important to remember that gummy vitamins aren’t the only solution for cases like these.
There are other ways to go about achieving your recommended daily values of important vitamins and minerals without a gummy vitamin, and many of them are just as easy.
The Downsides of Gummy Vitamins
If you’re looking to avoid added sugars, you’re going to have a hard time finding a gummy vitamin that fits the bill. Small amounts of sugar aside, gummy vitamins might be slightly problematic in the message that they send.
Most adults understand that candy and health do not intersect. A nutritionally informed adult knows that a bag of candy isn’t good for them. They may choose to consume it in moderation with this knowledge in mind, but they aren’t under the illusion that the candy is anything more than an occasional treat.
Many gummy multivitamins are marketed to children. At first, this might seem like an excellent idea. It’s a bit of a blanket statement to assume that children love candy and hate things that feel like medicine, but it’s a statement that will ring true for most children.
When you hand a gummy vitamin to a child, you’re less likely to be met with resistance. It looks like a treat, and children are never quick to turn them down.
Giving gummy multivitamins that look and taste like candy to your children equates candy and health. Children might not fully comprehend the purpose of a multivitamin or why their gummy is something special or different.
Building associations between things that look and taste like junk food and things that are intended to improve overall health is a slippery slope.
In addition to that, there’s a risk that children will associate gummy vitamins with treats so strongly that they sneak extra vitamins, overtaxing their small and delicate systems. Consuming large amounts of vitamins can lead to issues, from large amounts stored in body fat or large amounts in the stomach that may cause gastrointestinal cramps or diarrhea.
It may be better to avoid introducing your children to gummy multivitamins.
Explaining the importance of proper nutrition to your children is important, but the lines become blurry when everything they know about candy and everything they know about vegetables seem to melt together in their minds. You’re more likely to encounter problems than solutions. You won’t need to talk your way out of a roundabout if you skip the multivitamin from the get-go.
What You Can Use Instead of Gummies
If you or your child struggles to swallow pills but needs vitamin supplementation, you’ll need an alternative to gummies that will serve the same purpose without the added junk and the strong candy association.
There are several ways to go about meeting your daily values that don’t involve the use of a gummy. Some are easier said than done.
A Well Balanced Diet
The perfect scenario is that people of all ages will be able to meet their vitamin and mineral needs through their diets. Many people do - particularly those with omnivorous diets without food aversions, allergies, and intolerances. There are still a few groups of people who need some extra help.
Absorption issues may require people to supplement vitamins on top of a well-balanced diet.
Gastrointestinal disorders, people who have had surgery on their stomach or bowels, or people with other medical conditions might need to take more vitamins to absorb an adequate amount.
People with food allergies and intolerances cannot always obtain what they need from what they eat. It can be difficult to get calcium when you’re allergic to dairy or lactose intolerant. Trace minerals are abundant in seafood, and those with fish or shellfish allergies can’t experience such benefits.
Vegans often try their best to be healthy, but getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin B12 in a diet free from animal products can be challenging. They need to ward off deficiencies through the supplementation of vitamins produced from vegan sources.
Vitamin Drops
Liquid vitamins aren’t the tastiest way to supplement, but they work well with the body. It’s easy for the digestive system to process vitamins from a liquid.
A few drops in a glass of water can solve a major problem for people who are only deficient in one or two vitamins. Liquid vitamins aren’t the best solution for people who need to supplement in multiple areas, as mixing tons of drops can be a complicated task.
Chewable Multivitamins
Chewable multivitamins are easy to use. They don’t need to be swallowed whole. Chewing the vitamin helps to prepare it for the body to process it, making the vitamins easier on the stomach. In most cases, you’ll only need to take one multivitamin a day.
Best of all, chewable multivitamins feel much less like a novelty item than gummy vitamins tend to. Handing one to your child and explaining that it is a vitamin to help them grow big and strong is much easier than attempting to explain the differences between vitamins and gummy worms.
What Are The Best Multivitamins for Children?
Hiya’s children’s chewable multivitamin was designed to be everything a gummy vitamin is not. Our one-a-day formula was created under the advice of pediatricians who noticed that many children, particularly those who are picky eaters, weren’t getting enough of many vitamins they needed to grow and develop.
If your child’s pediatrician believes that vitamin supplementation would be beneficial, Hiya has the perfect solution.
Rather than pumping our vitamins full of sugar, junk, and artificial flavors, we went the natural route. Our vegan multivitamins are flavored with real fruit extracts and sweetened with natural monk fruit. There isn’t anything in our multivitamin that doesn’t play a role in a healthy diet.
Our multivitamin is loved by children, parents, and doctors. Its benefits come both from what it does contain and what it does not contain. We created Hiya because we wanted the best for our children. Now, our mission is to provide the best for your children.
Sources:
Added Sugars: Don't Get sabotaged By Sweeteners | Mayo Clinic
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