A lot of readers have been asking me lately what kind of vitamins my kids take and the answer is…none at all. Vitamins aren’t necessarily harmful or going to cause medical problems when they’re used properly, but it’s not something we personally choose to deal with (or pay for). First of all, we pretty much rely on our steady diet of whole foods (including lots of variety and plenty of produce) when it comes to getting all the vitamins and minerals we need. No one does a better job than nature when it comes to creating the perfect delivery package for the nutrients your body needs. Secondly, in Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food he indicates that those who take supplements may be “healthier for reasons having nothing to do with the pills” because in controlled studies most supplements “don’t appear to work.”
Now a lot of doctors and nutritionists do recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin, and, since you should of course take your doctor’s advice over mine, I want to share some of the better vitamin brands that are out there. My doctor recently recommended that I take a short term Vitamin D booster, based on my most recent blood results, and when I was out shopping for this vitamin I couldn’t believe how many of them are full of junky additives! Vitamins, especially for kids, are oftentimes full of artificial sweeteners, colorings, and flavorings. I’ve found that there is a bigger – and better – selection if you shop at places like Amazon.com as well as stores that are dedicated to vitamins and health like Swanson Health Products or your local Vitamin Shoppe. I’ll warn you now to just forget Target when it comes to shopping for vitamins because the choices there are pretty slim.
So for all those that feel better about taking (or giving their kids) a regular multivitamin, here are a few “cleaner” options:
- For children: Yummi Bears Organics Gummy Multivitamin
– - For adults: Dr. Mercola Whole Food Multivitamin PLUS
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- For adults or children (dosage varies): Doc’s Best Ultra-Pure Naturals Multi-Plus Optimal Vitamins-Minerals-Antioxidants
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Remember that with most anything you get what you pay for, and this is especially true for vitamins! Do you use vitamins or not? What kind of vitamins do you recommend?
Book Review: Fed Up With Lunch (and how to start your own school lunch reform)
Hi.
Would you recommend anything from this list?
Thanks
Hi Susan, those that are listed would be Lisa’s recommendations for cleaner options. – Nicole
I have given my 7 year old a DHA supplement for years now. We’ve been giving him Smarty Pants mulit-vitamin with Omega 3.
We take Juice Plus and have been much healthier! It’s not a vitamin or supplement,
What about Floradix? As far as I can tell it would be considered a “whole food” vitamin/supplement.
Hi there. Since vitamins aren’t really our thing, we do not familiarize ourselves with details about various brands.
I look for 2 things in vitamins for my kids: Iron and Iodine (important for brain growth and many other things). But I’ve been struggling with finding vitamins that have those two things and taste good to my kids!
My grandkids take gummies that are just concentrated fruits and vegetables, backed by research and NSF certified. Many benefits. G
Nobody in my family is taking multivitamins, since the supplement industry in the USA is not backed in science. Instead of synthetic multivitamins I have found a way to get more fruits and vegetables in our diet in the form of a capsule or a gummy and this is backed by 35 research studies! it has changed my families health picture!
Here too!
Hi Annette, We do the same also. So grateful for whole foods and the security and confidence from the 35+ medical research studies. All documenting importance of a lifestyle flooded with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. It truly is so simple to help bride the gaps for all ages. ;-)
As a dietitian and a researcher, I would not typically recommend that children need multivitamins. As a Canadian, I would suggest that parents and children both use vitamin D (like D-drops!) during the 8 months of the year we do not get enough sun (not a the proper angle) to manufacture vitamin D in our skin.
If your diet is healthy and your children eat a variety of foods, in truth they do not require a supplement. However, if you are raising your child as a vegetarian or vegan then you will need to choose foods that are fortified with iron and vitamin B12 as the iron in plant foods is harder to absorb and B12 is only found naturally in animal-based foods. you may also need to give them an omega-3 supplement containing DHA/EPA as well to promote healthy brain development.
I have read and heard functional medicine doctors encourage certain vitamins and supplements for the prevention or treatment of chronic disease and even cancer….with proper doses of Vitamin D3 specifically being reported as critical to good health. Various reasons have been sited in the literature…but for one, the nutrient levels in our food (including whole foods) has been significantly depleted over the years.
I only trust Shaklee when it comes to supplements. They do their research. You can take a look at see.myshaklee.com
I strongly believe in giving my kids a good daily multivitamin. I give them this one http://www.amztk.com/chewable-multivitamin and they absolutely love the taste of it. The quality and ingredient content is great and it’s a brand that I really trust. It is all natural with no additives in it. I would recommend this to anyone looking to give their kids a real good quality great tasting multivitamin.
I take a regular box box gummy multi vitamin. I am newer to learning about health related topics, so I”m not sure what’s good, what’s not. Anyways I have noticed the vitamins help my nails especially. My nails used to fall apart and chip off. I used to take vitamins individually, however I would get acid reflux and nausea associated with it.
****My mom has been taking calcium supplements for years with her coffee every morning, and she found out she had been receiving no benefit from that because the coffee and the calcium have a chemical reaction to each other.
I’d love to know what vitamin D product you decided on. I usually supplement myself and my children with vitamin C and Vitamin D throughout cold and flu season.
Look at ingredients…..do not buy vitamins with the food coloring in them. What is the point? But they are everywhere.
Even Ibuprofen
While you are correct that most vitamins don’t work, UC Berkeley did a comparative study of people who used the Shaklee food supplements for 20 years or more with their data base of thousands of people that they have been studying for the government for many years.
When they asked for volunteers for the study they had more than a thousand people volunteer. They selected almost 300 that they could match up scientifically and they concluded that Shaklee people were far more healthy than either the group who took vitamins for the same 20 years and people who took no vitamins in that time. You can see the results for yourself at http://landmarkstudy.com/.
Additionally, no other company is allowed to say in writing that they have the “best, most comprehensive nutrition program in the world”. Shaklee is allowed to make that statement.
The average adult over 65 years old, by the way, uses 19 different medications during the year and 8 to 10 different ones every month. The average person over 65 using the Shaklee supplements averages .6 prescriptions a year.
One of your recommended children’s vitamins does not insure that what is in the bottle matches the quantity on the label. That is extremely irresponsible.
I have been using Shaklee vitamins since before I was born. My mom is a healthy 65 year old type 1 diabetic on no prescriptions whatsoever- other than necessary insulin of course. We firmly believe in Shaklee supplement effectiveness and the extensive research poured into the whole food products. It takes a lot for a company to be so overly responsible in an industry that isn’t even regulated by the FDA. Check out their supplements- and their green cleaning products have completely eliminated chemicals from our home.
Just a note: gummy vitamins (or gummy anything) stick in/on teeth. Dentists tell us to avoid the sticky chewy vitamins to save our teeth. Animal Parade Vitamins or Thompson children’s multi vitamin are two that my kids like and have no food coloring or added sugars.
I agree! My pediatrician recommended to stay away from gummy vitamins for that very reason, and because she said they “spray” the vitamins on. Since I can’t afford the amazing, organic vitamins that I really want…I go for a happy-medium. I want a vitamin with no artificial colors and no added sugars. Right now my daughter takes the chewable kind from Trader Joe’s, and I also like the Nature’s First vitamin lin at Target.
We take Juice Plus, fruit, veggie, and berry blends. They have a food label, not a supplement label and there are over 30 research studies showing they are %100 available and how they help your immune system, cardiovascular wellness, gum health, etc!! NONE BETTER OUT THERE BECAUSE THEY ARE FOOD, NOT VITAMINS.
You forgot to mention Nutrilite; the worlds leading organic, plant-based vitamin company. If you try them, you can’t deny that they don’t work with the results you feel! There’s many demos you can do with the vitamins, proving their efficiency of how they break down into your body. Their high standards and farming methods, with no middle man, is second to none. Amazing company.
I also ascribe to Nutrilite products.
I firmly believe that you cannot get all your vitamins and nutrients from the food you eat. Your plants can’t absorb what isn’t in the soil and they can’t give us nutrients they don’t have. In order to get all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrition our bodies need we will need to supplement. Dr. Wallach does an excellent job talking about this in his Dead Doctors Don’t Lie recording.https://m.soundcloud.com/dddl/dddl There are also ways to test to see if you are deficient in your vitamins. You can do bloodwork, hair analysis, etc. Nutrient deficiencies are the cause of many diseases. I’d much rather pay for expensive vitamins as an insurance to keep me from getting sick than assume that a whole foods diet without supplementation will keep me healthy and give me all the nutrion/vitamins I need. Women should be taking suppleness before pregnancy, during pregnancy and after for the health of them and their baby. Check out http://www.miakeriann.youngevity.com for more information.
We use Juice Plus+ capsules (adults) and gummies (kids). I love that it’s 1) real fruits/veggies that are ground up, gently dehydrated and powered into a capsule/gummie, 2) there are 35+ actual “gold standard” research studies done by leading hospitals/universities showing our bodies are actually absorbing it and that it’s making a difference on a cellular level, 3) it has a food/nutrition label rather than a supplement label, and 4) has 3rd-party certification from NSF.
Happy to answer questions or provide more info for those that want to look into it: realfoodeater.com
I used to believe that my kids didn’t need vitamins since they eat vegetables and fruits very well. I garden organically and make sure they eat at least one fresh item a day. Then I received a diploma in Nutrition Therapy and realized my mistake. There is no way anyone can get everything they need from diet alone. We simply can`t eat that much in a day. Also, we eat very seasonably here since I garden so we tend to serve whatever is growing that day which limits vitamins. I know a lot of vitamins are junk. I switched to a food based vitamin called Rainbow Light. I feel better knowing that we have the building blocks we need for all our body functions. Food based are much better than chemical based. I know people have survived on a seasonal diet for years with no.problems, but I also know food it not as vitamin rich as it once was. We are a nation of malnourished, sometimes, overweight people.
I love you blog and recommendation for meal planning, especially the lunches! You are a great resource to me! Thanks you! I agree about your position on vitamins, we quite them about a year ago. Our family tries to eat as many whole foods as possible. But to bridge the gap, what I have discovered that works for my family is Juice Plus, whole food nutrition in a caplet or chewable. It is not a vitamin but a variety of fruits and vegetables NSF certified pick at their peak ripeness. It has defiantly boosted my families immune system and resolve many of our health issues. Backed by published third party research studies, Juice Plus has been a game changer for us, it just makes sense!
I think Whole Earth and Sea whole food vitamins may be better than Dr. Moranda, many of his ingredients in list are sourced in China and are not organic. Whole Earth and Sea whole food multivitamins are based in British Columbia (Canada) and 100 percent organic. This farm uses nutrient-dense plants (raw) to create a whole food supplement. (Not Juice Plus!!) They include many live vegetables, whole fruits, herbal plants, and even sea vegetables (algae) that I know my family is definitely not eating at the table. Might want to be careful not adding supplements to your repertoire, my mom (62) has been eating clean for many years, and she has just been diagnosed with pre-Osteoporosis and needs calcium, extra D3, and others to promote her bone health. As you age, your body needs more of various vitamins, and it’s hard to consume enough. I am trying these whole food tablets out, and I love them. Just thought I’d share.
My daughter is 3. We are dealing with cavities (not just 1 or 2. Im talking 4 front and the lower teeth are starting to show signs. I believe she is lip tied on top) She refuses to eat any type of vegetable. I cook from scratch and try to get the most nutrients into a meal as I can.( I even try to hide veggies in meals, I think she has super taste buds) Thank you for your recommendations on vitamins. I have been trying to heal them with cod liver oil and nutritious food but she is very stubborn. It is stressing me out beyond belief. I feel like a failure because I can’t help her. So thank you again for this!
I have a 3 year old Lil boy with four cavities on his upper top teeth. I am getting ready to start natural therapy with nutrition for him. Have you had luck with the cod oil..raw dairy?
I myself take Garden of Life multivitamins. I was wondering if you had any thoughts of that particular brand or thier kids type vitamins.
Hi Courtney. Sorry, let me revise and say that knowing the details of every brand is not our area of expertise. I do use some Garden of Life products, however, and find them excellent. I eat mostly vegetarian and find their protein powders quite good.
Hi,
Does any one know or recommend a vitamin that will boost the immune system of an two year old? My daughter was born a few weeks premature and has had a rough start, she is small for her age but my concern is mostly that she picks up viruses more than the average child. Her doctor says that her immune system is weak, but hopefully as she gets older she will grow out of it. She was recommended pedisure for weight gain but it hasn’t help much, So she doctor recommended a Flintstones type vitamin. But I would rather go with a whole food or organic vitamin.
Hi Chantay. We can’t really give advice on supplements/vitamins. I would talk with an integrative, functional, or naturopathic practitioner. They tend to have more relevant nutrition knowledge as well as more focus on preventing disease vs. treating it.
We love that our kids (and us as well) take Juice Plus. It’s whole food based nutrition in a capsule or chewable. Check out my website for more information or feel free to shoot me an email. Happy to talk to you more about the product!
We use it at our house too and LOVE it!
How do you recommend additional iron for a 2 year old. Doctor recommended a multivitamin, but they are loaded with sugar! I don’t think he needs a vitamin…but he’s not willing to eat leafy greens..
Hi Dean. I would recommend talking with a Integrative or Naturopathic pediatrician. They would likely give you alternatives or at least direct you to the safest type of supplement. In the meantime, this might help with food sources: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php. ~Amy
I was wondering if you had an opinion on prenatal vitamins? Are they necessary when you are trying to get pregnant and would you suggest any particular brands? Thanks!
Hi Amanda. If you would like an alternative view regarding prenatals, talk to a natuopathic or integrative physician. They are far more likely to know the ins and outs of nutrition. ~Amy
In a perfect world we would all consume our vitamins by eating real food. Today, this is not possible because land has been depleted and the food chain has been destroyed in various ways. Studies show that fifty years ago crops yielded 80% more nutrition than they do today. And yes, most vitamins go straight through the body without being absorbed. The Discovery Channel did a documentary in 2006 about an ORGANIC WHOLE FOOD called Moringa Oliefera. It showed how Moringa is saving lives in third-world countries.
Many reputable entities including universities list their peer review medical studies on Moringa at http://www.pubmed.gov. One interesting cancer article is:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23957955.
Moringa grows well in dry, arid places. With about 28 varieties, grown in different places, with various types of soil and all processed differently, not all Moringa is the same. The most nutrient-dense Moringa must come from the right source where it is shade-dried in order to keep the nutrients intact.
I believe Zija International is the company that produces the cleanest, most pure, 100% ready-cell, bio-available, completely absorbable Moringa. With the utmost care in production, they have gone as far as buying specific plantations in northern India where the soil is continually evaluated. They also take special care to shade dry it in order to insure that nutrients aren’t lost. The founder of Zija International, Kenneth Brailsford, is known as the “father of herbal encapsulation.” He was happily retired when he saw the documentary on the Discovery Channel and says he was “spiritually-led” to bring Moringa to the masses. He didn’t need the money, as he was already successfully retired. For him it was about saving people’s lives. If you want more info or to just to order, email: [email protected]
Do you know much about Juice Plus? If so, what is your opinion on this product?
I had my toddler on Juice Plus for several months. When I took him for a check-up and blood-work, the nurse told me that “everything looked excellent” (she sounded surprised like excellent was something unusual) and that I should keep doing whatever I’m doing!
Hi Kelly. Lisa doesn’t use any kind of supplements and doesn’t really have opinions to share on individual products. :) ~Amy
I want to recommend the website http://www.luckyvitamin.com for a cheaper place to buy your vitamins. We save a lot on our probiotics from this site.
Can anyone shed some light on GNC brand vitamins? I wonder why they haven’t been mentioned here and whether or not they are good choice? Thanks in advance.
My family and I have been taking Juice Plus for almost a year now and after going through a Winter season where we usually all experience our turns with colds, the stomach flue, etc., I can happily report that we did not have a touch of anything this year, nor have we had to see our family doctor or pediatrician for any reason. Coincidence or not, think what you want. Many of the benefits that you read about are real and my family has experienced first hand – you can too!!
If you would like more information, our pediatrician who I consider a friend as we’ll helped point us in the right direction. You can find information on her site.
http://www.maggieprevette.juiceplus.com/
Part 1. http://youtu.be/T0zojlvdNTY
Part 2. http://youtu.be/ai-1h8bWq9U
Part 3. http://youtu.be/8TxdEQxtSao
This is a really important topic. We have received so much conflicting information for years. I have never given my kids multivitamins on the recommendation of their GP, a very conservative Dr who I like. I have metabolic bloodwork done every 6mos in monitoring autoimmunes and am consistently very low in Vit D, sometimes Potassium. I can usually manage potassium through my diet (I hate the Rxs but sometimes don’t have a choice) but the Vit D I do take D3 daily. This is in part because I’m photosensitive and can’t get the normal sunlight others can. We have a great natural health store very close that carries vitamins with no additives whatsoever. When you do need specific ones it’s nice to have a resource to get clean ones. I’ve been very lucky to manage my autoimmunes without steroids and other RXs commonly pushed so far, only using holistic methods. Eating whole foods and using natural products is a HUGE part of this. Of course having a GP and neuro that agreed with this was imperative and almost impossible to find. Peace.
I use Standard Process for myself via my chiropractor. Every quarter I take a “systems survey” which tells me my gaps based upon what I’m experiencing. Been doing this for the past year (since going Paleo) and have seen amazing results combined w/ changes to my eating. (example, was experiencing hair loss, weak nails, digestion issues). I’m at a point where I am starting to taper off what’s needed as my body continues to heal. I don’t have a gall bladder so I learned that I need to supplement with bile (I use/prefer ox bile) with every meal. In addition to the SP supplements, I had been tested for my Vit D levels last June & learned I was low (I live in WI). I take 5000 IUs in the winter (and still now) and will drop down to about 2000 in the summer (work inside all day).
My kids have very severe food allergies & I continue to make modifications as needed for their diet to ensure they’re eating a balanced, whole food diet. I still supplement them with a multi-vitamin, Vit D and C as well as B12 for my son’s asthma & they both get a probiotic. I use Animal Parade as I refuse to use any sort of gummy type of vitamin & I also trust their labeling for cross-contact with potential deadly allergens for my children. The probiotic we use is Floragen4Kids.
I use vitamins as a back up plan to cover any nutritional gaps I may have. I use the line by Dr. Furhman http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Juice Plus is NOT 100% organic. I have chemical sensitivity and I’m like a canary in a coal mine. I can tell if anything (food, laundry products, anything you can think of) is toxic. I thought Juice Plus sounded great and the distributor stressed it was totally organic. Well, I took 3 doses and got very ill. I made numerous phone calls and talk to many people at the Juice Plus headquarters and I finally got them to admit they do NOT use 100% organic ingredients. Beware, companies will tell you what you want to hear to sell their products.
Shaklee uses a lot of magnesium stereate which is a toxic excipient in their products (used to make packing easier). Why would you want to put that into your body to try to get healthy??????
There are healthy brands such as Pure Encapsulation, Thorne and others.
Tara: I took Simply One Prenatal vitamins for 2 pregnancies. I was healthy without any major complications. My babies were healthy too & I delivered them naturally at their expected time. I recommend this vitamin to all my friends & family. It’s a vegan vitamin without junk in it & you only take it once a day. Never felt nauseous after consuming it. I’m in love with this vitamin! Try it.
http://www.supernutritionusa.com/simply_one_prenatal.php
I give my 3.5 year old son vitamin D in the winter months…he’s a pretty good eater. I also use Baby Brain Organics, it’s a mixture of organic quinoa flakes, organic chia seeds, organic flax seed and organic blueberries, it’s full of protein, Omega 3’s, fiber and antioxidants…you just sprinkle it in on their food! Yesterday I made meatballs and added 2 tablespoons to that also : )
http://bellezanaturals.com/Baby_Brain_Organics.php
My daughter takes the Baby &Toddler vitamins(in powder form) made by the Honest Company. They are whole food based and are free from the fillers you find in other brands.
Thank you for your information! I wanted to let you know about Shaklee – maybe someone above has commented on them but I didn’t take the time to read the comments. Shaklee is the #1 natural nutrition company in the US. Their kids vitamins (& everything else) are amazing & at least 2 times better than organic. I agree that nature is the best place for optimal nutrition!!! Unfortunately many don’t eat enough of the best foods to get what they need, & many of our best foods don’t have the nutritional content that they used to. – for many reasons w/ 1 of them being early harvesting. That is when good supplementation is recommended. I absolutely agree that most vitamins – especially children’s – are useless! So I knew you’d be interested I hearing about the Shaklee Difference. :-) Feel fee to email back at the above address, or check out the website & search ‘Incredivites.’ Here’s to happier, healthier children!!!
Andrew Lessman or Melaleuca have good vitamins.
Could you recommend a good prenatal vitamin?
Tara, I used NewChapter prenatal vitamins – they are made with organic whole food, and they are the only ones that didn’t make me feel sick to stomach!
Tara: I took Simply One Prenatal vitamins for 2 pregnancies. I was healthy without any major complications. My babies were healthy too & I delivered them naturally at their expected time. I recommend this vitamin to all my friends & family. It’s a vegan vitamin without junk in it & you only take it once a day. Never felt nauseous after consuming it. I’m in love with this vitamin! Try it.
http://www.supernutritionusa.com/simply_one_prenatal.php
Hello Tara. We don’t make those kinds of recommendations. Maybe our readers have some favorites? Please chime in. :) ~Amy
The vitamins I personally take and provide for my children are from Truestar. They are all organic products that you can not buy in the store because of their organic and natural state they do not last very long, and therefore couldn’t be put on a shelf to be sold. They are rated the #1 multivitamin, and have had a third party study done on hundreds of other vitamins to determine quality. If you are interested in learning more follow this link – http://sample.truestar.com/home.aspx?RepID=2157 and get some free samples, along with the Nutrisearch study that was completed. You will also be invited to take part in an online health program designed by leading health and fitness experts, all free.
I suggest getting the nutriguide and find out the quality of the vitamins you’ve been taking, you’ll be surprised.
A debate about the benefits of supplementing with vitamin D here, that you might be interested to read
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25861078
I don’t but the only brand I would buy is Nature Made because they submit there products for government inspection and regulation. Vitamin’s are not regulated and they can contain who knows what or not the labeled rates and nobody can do anything about it.
As a physician, I have to chime in and agree with Sarah on the importance and rarity of vitamin manufacturers who submit to independent inspection. Vitamins and supplements fall outside the purview of the FDA so there is no actual government agency regulating standards. The Medical Letter (like Consumer Reports for medicine) has conducted multiple random sample analyses of vitamins and supplements over the years. They commonly find: contaminants (including heavy metals), wide variation in the amount of active ingredients (meaning one pill may have 200mg of Vitamin X while another pill in the same bottle has 600mg), improper labeling and other serious problems. The USP is the nonprofit nongovernmental organization that does conduct inspections when manufacturers submit their products for examination. Very few do, however: Nature Made and the Berkeley and Jensen line both do. You can look for the “USP” seal on the label.
Kirkland Signature brand (Costco) also submits for USP verification. I’m sure some of those natural vitamins and juices may seem like they should be more healthy than normal vitamins but they still have no regulation. You could be buying a very expensive bottle of grass clippings. As a Food Scientist I wouldn’t trust any supplement company without some checks and balances. There is a good reason the USDA was created back in the day, food manufactures will, sadly, abuse just about anything they can to make a profit.
We don’t take vitamins either. We drink Zija. An organic supplement made from plants. The main component is moringa oleifera, Zija is 100% absorbable at the cellular level. All ingredients are plant based, nothing synthetic, enzymatically alive, and sustainably harvested. Drinklifein.com . Email me if you have questions. [email protected]
we follow a vegan diet and only take a multivitamin for b12 purposes. i use iron free deva, and our daughter uses animal parade. we buy both from https://www.vitacostrewards.com/LaEVCxa for very reasonable prices!
How do you feel about OLA LOA vitamins? Are they good or junk?
Hi Yekaterina. We aren’t familiar with them at all and don’t give any kind of recommendations in this area other than what you have read above. :) ~Amy
We are almost to 100% real food. I agree with you on the necessity of vitamins. We love the organic yummi bears. I only give them when they ask for it as a reward for getting ready for school without reminders. And you do get when you pay for. You will pay more for whole food vitamins. A LOT more!
We, as a family, take daily Vit D during the winter months because we are not outside as much getting that great sunshine! Also, I make my own elderberry syrup which we take daily as well during cold and flu season (we don’t do flu shots).
I take mega food women’s one a day and blood builder (iron) they Are whole food vitamins, and work great! The Blood Builder is the only Iron supplement my digestive system can tolerate. It is a “beet” based vitamin.
This is a great topic. I am a nurse practitioner student right now, and I think it’s important to mention that there are definitely times that supplements could be encouraged. I don’t know anything about which type to get for natural sources, but they are important. I support naturopaths when it comes to supplementation recommendation as this is more their specialty
Pregnancy: folic acid really is a must to prevent neural tube defects. it is recommended that any woman of child-bearing age that is sexually active and therefore might become pregnant should be taking folic acid, as it is most important in the first trimester which is often before you may realize you are pregnant
Vit D: please don’t rely on the sun for this, as the risk of sun exposure to cause cancers and skin damage is too high, use sun protection! Also, as other posters have mentioned, many people are deficient in vit D incl. populations such as those that live further north, with darker skin (diff. sun absorption), any malabsorption issues, etc. Vit D is especially important for people at risk of fragility fractures such as those with osteoporosis. http://www.topalbertadoctors.org/cpgs/?sid=18&cpg_cats=91 this is a brief evidence based summary
Iron supplementation: as mentioned, don’t supplement this unless you have a need to because of the risks associated with high iron. Iron in a multivit is often not a good idea. remember that iron can interfere with absorption of other nutrients and vitamins or medications so should be taken separately.
Calcium: dietary is best! I believe it’s 1200 units/day, don’t overdo the calcium supplements because of the cardiovascular risks such as calcification of great vessels in the heart
Probiotics: do have a great role to play in repopulating the gut flora after antibiotics. but as other posters have mentioned, high quality is important. a probiotic yogurt cup does not count! In canada, bio-k is the only yogurt drink approved for this use, but there are capsules as well but I don’t know which ones.
Vit B12: take this on advice of your doctor, Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia is very common, and if it is low enough to make you feel rotten, there is a good chance you would benefit from a supplement to get your levels back up. anemia should not be taken lightly!
Sorry that was long, just wanted to mention a few important reasons why supplements would be a good idea.
Just reading through a few of these comments, and I am so happy that this is being discussed. To supplement or not to supplement? The only supplements I would ever consider putting into my body or the body of my children are Shaklee supplements. They have been around for more than 50 years, and only use natural, organic ingredients that are tested for purity. In the U.S. we put so much emphasis on what doctors tell us, but doctors get very little education on nutrition. In order to get the minimum amount of all the nutrients our bodies need to be healthy and vibrant we would need to consume a minimum of 3,000 calories a day, and that would be assuming that our food is consumed within 24 hours of harvest and is 100% pure and natural. Unfortunately, that is not very realistic. I agree that many supplements do not work. In fact, there are cases where vitamins are identified by brand in x-rays because the name is printed on the capsule and it doesn’t break down, it just takes a little trip through your digestive system. The FDA also published an article a few years ago that showed that many companies have harmful ingredients in them. The presence of lead in both children’s and pre-natal vitamins was not uncommon in many popular brands. With all this said, I believe that supplementation is important, but being educated on the quality of your supplements is equally important. The most expensive vitamin you can take? the one that doesn’t work.
For all of you that say Juice Plus is great…are the fruits and vegetables all 100% organic…thinking of ordering my kids some but want to get more info. Thanks!!
We believe in Juice Plus. Kids have voluntarily made it part of their daily routine!! We have experienced the benefits first hand!
Juice plus is better than organic! They contract with medium sized farmers to grow their produce, pick at the peak of ripeness and use a ow temp drying process within 10 miles of the fields they are grown in. The batches of juice powders are tested 6 times for contaminates and thrown out if any are found! It’s a great way to bridge the gap between how many fruits and veggies we should eat and how many we usually are able to eat daily. It’s been a blessing for us!
What would you recommend for prenatal vitamins?
Hi Brooke. We can’t really give advice in that area. You should consult with your OB. And, if you are looking for a different perspective, perhaps talk to a Naturopath. ~Amy
Hello Natalie. You will need to ask your pediatrician for a specific recommendation. Beyond that, Lisa recently did a Facebook post that had some discussion of probiotic use: https://www.facebook.com/100daysofrealfood. You might find some useful info there. ~Amy
Hi! I am currently researching multi vitamins for kids. First, you are very lucky that your kids eat so well. I do try hard and my 3 year old does very well, but my twin 17 month olds want nothing to do with fruits and vegetables. It’s a trying time for me around meal time as I love both and want my kids to get lots of both! Anyway… They do need a multi-vitamin. I saw your post… My question is, can you recommend a good probiotic or does this vitamin gypsum my you recommend have a probiotic? I am looking for a probiotic multivitamin… Thanks so much!
I don’t take any vitamins even though I was advised by my doctor to take Vitamin D due to low levels in my blood. Having lived 50+ years, it seems to me that every 5 years, doctors claim there is another new thing we’re deficient in, only to find out later that the supplementation causes more harm than good (e.g., Vitamin E for the heart and now fish oil for men’s prostate issues. Since everybody and his brother seems to be “Vitamin D deficient”, call me very skeptical.
Lisa,
I have followed your blog for a while and I appreciate all the time you take to keep us up to date on the things you are finding is most effective in keeping your family healthy with our ever changing food market. Part of me finds this kind of comical to read the responses to your blog. Opinions are always a good thing, but in the end they are always opinion. Personally we have chosen to use Nutrilite. They founded the first multi-vitamin ever created over 75 years ago. They also, grow, harvest and produce all the products used on their own certified organic farms. They are the only company in the world to accomplish this, pretty amazing and very important as well! I definitely agree that supplements should not be the basis for nutrition as they are to “supplement”. Thank you again Lisa for all your time you put into your blog, your research and most importantly, your family!
Advocare Purple Champs! 40 mg DHA
I’ve done throughly research that lasted months, and Shakelee was the best option for my kids.
Sometimes they claim to be good but use ‘soy’ which pottentially have GMO’s and soy is bad enough already to use on the daily, ‘natural colors or natural flavor’ are claimed to be MSG and the list goes on.
Pure Encapsulations!!! Formulated by Jordan Reuben!
Two words…. Juice Plus! :)
Hi Lisa,
Thank you again for sharing your experiences so openly with your readership. I could not agree more with your position with the exception of “Vitamins aren’t necessarily harmful…”. The vast majority of vitamins on the market today are HIGHLY synthetic chemical by-products of petroleum production or food processing. These things are NOT innate!
I wrote a 4 part series on this subject including healthy alternatives to vitamin supplementation in case you or your readership are interested. http://www.therealfoodguy.com
Thank you for opening up these important discussions and spreading your real food message.
I’ve always been suspicious of supplements – getting real nutrients from real food is obviously the ideal. However, I have decided to take and give my kids fish oil and vitamin d. We can’t eat too much oily fish because of levels of mercury in fish these days and we can’t get enough sun because we live in New Zealand, where it’s winter at the moment and people in developed countries have generally indoor lifestyles. Most people are low on vitamin d.
I guess it depends on where you live.. We live up in the northern parts of Sweden and in the winter we don’t really see the sun (which is the main source of vitamin D) so kids here get vitamin D for free from the “child care center” the first years of their lifes..
I agree w you that there are plenty of junk filled kids vitamins, but I do think that most of us, kids and adults, are not getting the nutrition we need solely from our food. No reason to “give up ” on a whole foods diet, but also no reason to shun all supplements either, IMHO
Our pediatrician was appalled that we don’t do a multi-vitamin. We eat whole foods. My kids are great about fruit and veggies. It can be hard to go against what your doctor says.
PurePals for the kids and Pure Encapsulations multivitamins for men and women
Melaleuca!
JUICE PLUS!!! It is NOT a supplement or vitamin but whole food nutrition from 17 different fruits, veggies and whole grains. It is not meant to replace these in your diet but to bridge the gap of what you eat and what you NEED on a daily basis (especially when you have a picky eater on your hands)! My girls were terribly sick for the first few years of their lives (numerous pneumonia, meningitis, autoimmune disease, etc). Once we started juice plus, they are the healthiest around with ROCK STAR immune systems. Illness free for 2 years (not a single fever or missed school day)!!!! They fight EVERYTHING off! It is the most researched nutritional product in the world with over 28 published peer reviewed studies demonstrating the beneficial impact and bioavailability. IT IS INCREDIBLE AND I highly recommend it not only as a mom, but as a pediatric OT! IT has changed our lives :-)
I agree with you on Juice Plus! It has changed our lives. We used to get sick all of the time and now we are healthy and feel great! Even when there is an illness outbreak at school, we all stay healthy! Great for adults and kids!
I 100% agree! Juice Plus+ is an amazing product! I have been taking JP+ for 14 years and never missed a class in college due to illness, have yet to miss a day of work and who doesn’t love whole food nutrition on this site? One of the greatest parts of the product is how much research has been done. I do not take a multi-vitamin, and completely agree that vitamins and nutrients should come from your diet, but we all have days where we don’t get the 9-11 servings (we should actually be eating even MORE than that, and 9-11 can be hard!) and anything that can help boost my immune system, I’m going to do. I trust the research in Juice Plus, and it has changed my brothers’ (who were chronically sick forEVER) and my life.
OH! And Juice Plus has a set of ‘kid’ gummies, which are so tasy my husband opted to take those instead of the regular pill form.
Dr. Shaklee founded natural nutrition. All other companies followed suit. Shaklee it is! I trust this company!
My kids take Garden of Life Vitamin Code Kids. It is a whole food multivitamin. I gotta say though, the kids don’t really love the taste, but they take them anyway. We also use Barleans omega fish oil (which they do love) and Garden of Life Raw Probiotics for kids which I mix into their Kefir.
My DTR gets vitamin code chewable bears they are mostly organic and she loves them. She was getting sick a lot so wanted something to boost her immune system she eats well but not as many veggies as fruits on a daily basis. it is whole foods not synthetic chemicals so I feel comfortable giving it to her and I take vit code one a day for women as well.
Melaleuca – patented absorption process. we use the vitamins and supplements & my son & husband love our new liquid smoothie Omega 3 with no fishy aftertaste. so glad to get those Omegas in our bodies for so many reasons!!
Barleans omega fish oil! My kids don’t eat a lot of fish and this stuff taste o good that they ask for it!
You should look into Shaklee!! Best there is.
My kids take garden of life vitamins for kids.
DoTerra!!!
Has anyone taken Juice Plus before?
Love your blog, but have to say that I’m standing by our fermented cod liver oil supplement. Believe me, I wish I could forgo spending the $$$ on a supplement and put it towards our organic/pastured/grass-fed foods but after skipping our daily FCLO supplement for a month (out of town) I noticed a big difference in how I felt. I also know how great it is for my children. We will continue to purchase that supplement for our family, despite drinking our fermented raw goat’s milk, eating pastured eggs and grass-fed beef, and daily fruit/veggie smoothies and salads and sides.
I’ve never done extensive research, but I’ve just never felt the need to give my kids vitamins so I don’t.
Funny story about me tho. I recently became a vegetarian, and about 1 week in I couldn’t figure out why I was getting such bad headaches! I was eating great, drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, the works. Then I realized that I hadn’t, um, spent any lengthy time in the bathroom in a while. With all my healthy eating, I was getting TOO MUCH iron! Despite not eating meat!
So I stopped taking my multi-vitamin. Then pooped 5 times in 1 day and felt like a new woman. :)
Now I just take vitamin B12, since that’s the only one I need that’s found naturally in meat only.
I have always been torn about whether or not to give my kids vitamins. I am really concerned about fluoride. We do not have fluoride in our water system, so the pediatrician prescribes vitamins that contain fluoride. I have researched and found so many conflicting answers about fluoride in children. Do you give your children a fluoride supplement?
We do not give fluoride supplements. We do use fluoride toothpaste and drink filtered tapwater though. I think the natural living community is pretty divided on the topic of fluoride!
We love Animal Parade and Child Life for vitamin supplements and cod liver oil, and Raw Probiotics.
Just a note… My dentist said absolutely NO gummy vitamins for the kids. They stick in their teeth for hours and cause decay.
We use the vitamins and supplements from Melaleuca. They absorb well into the body and is processed as completely as possible. Along with a healthy diet of whole and organic foods, these help keep my family healthy.
DAILY PROBIOTICS are also essential to long term health, unless your family is eating plenty of properly made fermented foods the way people did many years ago.
There is an epidemic of unbalanced gut flora which contributes to numerous health problems. Most babies are born with unbalanced gut flora (from their mother) and too low vitamin D levels, and some studies show a possible link to increased risk of Autism due to both of these deficiencies. Yes infants should be given vitamin D3 and Probiotics BUT DO NOT GIVE TO INFANTS WITHOUT CONSULTING A DOCTOR FOR BRANDS AND DOSING for your particular baby, and don’t give up if your pediatrician doesn’t know or care. Find a doctor who does, or a LICENSED NUTRITIONIST (not a dietician unless the dietician has done additional training and research).
Our Licensed Nutritionist has kept us healthier for many years.
THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE DEFICIENT in Vitamin D, Magnesium and Iodine to name a few and we cannot get enough from food…
Vitamin D blood serum levels of 30-70 are considered “normal” but only serum levels at the higher end, around 60-70 help the immune system and help prevent disease including cancer. When I asked my doctor to include the vitamin D test in my annual labs, she said I needed a “diagnosis” FIRST. Sorry but conventional medicine is a for-profit disease business, not true prevention. Drug companies and their lobbyists are anti-supplement, they make less money on drugs if you stay healthier. Most adults and kids should take Vitamin D3 (the real kind we get from sunshine) not D2. 2,000 IU of D3 daily is safe for kids, you can research this, most adults need more to get serum levels up to the high end of normal range.
Iodine deficiency contributes to thyroid cancer which Dr. Oz says is the fastest increasing cancer in women. (partly due to radiation of the thyroid during mammograms.)
A great book to read is UltraPrevention by Mark Hyman who is one of very few doctors that Dr. Oz says he would take his own family to.
Thank you for your site!
Do you have any recommendations for an aspirin without additives? Seems like vitamins aren’t the only pills loaded with junk. Thanks!
Hi Anne. I apologize but we really can’t give advice on medications. Outside of this post, drugstore items have not been something we weigh in on but I’m sure a pharmacist could help you out. ~Amy
My daughter alternates between Animal Parade and Natures Plus Love Bites, depending on which one is available at our health food store. I don’t give her one every day, usually every 2-3 days she gets one. We eat a very healthy plant based vegetarian diet so I know that she is, for the most part getting the right amount of vitamins, but I do worry!!
I can only speak from personal experience, but my family has never taken vitamin supplements and we are all very healthy. My family tends to live for quite a long time (all the women have lived to be 100 or more). I attribute this longevity to good wholesome food, and letting the body naturally heal itself when ill to build up the immune system. We also try to eat a lot of fish (watching out for mercury of course) because of all the positive benefits of fish oil – the more fish I eat the better my (acne-prone) skin is.
I am a nutritionist. I believed in food supplements, but all the recent studies prove that they do not work or that they dangerous for our health (premature death, cancer, cardiovascular disease). People do not need to take vitamins in a pill. Human beings evolved to take vitamins with their food. Societies who live long like Okinawa do not take vitamins. They live longer, because they eat healthy. Buy organic foods, not supplements. And kids do not need supplements, just food!
Also, please scroll a short way down to my 2 posts about
– Vitamin D3
– Magnesium
– Iodine
– Probiotics
It was a vitamin E study that caused a health problem in mice, but the study did NOT publish the fact that they used synthetic genetically engineered vitamin E. Always check who funded a study. Big Pharma funded this misleading vitamin E study, they can afford to spend big bucks protecting their enormous profits.
Marios,
What studies are you referring to that “prove [supplements] do not work or that they’re dangerous”.
I’m aware of a study using a bad quality genetically engineered supplement that was in fact dangerous (I don’t remember but it may have been a bad vitamin E). Also vitamin C is often made from GMO corn. So it’s very important to look for quality supplements and do your homework. But your blanket statements against vitamins are wrong and misleading. Many vitamins and other supplements help save lives and improve quality of life.
I wish I could find a vitamin for my son without any syrup or sugar of any kind. I can’t but still feel it is better for him to have them and since they are given in such small amounts, I do feel the benefits out weight the cons.
I use Nature’s Sunshine ‘sunshine Heros’ multiple vitamin and mineral vitamins as well as their omega 3 with DHA. They also use organic ingredients and when I did a side by side comparison, they offer more vitamins on almost every line than the yummi bears.
We all eat organic, whole foods. We keep away from refined, processed foods. We make most of his snacks from scratch, grow the fresh vegetables that we’re able to. We really enjoy being pro active and involved in our food choices. Our son is a finicky eater and often drinks more than he eats. We enjoy juicing to help ensure he’s getting the nutrients he needs, even when he will not eat his solids.
Still, like others have mentioned above, farmers do not allow the soil the time it needs to replenish all it’s nutrients and even when eating whole, organic foods, unfortunately, they are void of many of the health benefits they once had.
Vitamin supplements are a very personal choice and I think it’s terrific that parents give it serious consideration for their children (and themselves). I feel it’s a better choice for my family to have the supplements. Every family is different.
I agree that eating a real food diet is better than any multivitamin you can buy. But, I have to add that it is INCREDIBLY important for all women of childbearing age to take a folic acid supplement. Many people (estimates are between 10% and 40% of the population) cannot process folic acid efficiently so they need a supplement to help their body absorb enough. (In my case i only absorb around 30% of what I ingest so I have to be consuming at least 3 times the recommended dose to actually absorb the correct amount… which is impossible to do with just food) The vast majority of people do not know they have this condition, so it’s important that all women take a folic acid supplement. My son was born with spina bifida. He is the smartest, most awesome kid I know, but we would be doing the population a great disservice by not spreading the word about the importance of folic acid. Like I said, great post, but I have to spread the word!
Hi! Do you have a recommendation for an all natural healthy folic acid/prenatal vit supplement? We’re hoping to add another sweet baby to our family and we’re making the change to all natural since our first. Thanks!
Ashley— were you ever able to find an all natural healthy folic acid/prenatal vit supplement?
Whole Foods carries one, but you have to take it 3 times a day (not so ideal). I found one at Target that also got great reviews, that is once a day, but I can’t remember the name of it (but it’s the only natural one at Target). Hope that helps!
They’re called rainbow light. And, you can sometimes find them on sale. My ND likes them, and dissolved it in water to make sure it absorbed well.
Hi Ashley,
I just wanted to mention that I have taken Rainbow Light’s Prenatal One vitamin for years now (during pregnancy and breastfeeding) and I love it. You take it just once a day. I always get it from Amazon or drugstore.com, but I think places like Sprouts carry it, too. 100% natural, vegan, no fillers, etc. You can google it and check their website for more info.
Hi Ashley. That’s exciting. Unfortunately, we cannot make recommendations such as that. You will definitely need to check with your doctor and maybe a naturopath about that. Goodluck. ~Amy
Hi Lauren. By all means, we welcome feedback…thank you for sharing. Jill
I love you, but on this I disagree. We eat very healthy, but our soil and environment is toxic compared to what it was like 75 years ago. There are toxins in beauty and bath products, in pretty much all food served at restaurants and in our water. Whole food is not enough in my opinion to ward off the effects of these. So, I give my kids a whole foods daily vitamin, chlorella (love it for cancer prevention),elderberry to prevent the flu, grapeseed extract and a probiotic. I also make medicinal tinctures from herbs I grow.
I just wanted to throw this out there..
DoTerra makes adult AND kids vitamins ALL NATURAL :) Check out my website and read up on them, they are great and have changed my life! http://www.mydoterra.com/ramsey
I really enjoy your blog btw :)
I enjoy reading your blog, but I am curious about the fact that you fully acknowledge not taking vitamins, but then go to say which vitamins are “best”. On what are you basing your recommendations? Do you have experience in science or research that gives you the background and fund of knowledge to evaluate and recommend these brands?
Just like with food we define the “best” vitamins as those having the cleanest ingredients (i.e. no artificial dyes or sweeteners), which are clearly published by the vitamin company for anyone to see.
So in other words you have no expertise that qualifies you to make recommendations. You are choosing to take the word of the vitamin company, which may or may not be truthful. That certainly puts your recommendations in another light for me. Thanks for your honest reply.
Hi Paula,
Something that I’ve learned over the years is that a person doesn’t need a degree or “credentials” in order to speak intelligently about a topic. They just need to be knowledgeable and that knowledge can come from a variety of sources. Also, having a degree or credentials doesn’t make anyone smarter. I’m not saying this as a slight with anyone with a degree, but just addressing your comment.
PS And I don’t know if Lisa holds a degree or not which isn’t the point but just wanted to clarify.
I don’t take vitamins because it’s very hard to find supplements that do not contain iron. NO ONE should be taking an iron supplement without first having their doctor run full iron panels (not just a “CBC”) and preferably a genetic test for hemochromatosis. Genetic Hemochromatosis is the most common genetic disorder in this country and the vast majority of people who have it do not know. I guarantee that you know someone who died of it but was diagnosed with something else (the first organs to go: “enlarged heart” “cirrosis of the liver” “pancreatic failure/diabetes” “fast metastasizing cancers”) For my entire childhood my mother was literally poisoning me and my brother with multivitamins containing iron.
I haven’t read through the comments, but I highly recommend cod liver oil for vitamin D deficiency! It also contains vitamins A, E, DHA and EPA, without all of the junk. I also give it to my kids.
We eat our vitamins! We only take supplements when our bodies need additional support. And for us that is barely ever! But we are careful how our food is raised and grown. From not taking things we notice when our bodies need the support days before we actually develop any real symptoms and by then we already warded them off. Its amazing how you can feel and listen to your body when you allow it to communicate.
Love your Blog..a few friends have recommended to me as I try to follow a mostly whole food diet for my family..:)
Great article especially the importance regard good vitamins..and paying the extra for good one. Lots of vits. have fillers etc… I still try to take supplements as I don’t think the soil our foods are grown in has as much nutrients in it as it did generations ago…
Thanks for sharing..:)
Excellent article, good read but I might have to disagree with you (respectively) on some points. While eating whole foods (as my family and I do) is excellent and exactly what our body needs there is the fact that our fruits and veggies are deficient. Farmers (even organic farmers) no longer allow their fields to lie fallow every 7th year…this results in the soil being deficient in MANY nutrients. In most soil samples nowadays you can only find 3-10 nutrients in the soil, when there should be 32. Also in response to what you wrote above, “because in controlled studies most supplements “don’t appear to work.†the reason most supplements do not seem to work in controlled studies is because they do not give a high enough dosage to make an actual difference in the individual’s health.
Thank you for the info on where to get good vitamins! Love your site! :-)
“Nutrilite is the ONLY global vitamin and mineral brand to develop SAFE and EFFECTIVE supplements made from whole PLANT CONCENTRATES – known as PHYTONUTRIENTS – grown, harvested, and processed on its own certified ORGANIC FARMS, setting it apart from other makers of dietary supplements!”
Thought I’d share this info as well!! Check them out, they are the best, highly recommend! :)
The only people recommending Nutrilite vitamins are AMWAY salespeople. There is no reliable research to back up Amway’s claims about the benefits of phytonutrients or of their grossly overpriced vitamins.
I second you on this…they from organic farms and plant based so you get the phytonutrients which allow you to absorb the vitamins unlike with other synthetic vitamins. Test your vitamins by soaking them overnight in vinegar…you might be surprised at the horrific results…then try that with Nutrilite…
Its true, most vitamins and supplements just go right through you and are useless. The only company I trust is Nutrilite, which is #1 in the world (not an opinion, but a fact). Nutrilite actually created the multi-vitamin, is over 50 years old, never any recalls, and vitamins and supplements are 100% ORGANIC. It is truly the best…they are have everything you need, even children’s vitamins and supplements.
Take a look, watch you tube videos…they are truly the best in the world, I would never take anything else! :)
http://www.nutrilite.com
http://www.amway.com/NandLenterprises
Everyone in my family takes Pure Matters Vitamins. My husband and I (of course) take different multis and need other various vitamins. Their kids vitamins are available sugar free and every vitamin and product on their website is all natural. They are very forthcoming with ingredients as well. They offer a new vitamin to try for FREE on Tuesdays, and they package your order like it’s a gift every time! :) purematters.com
I also don’t believe we get everything from even a whole foods diet with the soil so depleted these days, even when eating mostly organics. So my kids take a multi-vitamin (NOW brand) without artificial colors, Carlson Solar Gems vitamin D, and Nordic Naturals fish oil, probably 5 days a week. I personally have autoimmune conditions and must take 8000 IU of vitamin D daily to maintain a level on the low side of “normal”. I also take Special Two by NOW in the V-cap formula (easier to digest than tablets), Green Pastures FCLO/butter oil, and other odds and ends as needed.
I disagree with the statements that say that vitamins are for sure not needed if you have a whole foods diet. Try tracking everything you eat and see if you get 100% daily value of everything, it is very tricky to do so.
We definitely do not have a vitamin deficiency in our country we have a whole food deficiency. That is why we juice weekly if not daily, show the perimeter of the grocery story, eat local, and take Juice Plus.
Many factors combined have resulted in foods becoming “nutritionally hollowâ€. Modern farming methods have thrown the entire cycle out of balance. Our farming soils are weak, which results in sick plants that cannot manufacture the nutrients we need to stay healthy and fight illness and disease.
The increased use of pesticides and irradiation on our produce leaves a finished food with poisons and lower nutrients. The chemicals used in pesticides contaminate the soil, and kill the good microbes that produce essential Fulvic. The use of hybrid seeds and crop management based on economics further drains our foods of their minerals and vitamins.
I have a question, but it’s not related to the post. I’m wondering what a real food person says about stevia/truvia, the all natural no calorie sweetener. I was using it, thinking I was being really healthy, and now I am not sure and would like another opinion.
I am curious about orange juice. I have always bought Simply Orange and am curious if it is actually good for your health or if it is more harmful. What is your take on buying fruit juices from the store?
Hi Elizabeth. We typically avoid fruit juices, but, I do still have one that likes orange juice. It’s a “treat” in our house and we do buy the Simply Orange. I will admit I’ve not looked that closely to see if there are other brands that are better since we have it so rarely. Jill
I’ve always taken Shaklee vitamins. I take the B-complex and vitalea with iron. They also have clean home products. They have vitamins for children but I haven’t tried them yet. I recently looked at the ingredients for my son’s gummies and it’s filled with sugar and artificial color. My pediatrician actually recommended Flinstones… I don’t think she’s worried about all these chemicals.
My 3 year old takes a chewable multivitamin because around a year old, he was anemic, so the dr. suggested iron drops. He hated the drops, so as soon as he was old enough, we switched to chewables. We use the Whole Foods brand, which doesn’t have any of the added junk. I haven’t been strict about making sure he takes them. He likes them, so he usually reminds me. But if we skip a day or so, I don’t think it’s a big deal because we eat well. Now that his iron levels are up to normal, I’ll be even less worried, but will continue with the vitamins every other day.
Just a note about your recommendations – I would be hesitant to recommend any gummy vitamins, because none of these contain iron, which is so crucial to brain development. Our pediatrician made sure to tell us not to get gummy vitamins!
We tend to stick with Garden of Life brand for most vitamins… I used to use New Chapter, but after they were sold and started adding bad stuff, I switched. We all take their Vitamin code multis, omegas and probiotics. They are expensive but I feel they are worth it. My dentist highly discourages gummies of any kind because they are so bad for your teeth, so I only do chewables. I also started to take coconut oil capsules and have noticed less hair loss.. but I also started using coconut oil on my scalp, elbows, knees and feet, and in most of my cooking around the same time. I also have on hand liquid forms of vitamin d3, echinacea/goldenseal, colloidal silver and B-12 for occasional use when needed. My husband thinks it’s overkill, but we hardly ever get sick, so I’m sticking with it :)
What kind of bad stuff were added to New Chapter vitamins?
The supplements I take I highly recommend, although they are more expensive than regular vitamins at Target, Whole Foods, etc. I take Standard Process supplements–you can only buy them from a chiropractic office or wellness provider. (You might be able to get them directly off the website; I’ve never tried as I always go to my chiropractor). They are so healthy for you that when I moved across the country and had to find a new chiropractor, I based my decision on if he/she sold Standard Process. Just as an example, my Whole Food Fiber ingredient list: oat, beets, rice, carrot root, beet root, apple pectin, and carrot fiber. My body just craves it! The company is dedicated to having only natural ingredients in all their supplements. Highly recommend!
Really pay attention to the ingredients in liquid vitamins. They often contain artificial preservatives like BHT that are bad news.
We strive for a healthy and balanced diet and therefore do not feel e need to supplement it with vitamins for our kids.
What about essential fatty acids like fish oil? Or probiotics?
Many factors combined have resulted in foods becoming “nutritionally hollowâ€. Modern farming methods have thrown the entire cycle out of balance. Our farming soils are weak, which results in sick plants that cannot manufacture the nutrients we need to stay healthy and fight illness and disease.
The increased use of pesticides and irradiation on our produce leaves a finished food with poisons and lower nutrients. The chemicals used in pesticides contaminate the soil, and kill the good microbes that produce essential Fulvic. The use of hybrid seeds and crop management based on economics further drains our foods of their minerals and vitamins.
Some have mentioned probiotics. I’ve only bought them once and that was when my 15mth old had a long bout of diaherra. I when to the pharmacy at walmart. Is that the kind of probiotics you are taking?
I used to take just any probiotics from just any store, but I admit that I have gotten a lot more picky over the years. Right now I only take Garden of Life brand. Not saying this is the only good brand. It is the best one in my opinion of the ones I have looked into. :)
They have a much higher does than a lot of the probiotic supplements out there, which I have heard of with one or two other companies. And the company really focuses on making supplements that are derived from whole foods rather than from a laboratory, as well as paying attention to how the foods they use are farmed.
Fairly new to your site and just wondering what you think of the Vitamix.
Hi Kellpy. I have heard wonderful things about it, although I don’t personally own one. I have a Ninja and really like that (and it’s MUCH cheaper). Jill
Have you researched anything about prenatal supplements? It’s super easy to do the gummy kind (I can throw them in my mouth and go on with what I’m doing instead of getting a glass of water. How lazy am I?!). But I’m guessing they would have a lot additives? Any thoughts?
Hi Christine. No, we’ve not done any research specifically on pre-natals. I believe there might be some recommendations from some of our readers in the comments of this post if you’d like to take a look. Jill
Not sure if you meant a general gummy or a prenatal gummy. Did your OBGYN recommend a prenatal? I got a prescription vitamin with all 3 of my pregnancies. Actually I started taking it 3 months before I intended to try and get pregnant and continued with it until I was done pumping for my 3rd and final. Though I realized that my vitamin contained artificial colors in the coating, so when I was done pumping I switched to something from whole foods. The advantage to an actual prenatal vitamin is that it has things specifically needed for pregnancy, like larger levels of folic acid. (Also, most gummy’s have close to a teaspoon of sugar per child’s serving size :(
I would also recommend taking a fish oil supplement at least until you are done having kids/breast feeding. I read that both pregnancy and pumping/breast feeding severely depletes one’s stores of Omega-3’s. High levels of Omega-3’s in mothers correlate to better mental state of the mother (lower instance of postpartum depression, etc.) as well as brain/mental state benefits for the developing fetus & baby. I personally don’t like fish, but it’s recommended to eat less fish anyway when pregnant because of mercury levels anyway. Good brands of fish oil, like spectrum, are mercury free.
We don’t do vitamins either. I do make sure my family gets their Green Pastures fermented CLO + butter oil everyday as well as a tbsp of coconut oil. Between these two items we rarely have a sniffle in our home and my kids have only ever gone to the doctor for their well-child visits (just so another set of eyes sees them)…and for the occasional broken bone. I do have a house full of boys, after all!!!
We do not take vitamins either. I have plenty of x-rays of them floating in people not digested. We do take a fruit and veggie supplement Juice Plus. Amazing! Just whole food in a capsule or chewable. I love it because it is backed by so much research. Thanks for posting!
In France we mostly don’t take vitamins. I should take some because of my hair loss (after pregnancy) but i don’t trust that much in pharmaceuticals (and afraid of cancer too)… I’m waiting for things to go back normal :)
Oops, I meant to mention in my other reply, have you tried coconut oil for your hair? Coconut oil has excellent health benefits if you cook with it or if you take it raw. It is also beneficial as a topic application to the skin and hair. When I use it topically I only use a very small amount but there really seems to be noticeable benefit.
I have heard people mention that they put coconut oil in the hair and then have a hard time washing it all out. My thought on this is that they need to cut down on the amount. I generally mix a few drops of essential oil into a very small container of coconut oil and use that after a wash as a leave in and of course it has to be a very tiny amount to do that. Having 4 ounces or so prepared with the essential oil and left in the bathroom for my skin and hair last me a really long time.
Of course I’m sure my Green Pastures cod liver oil is also really good for my skin and hair!
Can’t blame you for being leery of taking pharmaceuticals. I try to get the bulk of my good health and good nutrition from a nourishing whole foods diet. I try to take as little as possible of pharmaceuticals. And the supplements I take are made from Whole foods rather than synthesized in a laboratory.
I take a prenatal and iron. I’m tying to get pregnant, which I might be after a recent miscarriage!, and I’ve always been anemic. Even my primary doc, who’s all about treating things as naturally as possible, stresses a prenatal.
The Green Pastures cod liver oil is really good for a boost to the reproductive system and the health of future children and if the flavor is a no-g0 for you they make a capsule supplement of it. Also the skate liver oil would be good too, but I don’t remember if they make a capsule version off the top of my head.
Back in the days that I was having my children, especially my first, my diet and the supplements I took were just not good enough and unfortunately it had an effect on the situation. Now, 20 years later, I am thankful to have learned so much in the mean time to help my kids get their bodies into tip top shape to give the best start possible to their kids when they have them. We try to use supplements that are derived from whole foods, Garden of Life brand for example, rather than made in a lab. I give them those Green pastures supplements because they are the only company I have found that is processing the oils in the way that older cultures who used them to great effect processed them. :)
Is there any children’s vitamin with out a ton of sugar? The yummi bears suggested contain 4 grams of sugar per serving, that’s nearly 1 teaspoon (4.6 g per teaspoon)! I hate to waste 1/3 of my girls’ daily allowance of added sugars on vitamins.
Also, for those talking about giving liquid vitamin D supplements to their children/family, what form/brand are you using? I am only familiar with the infant drops.
Hello!
I take juice plus. I love it. I eat more vegetables more than ever and fruit too as well. If you really want to know more about juice plus +.
the wesbsite: Juiceplus.com
I take probiotic supplements from Garden of Life and cod liver oil from Green Pastures, just two more companies that are doing a far better job than the supplement industry on the whole appears to be doing.
I would first like to thank Lisa for this fantastic blog! It motivates so many people to choose whole foods, and shows us that it is attainable! This post is a great forum for sharing what works for families and individuals, and I’m enjoying hearing all of the positive accolades for different products. My family personally has been taking JuicePlus+ for the last 6 years, and I only considered it because of the clinical research that backs it up. There are literally almost 30 peer-reviewed studies from leading hospitals and universities. The people knocking the product, obviously haven’t actually read the research. I have a BS in Health Promotion, and a MS in Family Support and Parenting Education. During my Master’s degree program I learned a lot about different parenting experts and their practices, including Dr. Sears. When I found out Dr. Sears recommends the product I had to learn more! After reading the research, I wouldn’t have it any other way for my family. Best of luck to all on finding what is right for yours!
I was just wondering if anyone knows of any uk based blogs or sites? I love this site but am interested in if there is much difference between US and UK advice/products. Thanks x
So, what about prenatal vitamins? My doctor was adamant about their importance but I have no idea how to tell what is in them and if there are fillers, etc.
Hi Sara. I think they are important and would follow your doctor’s recommendation. I don’t have a specific brand to recommend, but, you may want to scan the comments as I think several readers left suggestions. Jill
It is a big mistake for anyone not to take a green drink, fish oil, and probiotics everyday. Everyone would benefits tremendously by doing so.
This is an excellent blog and Lisa does a wonderful job. She deserves lots of praise for her contributions on this blog. That being said, I think it is a mistake to believe one can get the nutrition they need from their diet. Unless of course you grow all your own food organically. For 99.99 percent of us this will never happen. The soil our food is grown on is very very mineral deficient. As soon as a plant is pulled from the ground it starts losing its nutritional value. Then is is shipped across the country(more time goes by as it continues losing nutrition), then it sits in a warehouse, finally it’s delivered to the grocery store where it sits, still losing nutritional value. By the time you eat it–good luck getting adequate nutrition from your food. I believe vitamins are wonderful, as are supplements like barley grass or wheatgrass powders or pills, spirulina and chlorella.
My 4 yr old son takes the Yummy Bear Organics, and I can tell you we have noticed a huge decrease in colds/viruses in our house. He has always eaten very well, but was getting alot of colds which were leading to ear infections. We started the vitamins last December and he has been sick only once since then and that was when we had run out and I bought a small bottle of the Whole Foods ones to “get us by”. They went in the trash as soon as I was able to get another bottle of the Yummy Bears.
I myself do not take any daily vits, but if I could find a good one WITH iron that didn’t upset my stomach I probably would! I have always been slightly anemic, and getting “enough” iron in my diet is just difficult at times.
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I disagree that all HCPs (health care providers) are in it to prescribe medications or trained to interfere. In my experience, there are many times when diet, exercise and lifestyle changes are recommended. But, people, in general often want a quick fix and some pill or medicine to “fix” the problem. I firmly believe that our country as a whole requires a mindset change…
Vitamins are drugs, herbs are drugs, chemically manufactured medicines are drugs, inhalants (spray paint and the like) are drugs… And ANYTHING that we put in our bodies can potentially change it… For better or for worse. That is why it is so important to be completely honest with our HCPs and ourselves, and to follow up regularly.
what about pre-natal vitamins????
Hi Erin. I would take a look through the comments – some other readers have left some suggestions for pre-natals. Jill
For me i’m 20 and i’m a flintestion gummies girl mainy because they taste decent and help me get some vitmans despite the fact i’m a bit of a junkfood junkie Ps im not a doctor the screen name comes from way to much traumacenter games and pokemon lol :p
I have noted that those who take vitamins, especially from MLM type companies, sound like they have been sold. Sure, we may not get everything from our diets, but I believe with the wide variety available to us, we get enough. Contrary to what some people may think, more isn’t better. In our family, we treat ANY and ALL supplements as drugs, I don’t care what the manufacturer says. We don’t believe this intervention is necessary unless there is a diagnosis of a medical problem. Otherwise, eat well, avoid addictive substances, exercise and play outside and you and your children will be better off, regardless of what those trying to profit off of fear, insecurity, and ignorance. I have twelve children and did not take a multivitamin because it made me sick. I ate lots of fruits and veggies and I diet high in folic acid and iron and all my babies were healthy. Now there is evidence that these vitamins can actually contribute to fetal defects. Doctors, herbalists and others in the health care industry are trained to interfere when sometimes the best thimg to do is leave it alone.
Shaklee, have for 35 years. They do have a liquid and some kids vits. It’s not man made. Never took “pre natal”, just Shaklee vitalea.
I have never been one to take a vitamin. If I eat a healthy balanced diet, I should get all of the vitamins I need. I think people tend to use vitamins as an excuse to eat junk because they are fooling themselves into thinking that they are getting the nutrition they need through a pill.
I am however taking a vitamin right now because I’m pregnant. I am only taking one to keep my doctor off my back though. And to be honest, I am really horrible about remembering to take it!
I think vitamins are a waste of money. It is easy to get the vitamins and nutrients we need daily without a lot of fuss. Eat healthy and exercise. And do not complicate it. :-) That is what our family does.
In addition to being an ND, I am a rep in South/Central Texas for Nutraceutical: the parent company for Solaray, KAL, Nature’s Life, Herbs for Kids, PIONEER, LifeTime, etc. Examples of other worthwhile brands are Bluebonnet, Nature’s Plus, Garden Of Life, Rainbow, Jarrow. Find a local, independent health store that has been in business for years. The owner will have more knowledge about vitamins than anyone else you talk to -that experienced store owner has your best interest at heart. They aren’t tied to one company – they’ll help you find what you need, and be there for you for any health issues you want to solve nutritionally. Don’t shop for vitamins at Walmart, or Target or the grocery store – unless the grocery store has a good vitamin section – like HEB Plus or Central Market in Texas – but even there you miss out on the expertise of that independent health store. . Avoid paying the high price for MLM products. They aren’t bad, there just isn’t anything unique or extraordinary about them. You can find products similar to Juice Plus and Usana at your local HFS. If you don’t have a HFS near you, go to iHerb.com. NatureMade and NOW are not reputable brands, they don’t meet label claim. No agency regulates vitamins, so companies can put USP on the label all they want, but it doesn’t make it true, and it doesn’t mean anything. “Pharmaceutical Grade” means nothing. Don’t buy gummies. The dentist’s are correct – they usually have too much sugar and can create tooth decay. Look for sugar free – sweetened with Stevia or Xylitol. Our teen takes a multi for teens, and extra C, our 5 year takes no multi, but extra C and extra Cal/Mag + D because we don’t drink cow’s milk.
This is not good advice. The health store is in business to sell product, not to get you healthy. The research is available for anyone to know what is best.
“so companies can put USP on the label all they want, but it doesn’t make it true, and it doesn’t mean anything.”
Your statement is untrue. If a bottle has USP on it it means it is USP Verified. It’s voluntary but is indeed verified to comply with USP guidelines and random off the shelf testing occurs after the verification.
Have you ever looked into Shaklee’s vitamins?That’s what my family takes!
Hi Sarah. No I have not, but, I believe some others have discussed them in the comments. Jill
Thankyou! I completely agree with you! I had a very weak immune system for years catching a 2 week cold from being around anyone who was sick. I took vitamins and nothing worked. ( I do believe in taking supplements for specific issues just not this daily vitamin business). The only think that worked back then was doing juicing to finally get rid of my stubborn colds.
Fast forward to now. We eat very low sugar and just healthier and I haven’t had one cold since January 15 when I started this lifestyle. Research shows that viruses feed on sugar. There was a 60 minutes show a few months ago about sugar and researchers there were studying how they believe sugar feeds tumors. And that’s not even taking all the processed stuff, chemicals, lack of nutrition into consideration.
It’s amazing how proper nutrition not only taste better but it just builds your body’s defenses naturally. I’m really looking forward to seeing how I make out this flu season.
Our primary care DR, son’s pediatritian & dentist have all repeatedly said to avoid any kind of ‘gummy’ vitamin. They all leave a tooth decaying residue that can not be removed by at home brushing. Stick to chewable types.
I think it’s worth mentioning that the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide was put out by someone with a vested interest in Usana. So, it’s not an objective source. There is currently legal action pending against them for some of the claims they make about other companies.
This sounds like it is coming from a distributor of a poorly ranked product in the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide. Please share your proof of the current legal action pending against them.
I agree it is difficult to get enough nutrients, especially when trying to eat locally and seasonally. Plus, we live in a northern climate, so my girl’s pediatrician recommends a vitamin D supplement. I knew enough to buy a gummy multi-vitamin without artificial colors or flavors. Though I’m not quite sure of its effectiveness. Unfortunately, with 3 girls, the better vitamins are are too expensive. I take a multi-vitamin and fish oil for omega 3 as I don’t like fish. I can’t wait to check out the vitamin guide mentioned by previous posters.
Kristin, I urge you to do your research as there is a lot of misinformation. I am simply amazed at how many product commercials are happening on these comments. It’s easy to see the ones who are selling their supplements as they do a great job of regurgitating marketing info. I hate to say that most of these brands do not rank very high in third party tests. If you need help I can have one of our nutritionists on my team help you. We have partnerships with 9 of the top rated pharmaceutical grade supplement manufacturers so you can be certain our opinion is well researched and unbiased. We will not charge any fees for services. Email me at my personal address: jostalli(at)hotmail(dot)com
Shaklee
My kids take the Yummy Bears Organic vitamins and they like them. Right now I buy Naturemade mostly for myself but I make sure it’s been verified, I think it says USP, and it means the vitamin is verified to have the ingredients in it that it claims to have.
And this is why we only take Juice Plus! :-)
Weve been taking Juice Plus even though we eat very clean (paleo diet). It’s just hard to get many veggies in the kids, and we’re certainly not 100% every day.
VEMMA. All natural, liquid, plant derived, 1000 IU’s vitamin D. Clinically proven. My whole family takes it and we rarely, pretty much never get sick anymore! It is a challenge getting proper nutrition from diet alone, not from lack of trying.. definitely do your research, there are a lot of bad supplements out there
I take Vitafusion gummy vitamins for adults. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2009 which led to Vitamin D and B12 deficiency which led to peripheral neuropathy, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and hyperacusis. My body doesn’t break down and absorb pills properly, so I have to have a gummy or chewable vitamin. I take Vitamin D, B complex, and a multivitamin. I also give myself B12 shots.
I spent 2 years bedridden and now, at 26 years old, spend still 90% of my time in bed due to severe pain and fatigue and illness from these neurological conditions. All stemming from malabsorption and vitamin deficiency. I will be on them for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done and my severe pain and other symptoms will never go away.
Hi Sarah. I am so sorry to hear all of the troubles you have encountered. Best of luck to you. Jill
My family take a natural liquid vitamin…it is called Vemma. It is wonderful and is all natural!
We’ve been using Green Vibrance and we love it. I can tell a difference when I take it and when I’ve been neglecting (probably due to the pro-biotic contents). Anyways, I haven’t heard anyone mention this product yet, so I was interested if there were others out there who used it and what the reviews were? Of course I think we should be getting our nutrients from whole foods, but sometimes, due to circumstances, that is easier said then done. We try our best!
I’ve learned recently that science is showing that the whole food is better to eat than taking a vitamin supplement, but we as women are supposed to get 9-11 servings of raw fruits and vegs per day! I don’t get anywhere near that even when I’m really trying. So for this reason, my family has been on Juice Plus+ for two years now. Juice Plus+ is whole food nutrition in a capsule or gummie. It’s all organic fruits and vegs with the highest standard (NSF Certified meaning even Olympic athletes can take it). Plus, kids ages 4 through college can take it for free for up to 4 years with an adult sponsor! Definitely worth looking into! The education they give has been the catalyst that has changed our family’s whole way of eating.
We don’t do vitamins either, for all the same reasons.
Also, I personally think its silly to think that God would have created our bodies to need more nutrients than is possible to eat and drink. Just a thought.
Any suggestions for prenatal vitamins? Thanks!
Hi Sarah. I don’t personally, but, have you read through the comments? There were a few there. Jill
The most important thing to look for in prenatals is they need to be made of RAW foods only (not RAW foods+chemicals, like NewChapter Organics). The two brands that I have found to fit that label are Realfood Organics Prenatal Daily Nutrition and Garden of Life Raw Prenatal.I found that Realfood ORganics are a better deal price wise on iherb.com (the contents of the 2 prenatal vitamins is very similar).
We use Shaklee products. WE also eat as much whole foods as possible. We have eliminated processed foods & sugars (agave or stevia only). Gluten is on the downslide here too, very limited. Our overall health as a family has greatly improved :)
My oldest child suffers from ADHD & Aspergers, he is now completely off medications and we now use Shaklee supplements to help balance the deficiencies that now help the symptoms of his ADHD & Aspergers.
Hi there!
We use and recommend Nutrilite vitamins for a few reasons, one of which being that they have proven that what’s on the label is in the bottle. They’re the number one nutrition company in the world, quite a bit larger than their nearest competitor and 100% proven by several third-party companies.
Of course the reason we take vitamins in the first place, is that we can’t possibly get ALL of the nutrition recommended in just the minimums from our food – 32 tablespoons of peanut butter, seven cups of cantaloupe, and 2.5 gallons of milk in a single day is just WAY too much for us and that’s not even all of it!
Instead we choose the best vitamins in the world. $150/month/person for optimal nutrition is better than $100/day/person for eating the food equivalent or the thousands upon thousands of dollars that being in the hospital for issues caused by nutrient deprivation.
My doctor said he didn’t recommend any vitamins for me. As long as I follow my diabetic diet, he said I would get all the vitamins I need.
I do not take any multivitamins and never really have. I now take an all-natural, organic, nutritional drink made from ONE PLANT! It is made from the Moringa Oleifera tree and it is called Zija. It is awesome! I love it and I drink it every day. It tastes good too! Do a Google search for Moringa and watch the Discovery Channel documentary. It provides 92 total nutrients (that scientists have discovered so far) which include tons of vitamins and minerals, 18 amino acids (source of leafy green protein), Omegas 3, 6 and 9, 36 natural anti-inflammatories and 46 natural antioxidants. This is all found in one whole-food drink! If you want more info visit my website http://allisonthomas.myzijastory.com. It is great for the whole family, kids included. I have heard amazing testimonials from parents of kids with autism and asthma and such.
My children do not take vitamins because their pediatrician said they were unnecessary.
i use and love ALL vitamins from Shaklee. google them. Their vitamins are all raw, whole foods supplements and do not have a very long shelf life as other synthetic vitamins on the market. Shaklee sells vitamins that are easily absorbed into the bloodstream, as they are plant based. They also have the highest testing done on their products and are very good value for a higher end product.
What about vitamins during pregnancy?
Hi ISA. I think vitamins during pregnancy are important and you should follow your doctor’s advice. Jill
That’s even *more* important as baby is taking from the mom.
Megan, I used to work for Melaleuca in Idaho, while they’re a great company they are still not vitamins that are 100% natural (they are not made at the plant in Idaho, but shipped in from elsewhere…they say the USA but won’t say where from). They say they’re are natural, but they don’t come from whole foods so it’s just a little fishy as to where all their vitamins are derived from. I have taken them though and they weren’t bad, but just not the best in my opinion. I like having a lot more information about where my things are coming from and made from then they are willing to share.
I have to agree with previous posts, I am NOT a fan of Juice Plus, for multiple reasons, but most important is that there is no nutrition value on them, you aren’t sure how much of what you’re taking, and again being a responsible person for your health means you need to have information and study it out, when you can’t get information then it’s not the product for you.
I think that yes, supplement is a good thing to do, but be careful the kind you choose….Food Babe would have a ball investigating vitamin brands. If you are going to take them, make sure they are derived from natural whole food sources and not synthetic materials. As for the minerals make sure they are also not synthetic and come from areas that are safe for mining. I would say organic is what I would prefer, same as the food I eat, but it’s more pricey then. It’s better to take something that is natural then nothing at all if you can’t afford organic.
I also agree with previous posts, organic or not, natural sugars or not, I wouldn’t recommend gummy vitamins for kids. Don’t try to hide health from kids, it should look like a vitamin if it’s suppose to be a vitamin….(kind of the same logic to not pureeing your veggies and hiding it in your dishes). If that is your style though then rock on, it’s just not what I would do. Also they are a lot harder to get out of the nooks and crannies in your teeth, chewable supplements are much more water soluble and easier to brush clean.
I highly recommend watching Dr. Andrew Saul (he appears in Food Matters, and The Gerson Institute documentaries (free on You Tube), Dying to Have Known, The Beautiful Truth, and The Gerson Miracle, he makes small appearances in each. He also has lectures you can watch on You Tube and books to read about how supplements are a good thing to add to your healthy diet. I like that he isn’t saying you eat bad so you need vitamins, on the contrary he says when you’re eating bad or great you could greatly benefit from some supplementation and he has loads of medical journals and research showing why and how.
All in all, it’s something you have to decide if it’s a priority to add to your budget and health or if you don’t. Whether you do or don’t, don’t use the excuse that your diet is enough or that you don’t absorb anything…in order for you to pee it out it would have been absorbed in the body and then the excess is excreted, but it was absorbed. It’s honestly something that if you’re going to talk about it just make sure you really research it first before you say yes or no to. Have real valid information. The nutrients in our foods are no where the same as they were even 50 years ago. I think it’s super important to have a healthy read food diet, but just make sure if you’re forgoing vitamins and minerals you can honestly say where you are getting all those sources from and how much you’re getting from your daily diet (if you really totaled it up to see if it met the standards I think you’d be surprised).
This has been a very interesting post to follow and read, thanks everyone for all the great posts you’re providing!
Real foods are definitely the way to go! As a fitness professional I sometimes supplement my busy active weeks but as a general rule no I don’t (and I can be teaching 4+ classes a day). We don’t need them, there is ZERO proof they work or are absorbed/used by the body. My colleagues are all mortified that I don’t supplement, but I eat REAL FOODs, not processed whenever possible. If I ate the SAD diet, sure I’d supplement, but I don’t. Most of the multivitamins are washed down the toilet anyway and I don’t like throwing $$ down the drain!
Zero proof for some, but there are many reputable companies that put out the money to provide the proof. Take Vemma. On the recommendation of Dr. Oz, the owner shelled out 125k to an independent lab to prove that his product worked. I always tell my customers, for the best proof, go get blood work done before you start on any product, and again in a couple weeks. I’ve never been proven wrong.
I recently read an article (which I have no clue where to find it now) that stated that most children who’s parents give them vitamin supplements usually don’t need them because they are the ones eating the most nutritious diets in the first place. Ironic isn’t it? The people reading your blog are more than likely the same who fit into that category. Thanks for keeping people informed and educated. I certainly love your lunch menu ideas for my little guy and my husband too ;) We don’t use supplements anymore, but when I did, they were chalk full of junk. Not sure it was AT ALL worth my money. But you live and you learn.And then you change it. Thanks again for all you do on your blog. Pretty amazing!
I am in agreement with Keri about the deficiencies in our food as well as doing the right research before you make your suplemrnt choices. My family uses Melaleuca vitamins, they have patented research on their delivery sysyem, Oligo. Check out http://www.melaleuca.com/oligo. Good stuff.
While I agree that doctors should be consulted on any health matter, I think it is extremely important that people do proper research on what they are putting into their bodies as far as food and vitamins. Even on a completely organic diet, our food is so mineral deficient due to modern farming, that without supplementation we are kidding ourselves into thinking that we can get all of our vitamins and minerals into our bodies solely through a proper diet. Factors such as genetics influence our health as well, and that needs to be considered.
I give our entire family Vemma. It is liquid, plant sourced, clinically studied, and immunity boosting.
I’m trying to decide what is best at the moment in regards to vitamins and my kids… I know that I dont want them taking heaps of supplements as the reason we went vegan as a family was to get all we need from food but I’m constantly asked about B12 and I am concerned about their levels of it. It’s such a tricky choice…
Our pediatrician has had my kids on Carlson’s Vitamin D drops since age 1 for each (we’re all deficient). My kids are also both anemic with much lower than normal ferritin levels. We were mostly vegetarian, but my son especially was finicky about meat and green veggies, and would live on almond butter if he could. He is on a multivitamin with iron, and so is our daughter. I get the liquid drops for our daughter at Whole Foods, as she can’t chew a tablet yet and is allergic to artificial dyes. We also get our son’s chewable there.
I agree that I would rather have our vitamins come from real food, not a bottle, but we do have a unique situation in our family. My son was on acid reflux medicine from birth to age 5 before we finally figured out that the reflux was caused by a gluten intolerance. He’s far better now that we’ve got him off the drugs & gluten, but one side effect of 5 years of reflux meds is that he is deficient in magnesium & vitamin D (both side effects of the reflux drug he was on & the gluten-induced damage to his intestines that led to nutrient malabsorption, even with a very healthy diet). So, we do give him a liquid multivitamin that has extra magnesium in it, & we always give vitamin D. He is very aggressive & irritable without magnesium, and even though he is a super healthy eater, he was constantly getting sick without additional Vitamin D (we figured out after the fact that the drug he had been on lowered his white blood count). So, for our family, we have had to be willing to supplement specific deficiencies to help him overcome those nutritional setbacks.
Hi Laura. Thank you for sharing your thoughts…I agree everyone’s situation is different and, especially where there are other health issues where vitamins are necessary it is always important to do what is needed as well as following any doctor’s advice. Best of luck to you. Jill
As a pharmacist, I agree. Americans have the opportunity to eat so many foods rich in vitamins & minerals. We usually do not need to take extra supplements.
We do use supplements. We eat a pretty clean & whole food diet. But the quality of our food just isn’t as good as it used to be. Our whole family uses USANA. I couldn’t imagine using anything less. Since the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements it’s hard to say if what you getting in you vitamins is what you’re really “getting” in your vitamins. USANA has a 5 of 5 rating with the comparative guide to nutritional supplements. I’ve not had to change to a prenatal while being pregnant with my pregnancies. My ob loves how great the vitamins are. Plus since they are pharmaceutical grade. they are just as good as any prescription she would write me. I also have a intestinal disease called ulcerative colitis, which is similar to IBS but like IBS times 10. I had tried several supplements over the years trying to find something to help me. But most made my colitis very active. Likely due to all the “stuff” in supplements that doesn’t have to be listed on the label. USANA has been the only brand that has made my colitis virtually undetected. My GI doc is also a big supporter since he’s seen what they’ve done for my health. I recommend you check into your vitamins a lot of products are just a complete waste of money. And no something isn’t always better than nothing. Especially when you really have no clue what all the “other stuff” that’s allowed in our vitamins. USANA’s kids vitamins are also rated well. 10.6 of 14. They are the second highest rated vitamin for kids. You definitely get what you pay for.
Renee- I too have UC, and would love to know what lifestyle choices you make it keep yourself healthy!! I am currently trying to get over a flare and am tired of having this control my life. What do you do?
Marisa
[email protected]
I love Vitamin Code anything. They do sell a Vitamin Code Vitamin D. I actually stopped taking my multivitamin (Vitamin Code) and started having numbness in a couple of my toes (I’m almost 50, just for a reference). I read up and found out it could be a Vitamin B12 deficiency so I went back to taking my multivitamin and the numbness is completely gone. I’m on a plant based diet and it’s recommended that I take Omega 3s (flax seed meal), multivitamin, B12, Calcium and Vitamin D3.
My whole family takes Juice Plus everynight after dinner. It is another healthy habit we do as a family.
I give my kids liquid organic vitamin D which only has orange peel in it for flavor I buy it at Sprouts farmers market, I give them 50k iu 3 times a week a little more only during alergy season it keeps all of the sneezing and running noses away I will dose them up with this a few times a week until I don’t see sniffles 2 of my kids are a little dairy sensitive so I only use organic dairy but during pollen season we use no dairy and vitamin d and it works wonders
Ok, so what vitamin D supplement did you find that you feel is good? I need one, too, and feel so confused about what to use.
Hi Ann. Lisa and her family use Carlson Super D Omega 3 Cod Liver Oil (click here) Jill
I highly recommend Arbonne products. Arbonne® products are vegan-certified: Our formulas are never tested on animals and do not contain animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products. The vitamins don’t contain anything artificial. https://arbonne.com/shop_online/showcatalog.asp?category=267
Here’s the ingredient list for the Kids Super Chews: http://www.arbonnemarketing.com/PK/dl/pk/2054_us_eng.pdf
If you have questions, feel free to email me. [email protected]
I along with my kids take the vitamins from Melaleuca (melaleuca.com) I am curious if you have heard of this company and it so what your thoughts are concerning the products.
thanks,
Megan
Hi Megan. I have heard of melaleuca (I’ve tried some of their cleaning products), but, I’m not familiar with the vitamins. Jill
We choose our food as wisely as we can and rely on our healthy diet to provide our nutrients too. We only take things we can’t get enough of in our diets: our extreme Northern location requires Vit D in the Winter(also consume raw milk/cream/butter for this), Evening Primrose Oil for the menstruating ones in the home, chlorella for everyone (iodine, protein, cleansing and more) and tumeric (adults) for inflammation (tho we use ginger for this at times too). We use homemade elderberry syrup for additional immune support during the winter. We also use magnesium oil applied topically since our food supply cannot give us this mineral in enough quantity. It can be expensive since none of these are the cheaper version on store shelves ..but we buy our organic herbs/berries in bulk and capsule them ourselves to save money so we can afford to give everyone what they need. Even our chlorella!
My pediatrician said if she’s eating a well balanced diet with little processed food no need to add a vitamin I was very happy to hear that I’ve only ever taken prenatals once I’m done with nursing I think I’m good real food does the trick!!!
I’m not too into vitamins either, we love our Juice Plus+, but we also take D3, eat fermented veggies, drink raw milk and take fermented cod liver oil/butter oil. My girls are healthy and I’m getting ready to have a check up and I’m curious to see my blood work
Well we are in the minority, but we don’t take vitamins either. I have two VERY healthy children, 21 and 13. We eat very few processed meats, we do eat whole foods–many organic, and fruits and veggies at every meal. I now cook for the children at our school the same way.
I have tons hours of extensive research on supplements and quite frankly am completely disgusted by what I’ve found. “you get what you pay for” is a great philosophy but even then, most of those supplements are useless. My family turned to Shaklee for various reasons but I am 100% convinced they are the best product out there. We will NEVER go back to store bought vitamins and unless anyone else can convince me otherwise (with proof of independent clinical studies), we will never switch brands from Shaklee.
I hate to say this, Mandy but Shaklee is not the best product out there. Shaklee has five different multivitamins evaluated in the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Two products received a 1.5 out of 5 stars and three received only 1 out of 5 stars.
There is a reason most supplements “don’t appear to work.” 95% of vitamins are synthetic and derived from sources such as petroleum and coal tar and most mineral supplements come from ground up rock or metal filings (seriously…there is a youtube video showing what happens when you blend a “fortified” cereal then use a magnet to separate the iron – horrifying). Our body wasn’t designed to recognize and absorb synthetics, rocks, or metal filings. Our body does, however, recognize the vitamins and pre-digested minerals found in plants and prefers nutrients in a whole-food matrix rather than high-dose, isolated vitamins. Our family supports our bodies using whole-food, plant-sourced nutrition from Mannatech: NutriVerus (multi-vitamin/antioxidant/glyconutrient for the whole family – can be sprinkled on whatever you eat), Phytomatrix (multi-vitamin), AO (antioxidant), PLUS (endocrine support), and Ambrotose (glyconutrients for cellular support) to name a few.
Unless the fruits and vegetables you most frequently consume are heirloom varieties, you likely still aren’t getting the nutrients you need from your diet because these days, fruits and vegetables are bred for size and transportability (I may have made up that word), not for nutrient content or taste. Furthermore, unless you buy locally, the food you’re buying from the grocery store was likely picked green and, therefore, devoid of the phytonutrients found only in fruits and vegetables harvested when ripe. Lastly, many current farming practices deplete our soil of nutrients and good food is grown in good soil. There is a reason USDA daily dietary intake guidelines went from 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables to 9-13 (!!!)…it isn’t because Americans need more food!
Our family takes Shaklee multivitamins. My 3 1/2 year old takes the Incredivites because he’s super picky and doesn’t get enough real whole foods. So we supplement with the multi. But it certainly does not take the place of us trying every day to get him to eat better. My husband and I also take Shaklee multi’s as a supplement too…not a replacement for eating poorly. :) Great post!
I was always a vitamin-taker, I think because my parents are so that’s what I grew up with. The eye opener for me was when I learned what propylene glycol is (antifreeze!) and saw it on the list of ingredients in my vitamins!! I quit cold turkey. I have since adjusted my diet and am also eating many, many more “whole” foods. While doing some vitamin research I heard great things about New Chapter, so I do take their multi for women. I noticed a drastic difference in my hair – much fuller and healthier! – once I started with New Chapter.
For children such as mine who are finicky about what they eat and have an aversion to vegtables, I am a big vitamin advocate……but not for foo stone vitamins etc,,, they are a waste and full of sugars. The Natural Marketplace in the Arboretum is where I purchase my family’s vitamins and the people who work there can really guide you on the best things that children should take. Mine take the Animal Parade Gold multiple vitamin, which is vegetarian part of Nature’s plus, contains vitamin d3, organic, whole foods. They also take fish oil that is strawberry flavored,and liquid vitamin d3 drops by carlson.
I agree that most supplements are full of far too much junk to be worth their while, but unfortunately food is not as nutritious as it used to be. In particular, produce. Modern agricultural practices have removed a large portion of the nutrients from the soil which impacts the nutritional value of the crop. This also has a trickledown effect on meat and dairy because the animals are not getting as many nutrients either. Because of this, I take supplements but make sure to research and find high quality versions.
I take New Chapter organics whole food vitamins. I am using through the rest of our Yummi Bears gummy vitamins for the kids, and then I plan to stop those and give them a pro-biotic supplement and cod liver oil (I haven’t decided what brands yet).
I personally have taken Vit D 5000 units the last 2 winters after being found to be quite deficient. I also take Green Pastures fermented Cod Liver Oil for Omega 3’s. We eat a paleo diet so I don’t take a regular supplement nor do I give our kids one.
I recently started taking Every Woman’s One Daily multivitamin by New Chapter. It’s a whole-food supplement made from certified organic vegetables and herbs.
Have you looked at the Shaklee Incredivites? They are all natural and have a lot more nutrients per serving than the recommended products in this post, including Vitamin K, D3 and Iron. I’d be happy to send you a link to review.
Hi Chandra. I have not looked at the Shaklee products. I believe others have shared some thoughts on those in the comments to the post. Jill
I also give my children Shaklee Incredivites. I would love an outside opinion on how they stack up against other vitamins. My kids are incredibly healthy and we are happy with it.
Shaklee has five different multivitamins evaluated in the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Two products received a 1.5 out of 5 stars and three received only 1 out of 5 stars.
As a nutritionist I feel I must chime in and say that I fully support and recommend at least a pharmaceutical grade multivitamin. The main issue I have with supplements is the lack of quality. This is why it is important to look at reputable third party reviews to determine how your brand stacks up. The best is the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. You can get it at Amazon. I must also put an end to the Juice Plus commercial happening on these comments. The bottles don’t list the amounts of vitamins and minerals on the bottles because they don’t want you to compare the product to a multivitamin. They want you to compare it to “whole food”. The research shows that while Juice Plus claims to be “whole food” and “natural” the fact is that the Juice Plus capsules contain a variety of synthetic vitamin additives and non-nutritive fillers and only about 25% juice powders by weight. Spend your money on REAL whole foods, not Juice Plus.
Josh, I have been looking for almost a year for a well-researched rebuttal to Juice + because I have a Facebook friend who is CONSTANTLY promoting his Juice + “opportunity” and I want to know for myself what the product actually contains. I even had to ask this same friend to send me a picture of the ingredient label on a bottle so I could see that much, because they don’t publish that ANYWHERE that I could find and, to me, that’s a red flag. I also sent this same picture to Food Renegade’s Kristen Michaelis and asked her to expose it as part of her “Decoding Labels” series, but she hasn’t published anything about Juice + yet. What do you have as far as solid research about what Juice + REALLY contains?
Wendi, I have no bias against Juice+ or any of the brands mentioned in these comments. My team of nutritionists is authorized to recommend 9 of the top rated brands of nutritional supplements and we are always looking for what works best for our patients. Our nutrition scientist reviewed and researched Juice+ and even reached out to several nutrition science experts to determine whether we would carry it. If you evaluate it as a multivitamin it is inadequate. Juice+ does not categorize their product as a multivitamin or vitamin at all. They categorize it as a “whole food”, which allows them to skirt the issue of not having a detailed nutrient list like most labels. The only documented proof I could show you is what I mentioned above where Juice+ is not natural at all and has synthetic vitamin additives and only about 25% dehydrated juice powder by weight. Email me and I’ll send you the details: jostalli(at)hotmail(dot)com
Just curios to know if you know anything about Advocare? I am a personal trainer and several other trainers that I work with really push Advocare to clients.
Yes. Advocare is rated at 2 stars out of 5 in the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. I would not recommend it.
Hi Heather. I do not, but, if you take a look through the comments a couple of readers mentioned them. Jill
I’m so glad to see someone else that uses the Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. I love this book & the children’s version.I have friends that thought they were doing there kids a favor by giving them a supplement till I showed them the rating of what they were filing there kids with. Yikes! We love USANA and are so thankful that we found the guide and the supplements. We had tried lots of things, Juice Plus, Shakelee, Arbonne, Meleluca you name it we tried it. Only since USANA has my Ulcerative Colitis gone into remition! yahoo! I would advise everyone to get the book. Not sure if the library has it but we also bought our from Amazon.
QUESTION: What additives are you avoiding in your search for “cleaner” supplements? Obviously, I know to avoid artificial flavors/coloring, but have heard negative things about “magnesium stearate” that I see on a lot of vitamins…
Brianna – I searched for vitamins without artificial flavors/colorings or magnesium stearate. As with many things, the affects of certain additives can be debated, so we typically choose to simply avoid them when possible. The selected vitamins are certainly not the only clean options out there, and may not be the right choice for everyone, but I did want to provide some cleaner examples. Thanks to our readers for all of their suggestions!
My family and I also take Juice Plus+ which I discovered at a La Leche League conference. It is the only supplement endorsed by Dr. Sears because it is backed by many independent clinical studies, but mostly because it is completely Whole Food Based and contains 17 raw fruits, veggies, & grains. It boosts our immunity, fills in those gaps on the days when our Real Food intake is a little less Real, and has changed many lives of our friends and family. Synthetic vitamins are unrecognized in our bodies and can do so much more harm than good. Thank you for always educating, enlightening, and encouraging us all to make informed choices for our families! :)
We always take vitamin D (1000mg) daily all through the fall & winter (we’ve already started it for this year) and take more if we feel any symptoms of illness at all and keep it up for a couple weeks after. Most people are severely deprived of vitamin D even those of us who have whole food diets. It’s important to remember it’s vitamin D3 that we need. Other forms are not what we need. We also keep a good quality vitamin C with bioflavanoids on hand for anytime we may begin feeling ill and use large doses (several grams) as our treatment. We never have to take any ‘medications’.
My mother-in-law was in my face a while back about giving my son vitamins. (She takes a gazillion.) I talked to our pediatrician and his answer was … You can if you want to, but since my son eats a wide variety of foods, it’s not necessary. He said should you have a picky eater, then yes, he’d be more inclined to recommend it.
I think it boils down to “eat right” and there is no need to “supplement”.
As another note… Vitamin D is not an essential vitamin, but a hormone. It is essential in our lives which is why you are able to get Vitamin D from sun exposure and you do not have to consume it in foods. A good whole food vitamin will contain the adequate amounts of vitamin D, if you are not able to get in the sun.
Again, any “vitamins” out there that tout themselves as a good replacement for sun are probably synthetic and are going to do you more harm than good. Get your health from food products and from the earth, not synthetically.
My youngest son has to take Vitamin d3 (1000 iu/day) They both have ARPKD an we were told at his last visit to his GI Dr that he needed it. He has a milk allergy when he was younger so he doesn’t drink/eat a lot of dairy besides yogurt. Can you recommend a kid friendly vitamin ? he takes the Disney gummy version d3 with Omega 3 simply because I thought it would be a fight to get the liquid.
Hi Courtney. I don’t have a specific recommendation for vitamin D. I would say obviously it is important to follow your doctor’s advice in the case where there is a medical need for vitamins. I am sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Jill
I agree with you on the kids vitamins that are popular and “pushed” on kids. Recent studies have showed that those vitamins (I’m not going to name names) don’t even contain the listed or required amounts and have tons of sugar!!
However, I do think that it is very important to supplement your diet with the proper whole food supplements. The reason is because most people do not consume the variety or amounts of foods which contain the adequate vitamins and minerals your body needs to become and stay healthy. We suggest Standard Process to all of our patients because of the reputability and quality of their products… everything is to the highest standards of organic whole foods and herbs. We think that everyone (kids and dogs included) should be taking whole food and Omega-3 supplements.
As another post had stated, you can only get these from a physician, however Juice Plus is another whole food supplement which you can get from a number of people (I just don’t care for their multilevel marketing).
Vitamin D is essential. I speak from personal experience which involved my child. If you live in an area in which you do not get plenty of sun year-around or you are a sunscreen NAZI, please, please have your children take a vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D (or lack there-of) is being questioned in a host of diseases. Do yourself a favor…it’s worth the chance versus the potential consequence.
My kids & family also take juice Plus regularly. It seems like such a natural way to get additional vitamins directly from fruits and veggies.
What brand of vitamin D drops did you decide on?
We use Advocare chewables!
Hello! I don’t like the idea of mulitvitamines for kids as the ones they will eat are sugary. I have started given mine Innate Choice Omega 3, vitamin D and probiotics. I give them the same stuff I take, I drop the vitamin D and omega straight into their mouth, they love it. My two year old begs for the omega. The improvements I have seen are amazing! My speech delayed 2 year and a half year old started talking 2 weeks after starting. My 5 year old has had improved concentration. Both of them have been given multivitamins their whole life but the dr (Chiropractor)explained that most vitamins are best received from foods, however the omega, probiotics and vitamin D are not as easy to get enough these days the natural way. http://www.innatechoice.com/
We stopped vitamins too for the exact same reasons. The top 2-3 ingredients in children’s gummy vitamins are things we are trying to avoid putting in our kids’ bodies: glucose, sucrose, gelatin. Although, I just started getting B12 injections since I only eat a minimal amount of seafood, and I do feel the energy difference when I take it. We get all of our nutrients from our daily green smoothies and whole real food too. I still want to do more research. Our new favorite green smoothie right now, Almond Butter and Jelly (packed with fresh spinach): http://familysponge.com/simple-green-smoothies/almond-butter-grapes-banana-spinach/
This is something I’ve struggled to make a decision about. We eat a very healthy diet (we pretty much adhere to the 100 Days of Real Food rules 95% of the time), but I always worry that we’re not eating ENOUGH to get all the nutrients we need. I started taking high dosage Vit D drops when I realized I had mild PPD and it helped a ton, and I’ll probably start giving my 7 month old daughter Vit D drops as well. I wouldn’t worry so much, but we’re hoping to have a 2nd baby soon and I want to make sure I’m getting enough while pregnant. I appreciate reading all the recommendations for Juice Plus!
Also.. I forgot to mention in my last post, I also take a liquid vitamin D drop that is recommended by my naturopath. Vitamin D is not found in plants, so my family and I take that on top of Juice Plus, and also fish oils and probiotics when I feel we need them.
What about New Chapter vitamins, I thought those were the best.
Hi Anna. I am not familiar with that particular brand. Jill
I am a huge advocate of vitamins…I don’t think we could possibly eat ENOUGH whole foods in one day to get all the nutrients we need. As a previous poster mentioned, the condition of most soil our fruits and veggies are grown in is not ideal, so I don’t believe we truly get as many vitamins and minerals from whole foods as we would like to think. I would never give my kids any kind of gummy vitamin, even organic! Way too full of sugar. At this point I am currently taking a B supplement, vitamin D, fish oil, and a probiotic. My 2 year old son is anemic and is currently taking B and iron, in addition to his usual D and probiotic. We take our dr prescribed Biotics Research and Standard Process vitamins.
This is a great post! I follow your blog and love that you are espousing eating whole foods for your family. On one hand, I completely agree with you that we shouldn’t need supplements, and that everything that our bodies need is available in nature. I have also read all of Michael Pollan’s books and I think the man is a total genius. However, unfortunately, we have distorted nature to such a degree that even those of us who work hard to eat whole foods, locally sourced, organic, etc (I even try to grow some of the food for my family),… that it has become very difficult to get the nutrients that we need every day. It is not just about the vitamins and minerals, it is also all the phytochemicals in the plants, working together in our bodies that provide optimum health. I have three kids, ages 16, 13 and 8, and I never used to give them supplements because I felt exactly as you did. Then, for lack of sounding like a broken record based on the above comments, I found Juice Plus. The commenter above, Ashley, said it best, when she talked about the research behind the product and how we need these phytochemicals and nutrients even more now in our increasingly toxic world. As a holistic practitioner, mom, fitness and yoga instructor, this is now the product that I recommend to my mommy friends, family and clients. Hope this helps… I would also be happy to answer any questions anyone has regarding this topic :) Thanks for writing such a great blog and continually putting out such fantastic, pertinent and incredibly important information!!
It’s funny that you mention vitamin D in the post. That seems to be the hardest one to get naturally. Of course you get it from the sun, but for those of us who live in the midwest or north, we probably don’t get enough sun exposure during the cold weather months. You can of course get it in products fortified with it (cereal, milk, etc…), but a lot of people who try and eat whole foods don’t eat much, if any, of those. From what I have read, vitamin D only naturally occurs in large amounts in foods most of us don’t eat every day like fatty fish (salmon, herring, tuna) or oysters. And, it only occurs naturally in small amounts in foods you may eat every day like mushrooms and eggs. From what I’ve read, you’d have to eat like 2 dozen eggs or 9-10 shitaki mushrooms every day to get the “recommended daily allowance”.
Eating lots of whole fruits and veggies will probably get you everything else you need.
I take a whole foods multi and Krill oil when I remember. I love how I feel on them- fewer cravings, less junk, less fatigued. Now only to remember it more often ;).
However, I haven’t ever had my daughter take a multi. Not that it hasn’t crossed my mind, but it just hasn’t seemed as important as just making sure she eats a varied, healthy diet (that and I knew the vitamins in Target weren’t going to cut it). She’s getting to an age where it might come in handy, though, to start looking into it- she’s making more of her own food decisions, and therefore more junk has been creeping in (despite my attempts to educate her otherwise)!
Thank you for this post. This is a subject I have been struggling with. I know our diets are less than perfect. Is anyone familiar with AdvoCare? My kids take the Coreplex Chewable Multi and the Purple Champs DHA vitamins. I take some of their supplements as well. If you talk to anyone who sells AdvoCare of course their products are the best. I have read their literature on the benefits of various ingredients but simply do not have the time to fact-check and cross-reference their claims. I am curious on your thoughts on their products. Thank you!
Hi Wendy. I am not familiar with AdvoCare. Glad you enjoyed the post…thanks for reading. Jill
We do give our kids a vitamin as an insurance policy of sorts. We eat whole foods, mostly locally grown, but our soils are not as good as they once were and many foods aren’t as full of nutrients as we wish they were. We use the Nutristars as they are not full of junk. We love our ped, but when he said to give them Flinstones I knew that we wouldn’t be doing that. I am glad he (and the NICU Dr. who worked on our 3rd baby) both were on board with not doing infant vitamins, but instead just using a plain old vitamin D drop that our whole family takes in the winter. Last winter the kids were on good vitamins, we all took 1 spoon of coconut oil every morning and vitamin D drops and no one got sick…way different than the winter before and a huge blessing with a newborn in the house!
Like two previous comments: I also take and educate people on Juice Plus. It stands for every principle that is represented in this blog. It’s is researched based (26 studies) that prove it is bioavailable, reduces systemic inflammation (arthritis, immune problems, etc.), improves cardiovascular function, and SO MUCH MORE. It helps us bridge the gap between what we should eat every day and what we actually eat. We live in a toxic world–we NEED way more fruits and veggies than most people can comprehend or even afford. Juice Plus does just that: offers protection against the toxicity and exposure to disease and illness–it’s truly amazing. Let me know if anyone has questions
I’d be more than happy to share more information with anyone interested–leave a reply and I will respond :) Have a wonderful day–happy learning!
I am interested in buying juice plus but I don’t know how to get them…do I order them online or try to find someone in my area who sells them? Are they organic? What all is in the ingredients? Thanks
Like two previous comments: I also take and educate people on Juice Plus. It stands for every principle that is represented in this blog. It’s is researched based (26 studies) that prove it is bioavailable, reduces systemic inflammation (arthritis, immune problems, etc.), improves cardiovascular function, and SO MUCH MORE. It helps us bridge the gap between what we should eat every day and what we actually eat. We live in a toxic world–we NEED way more fruits and veggies than most people can comprehend or even afford. Juice Plus does just that: offers protection against the toxicity and exposure to disease and illness–it’s truly amazing. Let me know if anyone has questions :)
What about prenatals? Any clean suggestions for those?
Hi Erin. I don’t have any suggestions for those…although I believe reading through the comments some others have offered some ideas. Jill
Mare at Just Making Noise covered Pregnancy Supplements earlier this summer. You might like reading this post: http://just-making-noise.blogspot.com/2012/07/pregnancy-notes-whole-food-supplements.html
Do you follow Dr. Mercola?
Hi Lucy. I’ve looked at his stuff but don’t follow him regularly. Jill
I personally take Mega Foods brand vitamines, as like Dr. Mercola’s, they are made from foods and not synthisised. I have been using Baby and Me Herb Free while pregnant and nursing my two children (currently weaning baby number 2.) http://www.megafood.com/for-women/baby-and-me-herb-free
I also take New Chapter’s WholeMega Fish Oil too. I appreciate the quality of their products as well. http://www.newchapter.com/fish-oil
I take vitamins becuase I know my diet is less than perfect. I do agree though that our real vitamins should come from a well-rounded diet.
Thank you for your site Lisa! I have learned a lot following you for awhile. Keep up the great work-it is inspirational as you are aiming me down the right track! :)
Nature’s Sunshine is a great source for vitamins and supplements for kids and adults. My children take a calcium supplement seeing as they don’t have dairy. They also take a gummy multi vitamin.
Actually you’re better off waiting a while before brushing as the sugar stays in the saliva. Brush too soon and you’re putting the sugar/saliva right onto prime freshly cleaned teeth! This is something my dentist told me
We take Juice Plus. They have an excellent deal when you can get free kid gummies for your 4+ child with adult purchase so it cuts the cost back a bit. They are pure whole foods with none of the extra junk! And my kids think they are candy :) Always a plus!! I even started selling them so that I could afford for everyone in my family to be on them.
We take Juice Plus here too and love it! Have been for almost 3 years now and have noticed a definite decrease in the amount of colds we get as well as shortened length of any cold illness. It is worth it just for that alone!
You might want to be careful with gummy vitamins as they can cause cavities. If you do use them, it might help to brush your kid’s teeth right after taking the vitamin.
Thanks for the vitamin recommandation. Do you have any that contains iron?
This is a great whole food Iron supplement!
http://www.amazon.com/Megafood-Blood-Builder-90-tablets/dp/B000F4ZRCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390608563&sr=8-1&keywords=megafood+blood+builder
They are alson non GMO
Hi LMrtz. I don’t know off the top of my head, you would have to look at the nutritional information and ingredients. Jill
Juice Plus offer great vitamins!! All that are in them are dehydrated fruits and veggies – they are a great whole food vitamin! :)
I had a pharmacist once (only once as many people understand our moder medical system) tell me to forget vitamins and get on whole foods. He even spent an hour taking me around the grocery store pointing out what to eat and what to avoid. I will never forget him and his kindness. He was one of the first people to open my eyes to our sad state of nutrition in America.
We don’t use vitamins either. Both my doctor and our pediatrician have said we don’t need to take them b/c of our diet. We eat lots of fruits and veggies and a well rounded balance of meats. Both have said vitamins are usually only needed when you don’t have a balanced diet. This is kind of gross but I read somewhere if Americans bottled their pee itwould be the most expensive from all the vitamins we take but don’t need. Your body only absorbs what is needed ad the et is eliminated.
We always recommend Standard Process as a vitamin. This is not OTC and requires a dr that issues them, but unlike many vitamins they come from true and natural sources.
Another key test – if you drop a vitamin into a glass of water and it has not completely dissolved in 30 minutes – toss it.