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.”
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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
- - 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?
Aubrey says
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.
Heidi says
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
Sarah says
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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Sarah. I am so sorry to hear all of the troubles you have encountered. Best of luck to you. Jill
Kathryne says
My family take a natural liquid vitamin...it is called Vemma. It is wonderful and is all natural!
Sarah H. says
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!
Lana says
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.
Brooke says
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.
Sarah says
Any suggestions for prenatal vitamins? Thanks!
ISA says
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).
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Sarah. I don't personally, but, have you read through the comments? There were a few there. Jill
Stacey says
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.
Laura says
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.
MarthaWelch says
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.
Allison Thomas says
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.
Laura says
My children do not take vitamins because their pediatrician said they were unnecessary.
elle says
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.
ISA says
What about vitamins during pregnancy?
Keri says
That's even *more* important as baby is taking from the mom.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi ISA. I think vitamins during pregnancy are important and you should follow your doctor's advice. Jill
Ashley says
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!
Di says
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!
Keri says
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.
Mary says
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!
Erin says
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.
Keri says
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.
Loral says
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...
mrs spock says
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.
mamallaura says
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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
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
Michelle in CA says
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.
Renee says
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.
Marisa Ramsey says
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]
Penny T. says
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.
Jana says
My whole family takes Juice Plus everynight after dinner. It is another healthy habit we do as a family.
Angela says
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
ann says
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.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Ann. Lisa and her family use Carlson Super D Omega 3 Cod Liver Oil (click here) Jill
Pam Allen says
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]
Megan says
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
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Megan. I have heard of melaleuca (I've tried some of their cleaning products), but, I'm not familiar with the vitamins. Jill
Melissa says
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!
Nicole says
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!!!
Sara says
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
christine says
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.
Mandy says
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.
Josh says
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.
Wendie Williams says
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!
Jessica says
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!
Meg says
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.
Ashley Fleischer says
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.