I get lots of questions on how I get my youngsters to take vitamins. Whereas mine will simply take their fish oil, probiotics, and magnesium with no downside … it acquired me considering.
I mixed one among their favourite pure snacks (home made gummy bears) with vitamins. The consequence are these wholesome, gut-boosting, and kid-friendly multivitamin gummies.
Why We Want Nutritional vitamins
A long time in the past we solely needed to eat a well-rounded eating regimen low in processed meals and added sugar to get the vitamins we would have liked. Now, issues are a bit of extra difficult. Except you’re rising all the pieces you eat in actually nutrient-dense soil (or shopping for from somebody who does), meals simply doesn’t have the important vitamins it used to.
In reality, fruits and veggies have less than 50% of the important nutritional vitamins and minerals they used to. And even then there are particular vitamins now not within the American meals provide. We’d like these vitamins to assist our immune system, to guard towards coronary heart illness, and for total wellness.
As a mother, I’m extra focused in my strategy to diet with my youngsters. We get vitamin D from the solar and vitamin A from fish oil. My youngsters additionally like taking wholesome, non-GMO, and gluten-free vitamin dietary supplements (with out added sugar!) like this one. Including an additional nutrient enhance from home made gummy nutritional vitamins is a enjoyable strategy to pack extra diet into their day!
Intestine Soothing Gelatin
These depend on gelatin for his or her texture. Not solely is it a superb supply of collagen, however it helps with more healthy hair, pores and skin, and nails. Gelatin can also be a giant plus with regards to our intestine well being. As Hippocrates reportedly claimed a few years in the past “All illness begins within the intestine.” Science is continuous to verify how necessary our intestine well being is for total well being!
A wholesome intestine has well being advantages that embody immune help and higher psychological well being.
One warning: In case your youngsters aren’t repeatedly drinking bone broth (they need to be!) then begin sluggish and solely give them a number of of those at a time. Their guts might have time to regulate or they might have a bit of unfastened stool. Gelatin has a soothing impact on the digestive system.
Customise Your Gummy Nutritional vitamins
You may add totally different nutritional vitamins and vitamins right here relying in your choice. Remember the fact that these gained’t have a full spectrum of vitamins like premade dietary dietary supplements or prenatal nutritional vitamins although. Sure oil-based nutritional vitamins, like vitamin E and fish oil additionally gained’t combine in very properly.
Making your individual chewable nutritional vitamins means you may skip the sugar alcohols, components, and corn syrup sweeteners discovered in lots of gummy dietary supplements.
I can consider limitless makes use of for these, however these are those I’ve tried up to now. You can also make totally different fruit flavors by altering out the juice.
- Including vitamin C Powder and utilizing lemon juice to make bitter vitamin C gummies for immune well being.
- Including probiotics with a contemporary juice base to make GAPS friendly gummy nutritional vitamins
- Utilizing homemade elderberry syrup as a base to make flu-busting chewable nutritional vitamins
- Including Natural Calm for chewable magnesium nutritional vitamins
- Simply making common flavors and placing them in cute molds to make gummy snacks. They’re nut-free and typically permitted for college actions.
You too can attempt including some calcium powder (together with magnesium and vitamin D). A B complicated vitamin with vitamin B6, vitamin B12, biotin, and folate (not folic acid), can also be a superb possibility.
I exploit probiotics from Just Thrive as a result of they’re confirmed to make it to the intestine (in contrast to many others). Typically, in case your probiotics want refrigerated and might’t stand any warmth, they gained’t make it previous your abdomen acid. They also have a child’s probiotic gummy that my youngsters love!
Selecting Your Juice
Most store-bought juices have a surprising quantity of added grams of sugar. They’re typically flavored sugar water concoctions. Contemporary pressed is the best choice, however in the event you want a store-bought possibility search for one thing that’s simply natural juice. No added sugars, flavors, or dyes.
Pineapple juice doesn’t work in these as a result of it has bromelain, a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein. Nice for digestion, however not so nice if you’re attempting to make gelatin gel. I’ve discovered it provides them a bizarre slimy texture and doesn’t work. Papaya has the identical downside right here.
Our favourite contemporary juice mixtures are mango/orange, lemon/lime (bitter), or elderberry syrup as the bottom. They’re filled with antioxidants and vitamin C, and style scrumptious!
If you happen to’re quick on time or can’t make chewable nutritional vitamins, Hiya can be my subsequent selection. They’ve clear elements and all kinds of what youngsters want.
The best way to Make Gummy Nutritional vitamins
Do-it-yourself chewable gummy nutritional vitamins are a good way to offer youngsters some further protein and make their nutritional vitamins scrumptious and simple to take!
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Combine the juice, vitamins or probiotics, and honey in a small saucepan.
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Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and allow it to bloom for about 1 minute.
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Heat slightly over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. It will be thick and somewhat syrup-like.
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Quickly pour the mixture into molds or a small glass dish lightly oiled with coconut oil.
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Place the molds in the fridge for several hours or until firm. The exact time depends on the size of your molds.
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Remove and pop out of molds. Cut into squares if needed.
Nutrition Facts
How to Make Gummy Vitamins
Amount Per Serving (1 gummy)
Calories 19
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.02g0%
Saturated Fat 0.004g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.002g
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 17mg0%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 0.04g0%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 0.2IU0%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 2mg0%
Iron 0.05mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition data doesn’t include added supplements.
Figuring Out Dose
Since these are more like food, I’m not too concerned with the exact dosage. If you want to know how much your kids are getting, here’s an easy way to figure it out. Take the mg or mcg of the vitamin you used and divide by the number of servings.
For example, say you added 400% DV vitamin C. If you used fun gummy molds and ended up with 20 vitamin gummies, divide 400 by 20. This ends up being 20% DV vitamin C per gummy. An even easier way is to make these in a square glass dish and cut the gummies into squares. You can do this calculation for each vitamin added.
Ever made your own vitamins or supplements? What combinations would you add? Let me know below!
