You’ve gone down the Pinterest rabbit hole looking for kid-friendly recipes.
Tried every mom hack in the book to hide any “green” from your kid’s plate.
And used every creative ounce to make broccoli into trees and veggies into smiley faces. And still. . .
Your. Kiddo. Won’t. Eat.
At least not anything healthy! And it’s starting to worry you. Seriously, how much nutrition can you find in a chicken nugget???
Anyway, enough’s enough.
It’s time to pull out every mom’s secret weapon:
The Multivitamin.
But you’ve heard enough about Flintstone vitamins to know not all of them are healthy. Heck, some even do more harm than good!
We’re looking at you gummies.
So to make things super simple, here are 4 things you should watch out for when picking a multivitamin for kids:
Artificial Sweeteners
We hear the word “artificial sweetener” thrown around a lot — but what does it mean??? And more importantly,
Are they really that bad?
Well, the scary truth is. . . we don’t know! Although research does “suggest” so.
For one, the FDA reported that some artificial sweeteners are between 200 and 20,000 times sweeter than sugar!
This could retrain our taste buds, leading to more cravings for high calorie sweets, and causing normal foods to seem bland.
A big no-no for us with picky eaters.
But get this — we can’t even digest most artificial sweeteners!
That’s right.
Our bodies aren’t equipped with the enzymes needed to digest many of these chemicals. Hello, talk about wreaking havoc on our gut health!
Anyway, while savvy scientists are still deciding, we say avoid the risk altogether and stay away from these fake sweeteners.
Loaded with sugar
On the other hand, some companies decide, “oh what the heck, let’s load up on the sugar.”
This is a huge problem with gummy vitamins — and why we have beef with them.
Because here’s the truth. . .
One gummy vitamin has the same amount of sugar (per gram) as an Oreo!
Hmm. . . can we get some vitamins with that sugar???
Anyway, keep an eye out for this one. Because although the label may say “no artificial flavors, organic, or fair trade,” they’re still tiny bombs of sugar at the end of the day.
Also, look out for its clever hidden names like corn syrup or anything with the ending “-ose” — sucrose, fructose, dextrose, maltose. You get the picture.
Quality Ingredients
This one can be a tricky one, and vitamin companies know it! Much of the vitamin industry runs rampant with shortcuts and cheap ingredients — but your picky eater deserves the best on the market.
So when choosing the best vitamin for kids, here are a few common ingredients to look out for:
⇒ Carbonyl Iron - Since Iron is one of the main mineral deficiencies of children in the U.S., you might choose a multivitamin with iron. If this is the case, make sure your kiddo’s multivitamin uses carbonyl iron instead of ‘iron salts’ (ferrous sulfate). Carbonyl Iron is gentler on the tummy and more steadily absorbed — making it the preferred type for kid's supplements.
⇒ Vitamin D3 - choose Vitamin D3 instead of its counterpart Vitamin D2. And preferably from a vegan source that doesn’t take advantage of the inhumane treatment of sheep — free the sheep!
⇒ Methylfolate - this ingredient is pricier than the cheaper, synthetic form (folic acid) but critical for brain and heart health. It’s also already in a form of folate the body can use. #winwin
These are just a few examples, but in general, when choosing a multivitamin, make sure the company is committed to only the highest quality of ingredients.
Environmental Impact
Environmental impact is typically overlooked, but important for our kiddo’s future.
A few tell-tale signs of poor environmental impact are:
- Where the product is sourced (China is usually a red flag)
- Made with animal products
- Artificial chemicals
The most environmentally-friendly products will focus on using natural, plant based, and non-GMO products.
This means a good choice for your kiddo today. . . and tomorrow!
We know mealtime battles can be exhausting, but choosing a multivitamin for your little one doesn’t have to be.
That’s why we’ve packed Renzo’s with everything you need (and nothing you don’t). Now that’s every mom’s secret weapon!
For a multivitamin that uses only the highest quality ingredients, zero artificial sweeteners, no sugar, non-GMO, and is, of course, sheep-friendly (aka vegan), then check out Renzo’s Picky Eater Multi.