what is a good multivitamin?

[TeamTyrion]

I know I've been posting a lot but when I search for "multivitamin" I get tons of results that just have people saying, "use a good multivitamin" etc. without actually saying the brand name.

 

I just spent an hour tonight in what I thought was a good vitamin store, looking for something that had the basics for my Son - the Bs, C, Calcium, Zinc and all I could find was sugared up gummies, stuff with corn or yeast, fructose, you name it. I checked everything and basically left in defeat. Can someone please recommend something to me? He actually finds things like gummies too sweet and I would love to find something I can throw in with his smoothie if possible (powder or gel).

 

So far only chemar has responded to my posts - and I'm so grateful - but would love to get help from other people too.

 

Thanks.

[emik]

Hello,

 

We use Progressive Chewable Multi for Kids, thanks to the recommendations of a member of this forum. We haven't seen a dramatic reduction in tics, however I still beleive it helps some.

 

To what I remember in the past, many members of this form reported good results using the Kirkman Labs, Spectrum Complete II.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

Amy

[searching_for_help]

We use the All-in-One from holistheal.com. It's Amy Yasko's line. In the multi - she uses the better (bioavailable) forms. I know I've seen another one recently that also had the better bioavailable forms, but I can't remember what company it was. Next time I'm out shopping, I'll try and track that one back down. (It was a specialty store, not a regular department store.)

http://www.holisticheal.com/all-in-one-multi-vitamin-mineral-120-capsules.html

 

She doesn't use the cheap B12 or B6 - many of the vitamins listed are in the more bioavailable forms.

[Chemar]

Thorne research is our choice. My son used the copper and iron free adult formula but they also make one for kids

http://www.thorne.com/Products/Multiples/Children/prd~VMC.jsp

[Cj60]

We started off with what we thought were decent multis from our local health food store. But as we got more and more informed about what we were putting into our child's body, we found that they were not up to snuff. We then began to order our supplements from Kirkman Labs (http://www.kirkmanlabs.com). They have a children's multi (Spectrum Complette II) that has had positive results (in conjunction with other significant dietary modifications) with our son.

 

If you get the chance, read Safeplate's post on GMO ingredients. While that post focuses on identifying GMO ingredients, the kind of sleuthing described there is the kind of sleuthing that that one needs to do in order to eliminate undesirable ingredients. It's a lot of work up front. Very stressful. Can be a little costly (you end up buying organic). But in many cases, well worth it in the long run.

 

Safeplate's post identifies vitamins (B12, C and E) as something to keep an eye on, too. That hadn't been on my radar. So now I'm going to ask Kirkman if they're GMO free the next time I order our vitamins. (My hunch is that they are.)

 

- Chris

[my2sons]

We use Klaire labs vitaspectrum as recommended by my son's doc. Google. I believe they have a powder.

[SafePlate]

I had my daughter on so many supplements it was ridiculous. I knew she was deficient in many vitamins and minerals, despite a good diet, but even the best supplements can be harsh on delicate systems and may not be assimilated any better than those naturally occurring in the diet.

 

I started out grinding her supplements and mixing them with juice because she couldn't swallow them. She took them for so long that swallowing capsules was no longer an issue. Regardless, it was not pleasant for her and it was an expensive pursuit. Most importantly, despite years of supplementation, her lab work still indicated malabsorption.

 

I learned over the years, at least in my daughter's case, that once we healed her gut with the amino acid L-Glutamine (we use IntestiNew by Renew Life) and kept her away from GMO's -- most importantly genetically modified corn, which compromises the intestinal lining -- all she really needed to absorb the nutrients of a healthy diet was a full spectrum pancreatic enzyme formula. I use Swanson Vitamins because the quality is good, the prices are reasonable and they have a great refund policy.

 

A good probiotic is also worth looking into. If you still want to use a multivitamin, a non-GMO, whole food multi like New Chapter is a good choice. Regardless of what brand of supplements you buy, read the ingredients and stay clear of corn derivatives that may be GMO. Elimination of GMOs has made the most improvement in our daughter's condition.