This is the only multivitamin we buy for our child. We've been using it since he turned 2 years old; he is now 3.
This multivitamin contains NO sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners of any kind. It is a comprehensive supplement, containing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, etc. I have compared this to about 5 other children's multivitamins in health food stores and to several Gummy-type vitamins in other stores and have NOT found any other complete vitamin combined with such low sugar content.
Here are the ingredients in 1 tablet and the % of daily recommended values for children under 4 years of age:
Calories 7.5
Total Carbohydrate 1.5 g < 1
Sugars 1.5 g *
Vitamin A (as 50 % Beta-Carotene, 50 % Palmitate) 2,500 IU 100%
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 60 mg 150%
Vitamin D (as D3 Cholecalciferol) 25 IU 6%
Vitamin E (as d-alpha Tocopheryl Succinate) 15 IU 150%
Thiamin (Vitamin B-1) 1.5 mg 214%
Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2) 1.7 mg 213%
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 10 mg 111%
Vitamin B-6 (as Pyridoxine) 2 mg 286%
Folic Acid 100 mcg 50%
Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 3 mcg 100%
Biotin 75 mcg 50%
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B-5) 5 mg 100%
Calcium (as Carbonate) 20 mg 3%
Iron (as Carbonyl) 3 mg 30%
Iodine (as Potassium Iodide) 35 mcg 50%
Magnesium (as Hydroxide) 20 mg 10%
Zinc (as Oxide) 2.5 mg 31%
Selenium (as Proteinate) 3.75 mcg *
Manganese (as Sulfate) 0.5 mg *
Chromium (as Glycinate, Dinicotinate) -25 mcg *
Potassium (as Citrate) 15 mg *
Citrus Bioflavonoids 15 mg *
Lecithin (from Soy) 5 mg *
Phosphatidylcholine 1.5 mg *
PABA (para-Aminobenzoic Acid) 1 mg *
Inositol 1 mg *
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) 25 mg *
Wholesome Food Complex
4:1 Vegetable Concentrates (equivalent to 92 mg of vegetable powder) Carrots, Spinach, Celery, Green Beans, Broccoli, Parsley, Beet 11.5 mg *
Organic Spirulina 10 mg *
Wheat Sprouts 5 mg *
Herbal Tonics 4:1 Extracts
(equivalent to 64 mg of herbal powder) Horsetail [herb], Stinging Nettle [tops], Astragalus [root], Jujube [fruit], Seaweed (Bladderwrack, Nori, Wakame) 8 mg *
Plant-Source Digestive Enzymes
Protease 900 HUT *
Lipase 70 DU *
Amylase 70 DU *
Cellulase 1 CU *
* Daily value (DV) not established. % DV based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Note that this children's supplement contains only 1.5 gram of sugars per tablet. Compare to the following foods that I have seen children regularly consume:
GoGurt 10 gram of sugars (which contains sugar AND high-fructose corn syrup and so some contend contains more grams of sugar per ounce than Coca-Cola!)
Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars (fruit-filled) 13 grams of sugars
Apple juice box drink 12-13 grams of sugars
Cranberry juice cocktail (4 oz) 15 grams of sugars
Welch's Fruit Snacks (1 bag) 15 grams of sugars
Quaker Instant Oatmeal (Apple) 16 grams of sugars
Kellogg's Pop-Tarts (Blueberry, Frosted Blueberry) 16 grams of sugars
Yoplait Original yogurt 25-27 grams of sugars
So the amount of sugar in NutriStars Kid's Multivitamin is very low. Yet our child has eaten this supplement every morning, even reminding me to give him his multivitamin if I forgot to give it to him. I believe that this is because we usually do not feed him highly sweetened foods, especially not foods sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. For example:
**We snack on apples and cheese, apples and peanut butter, yogurt and veggies, veggie chips, Triscuits and cheese, raisins and nuts, etc., NOT on Gummy products, Yoplait or Dannon yogurt, yogurt-covered fruit, or "fruit" snacks.
**We buy peanut butter made only with peanuts (no added salt or sugar) and unsweetened applesauce (made with no added sugar).
**I often make plain, lactose-free yogurt (my husband and I are lactose-intolerant), sometimes sweetened only with whole or crushed fruit or a bit of honey.
**We buy only bread (made with as much whole wheat as possible) sweetened with honey or sugar, but not with high-fructose corn syrup. I also try to make our own sandwich bread semi-regularly, using only honey as a sweetener.
But at the end of last October, we "caved" and bought lollies, Tootsie Rolls, Dots, etc. and then continued to give sweets in November and December (small am't of fruit pie, chocolate, bakery cake, or Wendy's Frosty)--not daily, but I'd say some highly sweetened item every 1-2 weeks. After routinely eating such highly sweetened foods for a couple of months, our son began to dislike the taste of the supplement a bit (but he still ate them without trouble).
So, IMHO, as long as your child is not accustomed to eating highly sugared foods such as most store-bought boxed breakfast cereals, packaged instant oatmeal, most breakfast bars, Pop-Tarts, most store-bought yogurt (Yoplait, Dannon, etc.), donuts, candy, juice cocktail drinks, soda, etc., the natural citrus flavor of this supplement should not be a problem. And we will be returning to our healthy ways of eating to get our son back on track. :-) Rainbow Light Nutri Stars Multivitamin & Multimineral Chewables Children's Tablets 120 tablets
This is one of the best tasting kid's multi-vitamins with iron that we have found...and we have tried plenty of them over the years. The fact that they are plant-based and include all the major nutrients is definitely a plus also.
Because this multi-vitamin includes so many benefits, it has been difficult for us to find anything else it compares with nutritionally. I like that it also includes whole food concentrates of vegetables, plant-source digestive enzymes, and herbs in addition to the *regular* multi-vitamin component. Note that it does include wheat sprouts so it's not for those who are on gluten-free eating plans.
Taste-wise, we've been giving it to our 3 children for several years. The youngest started at 2-years-old and it was okay with her sometimes and other times she wouldn't want it. Our older two are currently 5 and 7 and take theirs daily. They suck on them till they're gone (even though if it were me, I would chew it to get it over with). The 2-year-old chews hers quickly and is done with it. For having iron in them, they don't have that iron-taste (thank goodness).
Yes, gummy vitamins would taste better but these are a lot better for you/your children. We actually have vitamin D gummies that we give the kids in the winter. Knowing that when they eat their "stars" they get a couple gummies too is a great motivator! ;) - Kids Vitamins - Rainbow Light - Health - Vitamins'
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