Thoughts on Vitamin Drinks?

That is a bit strange. I wonder why, if these liquid vitamins are absorbed so much better than pill forms, there is such a high % of Vitamins D & B12. I've never taken liquid vitamins. I actually take a pill form (and my boys ages 4 & 2) do as well. Because of the way that it is processed, I KNOW that we are absorbing a very high % of the vitamins & minerals. I would check to see what it tastes like as well. A friend who had taken a liquid vitamin told me once that she just couldn't continue because the taste was so bad. Hope this helps!!!

Our pediatrician told us not to do vitamins at all. "Natural & Herbal" remedies, including vitamins are not required to be regulated by the FDA, so you never know what is in them.
15 minutes of sunshine in one day will give you a full weeks worth of vitamin D. You don't need a suppliment. Look online and see how they add it to milk. You will go out of your way to not buy Vit. D milk again. IMHO the reason that there is so much cancer is because of the ingredients that we are adding to our food. They are not natural. If we ate a proper diet, we would not need the suppliments and be much healthier. The best way to get your vitamins is to eat FRESH FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!! It's really not that hard and a great habit for your family. Start your kids on a healthy diet now and they will become healthy adults.

I am not sure about these drinks, but too much vitamin c that are in immune boosting products such as airborne, gives you the runs w/ an upset stomach. Not just from personal experience, I read it.

I don't have thoughts on a lot of what you're asking (because I have no idea!) but I do know that generally speaking, liquid form of things is much easier for your body to absorb than in pill form. I take a calcium/magnesium supplement and do it in liquid form because it's more absorbable. Just wanted to mention that I have definitely heard that and it sounds true to me. But I have no idea on the specific brand or other info you are asking about!

The Vitamin B-12 amount isn't an issue - many folks are quite low in that and you can't go toxic on that (B6 and B3 are the ones to worry about too much of). The vitamin D-3 amount is slightly high (not really too high). It's the selenium I would worry about as you can go toxic on that and 100 mcg is high for kids (I take 200 mcg daily for special health reasons, but that's the max recommended for an adult, including what you get from food). Also, the amount of zinc is quite high - 25 mg. 50 mg is the max daily for an adult, otherwise it can actually suppress rather than boost immune function. Also, some of the stuff in there is probably useless. For example, they have cat's claw, but it's not likely TOA-free, which is the only kind that is effect and it's an immune modulator - not something most kids need. Also, that product has sugar and preservatives and I don't know why kids would need mexican wild yam - that's something recommended to peri-menopausal women. And, finally they've mis-spelled the names of one of the supplements "Gotu Cola" - that should be "Gotu Kola", but really isn't a general purpose supplement that everyone needs to be healthy and should only be used for specific conditions, although there's likely not much in that product. I think you can likely by something that is more along the lines of what your kids will need without giving them extra stuff.

500 MG of C vitamin per day, max. C is water soluable and what is not absorbed is urinated out. The body can only absorb 500 MG max of C at a time. If bowels become soft, reduce amount.

Vitamin D, A, and E can become toxic in the body if there is not enough fat to absorb and store. These vitamins are fat soluable. I would caution you not to give these vitamins as supplements to your child. Get these through whole/raw foods such as carrots, broccoli, potatoes, yams, and meats.

Zinc is important for boys. If you notice white slivers on fingernails, that is a zinc deficiency. It's OK in girls, but in boys, it is crucial they have enough. Zince, helps boys to be..well...boys if you get my drift.

Children under 15 or prepubescent really do not need vitamins unless they are not getting proper nutrition.

Check with your pediatrician or consult with a Whole Foods employee. They are very knowledgeable.

What Cherissa said about vit D is very true! It is a fat soluable vitamin--so we store the excess in fat cells-rather than urinating them out like with water soluable vitamins. The fat soluable vitamins are ADE&K--so always remember you can "overdose" ---so to speak---on these 4, but it is still important not to give more than needed of the other ones to a child. I'd stick to FLinstones--or whatever children's vitamins you choose. Hope this helps!

Our family uses Advocare vitamins. My daughter uses liquid and my son prefers pills.

I don't know anything about this particular product, but I've researched liquid vitamins and they are much easier to absorb and cause less vitamin "indigestion". I used to use the spray vitamins "Vitamist" until Walmart stopped selling them. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get online and order some!

As far as what to avoid and proper percentage quantities for the kiddos, I'd check with your pediatrician. In the meantime, you can get some general unbiased information from www.webmd.com. On the children's page they have a slider age scale where you can get more specific info. I generally never trust the claims from the manufacturer. After all, they are trying to sell you their product.

Hi J.--

To answer your question about safety, if a vitamin is water soluble, you could take way more than you needed, and your body would excrete the extra. For fat soluble vitamins, you have to be careful about the amount you put in your body. I remember that from when I was a nursing student--before I changed my major. :) I represent a company that produces and distributes 95% absorbable vitamins. They aren't liquid though. They make them for kids and adults. They are an Inc 500 company who have been around since 1985. They have a patent on their vitamins so no one else can do what they do. I actually take their pre-natals and my breast milk is visibly richer now than before when I was taking prescribed prenatals. My doctor said my body was absorbing the vitamins better, so I am a believer. If you'd like to call me or I could call you, I'll tell you about this company to see if you'd be interested in their products. My husband is an assistant principal (former jr high math teacher) and I teach English (though I've been on a break w/my new baby). I'll be going back next week. My home number is: ###-###-####. Call this week if you want to. You should be able to catch me. Have a great day!

I totally understand. Trying to make sure your family is getting enough vitamins in their diets can be nerve reckoning. The real problem is why isn't your family getting enough vitamins found naturally in fruits and vegetables? You shouldn't resort to a man-made supplement. "Eat more fruits and vegetables." Over the years, people have found countless ways to ignore that advice. "I don't have time." "It's too much trouble." But as scientists and nutritionists continue to learn more about the disease-fighting and preventive powers found in fruits and vegetables, it's advice we ignore at our peril.

There is no substitute for eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, at least 7-13 servings every day. But if you're like most people, you don't eat enough fruits or vegetables or enough variety. And those fruits and vegetables that we do eat tend to be over-processed, over-cooked, or too far removed from the field.

That's why there's Juice Plus+. It's a convenient, affordable, and natural whole food based nutritional product providing nutrition from 17 vegetables, fruits, and grains.

Juice Plus+ is not a vitamin supplement, providing a limited number of handpicked nutrients. Juice Plus+ is a whole food based product providing the wide array of nutrients found in a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains.

It's the next best thing to fruits and vegetables...because we don't get nearly enough of the real thing every day. I'm a mother of 3 children, who don't care for vegetables too much either. They been taking Juice Plus for almost 3 years and the results have been remarkable. My daughter ( 8 years old) use to suffer from eczema and she hasn't had an outbreak in over a year. My son, (14 years old) suffered with asthma. He's hasn't needed his medication is 2 & 1/2 years. I just started my 21 month old son on Juice Plus 2 weeks ago. We've been using Juice Plus for 3 years now and last week I decided to become a distributor. I've been recommending the product to my patients for a while now. They come back with amazing stories on how much their lives have improved health wise. It only made sense to me. Here is a link to my website http://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/pages/Home.soa?site=ab00393

Research this product and let me know if you're interested. It's being used in hospital around town, MD Anderson Cancer center, Hermann Hospital...ect. in combination with other studies. Good luck.

I would not recommend giving any "vitamin mixture" to your toddler. I am not sure why the sales lady would have said that it was perfectly safe for them, because all of the research on isolated vitamins would indicate otherwise. Research that has been done to date is consistent -- you must be careful with isolated vitamins and minerals as they can have negative effects on the body. Fruits and vegetables are the way to get these nutrients into our body in a natural way. When we eat fruits and vegetables, we are consuming literally thousands of phytonutrients that are far more powerful, without being toxic, than we could get from a concoction. As a dietitian, I was always taught that "a la carte" vitamin/mineral consumption was not the way to go. I have, however, found a whole food supplement that I take along with my family (kiddos included). If I have extra, nothing to worry about. It is just food. It helps to bridge the gap between what we eat and what we should eat. Would be happy to talk to you more about this topic if you are interested.

H. R. (Registered Dietitian and Mother of 2)

It would be great if we could get all our nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables, but many people underestimate the over-cultivation of our croplands. Minerals are essential to the daily function of our cells, and minerals come from the earth. You either have to eat them (food) or take a supplement. As fields are used over and over, the minerals are depleted, and the fresh vegetable have no minerals to absorb!

My family takes a liquid supplement that is the most complete liquid supplement on the market, and it actually tastes great. Your body's cells are a sponge, so liquid is considered 98% absorbable compared to a pill. No matter what type of supplement you take, take a QUALITY one! There are tons of cheap products out there...but why not spend more on your health than on that silly haircut or purse?! The product is very simple, and the entire family can use the same bottle - children take a smaller dose. The nutrients are plant-derived - the same as eating fresh veges - and are in proportion to the way nature intended them to be. The product has undergone 2 clinical studies recently to test its effect on the human blood markers; most supplement makers don't undergo the cost of these studies.

Please contact me for more info and I can give the name of the product. There actually is an info session coming up March 7-8 in the Southlake and Grapevine areas. A. ###-###-####