
Gummy Vitamins: Best and Worst Picks
Gummy vitamins have expanded far beyond kids’ supplements, with many boasting claims like “excellent source” and “powerful blend of essential nutrients.” But are these candy-like supplements worth it? Yes, but not always. Read on for a list of recommended gummy vitamins as well as options you should avoid.
Top picks for gummy vitamins
Nordic Naturals Zero Sugar Vitamin D3 Gummies
- 1000 International Units Vitamin D3 (125% daily value)
- Per one-gummy serving: 5 calories, 0 grams sugar
- Other ingredients include: Soluble tapioca fiber, pectin, citric acid, fruit and vegetable juice (color), sunflower oil, carnauba wax. Sweetened with xylitol.
Nordic Naturals Children’s DHA Gummies
- Per one-gummy serving: 10 calories, 0 sugar
- 600 milligrams omega 3s: 145 mg EPA; 355 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). (The typical recommended adult dosage for omega 3’s is 1,000 milligrams.)
- Other ingredients include: Purified deep sea fish oil, gelatin, paprika extract, stevia, canola oil, stevia, sorbitol, xylitol
Nordic Naturals Zero Sugar Curcumin Gummies
- Per two-gummy serving: 15 calories, 0 sugar
- 200 milligrams curcumin extract (typical dosage 500 milligrams)
- Other ingredients include: Prebiotic fiber, pectin, natural flavor, sunflower oil, carnauba wax
Adora Rich Dark Chocolate Calcium Supplement
- Per one-disk serving: 30 calories, 2 grams sugar
- 500 milligrams calcium (50%), 13 micrograms vitamin D (65%)
- Other ingredients include: Chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla extract
OK picks for gummy vitamins
Olly The Perfect Women’s Multi
- Per two gummy serving: 50% to 100% of most vitamins and minerals
- 250% vitamin B12; 500% biotin
- Other ingredients include: Glucose syrup, beet sugar, gelatin, fruit and vegetable juice for coloring, pectin, vegetable oil, carnauba wax
Worst picks for gummy vitamins
- Per one-gummy serving: 5 calories, 1 gram sugar
- 100 milligrams collagen (0.1 gram; standard dosage is 10 grams)
- Other ingredients include: Tapioca syrup, cane sugar, pectin, added color, natural flavor, coconut oil, carnauba wax
Digestive Advantage Daily Probiotics Kids
- Per two-gummy serving: BC Bacillus Coagulans (a lactic acid–forming bacterial species used similarly to lactobacillus and other probiotics) GBI-30: 500 million colony-forming units (CFUs)
- Other ingredients include: Corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, pectin, colors from fruits and vegetables
To schedule a nutrition consult, whether virtually or in-person, contact us at nutrition@ochsner.org or call us at 985-898-7050.
One A Day VitaCravings Teen Gummies
- Per two-gummy serving: 15 calories, 3 grams sugar
- 62% to 83% of most vitamins and minerals
- 8% calcium
- 100% vitamin B12 and biotin
- Other ingredients include: Glucose syrup, sugar, gelatin, Blue #1, Red #40, Yellow #5
Viactiv Calcium Milk Chocolate
- · Per one-chew serving: 15 calories, 1 gram sugar
- 500 milligrams calcium (50%), 500 IU vitamin D (63%), 40 micrograms vitamin K (33%)
- Other ingredients include: Sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil, corn syrup solids, cocoa, sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar)
Editor’s note: Registered dietitian Molly Kimball offers brand-name products as a consumer guide; she does not solicit product samples nor is she paid to recommend items. A version of this originally appeared on WGNO’s “Get FUELED with Molly” segment.