No matter your difficulty swallowing pills or just preferring their delicious taste, nutritional gummies provide an alternative way of getting essential vitamins and minerals into your system. But without proper research these sugary supplements could have serious adverse health consequences that require further consideration before use.
One gummy contains two to eight grams of sugar, which can add up over time and quickly deplete your daily allowance of it. Furthermore, many are made with citric acid that wears down tooth enamel – further adding up.
Vitamins
Gummy vitamins may be ideal for adults who find swallowing pills challenging, but these chewable supplements can contain an excessively high level of sugar. Adults should only consume 25 grams per day while children should limit themselves to 15 grams or even less; yet one gummy vitamin could contain up to 20% of that daily amount in just one dose!
Gummy vitamins contain sugar alcohols that may lead to diarrhea, nausea and other unpleasant side effects in some individuals. Some gummy vitamins even contain artificial food colorings linked with behavioral issues in children.
Gummy vitamins aren’t FDA tested, making it hard to be certain whether or not they contain what’s listed on their labels. Therefore, for optimal nutrition it’s best to consume a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables instead.
Minerals
Gummy vitamins provide many of the same micronutrients found in regular multivitamin pills, including Vitamin C, D and E as well as zinc and selenium minerals. But these products often add sweeteners for improved taste and texture; some even contain gelatin which may not be suitable for vegans or those following kosher diets.
Gummies typically use ingredients like agar-agar, carrageenan and pectin to give chewable gums their chewability, such as red algae derived agar-agar or seaweed-derived carrageenan as sources for chewability. Corn syrup or molasses is usually added for sweetness as an additional factor.
Gummy candies contain roughly the same amount of sugar as one Sour Patch Kid, making them unsuitable for diabetics who should opt for pill-based supplements or take them with food.
Added Sugars
Gummy vitamins often contain added sugars for flavor enhancement and to achieve their gum-drop shape, making them problematic if you’re trying to limit your added sugar consumption.
One gummy may contain up to five grams of added sugar according to its Nutrition Facts label; this amounts to roughly one half of the recommended daily sugar intake based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Gummies tend to use sugar syrups rather than naturally occurring sources like milk, fruits and vegetables as sources for their sweetness.
Gummies typically rely on gelatin to create their texture, making them unsuitable for vegans and Kosher diet followers. To avoid these complications, look for a gelatin-free gummy vitamin that uses fruit juices or purees as sweeteners instead.
Unreliable Dosage
Gummies can degrade over time, making it hard to know the exact amounts of vitamins they contain. To meet federal requirements, companies will often pack them with more vitamin than is listed on the label, which could lead to overdosage if multiple gummies are consumed at once.
Gummy vitamins contain less consistent and reliable nutrient levels than pills or capsules, which is particularly significant when considering children. Gummies often feature cartoon characters and could be mistaken for candy by children, leading them to consume too many. Pills are less likely to be misidentified as candy and provide more stable doses of vitamins.
Taste
Omega-3 gummies to men’s multivitamins to probiotics to melatonin – you can find almost every substance available in gummy form these days – from omega-3s and men’s multivitamins, probiotics and even melatonin can all be purchased this way! There are even products designed specifically to help with weight loss, boost libido and alleviate menopausal symptoms!
Making a gummy begins with mixing sugar, starch and gelatin base with various powdered vitamin additives and pre-mixes before boiling it with citric acid to facilitate gelling. Prater air classifying mills are well suited to this application – grinding sugar to produce uniform particles to achieve the ideal consistency needed for production of gummies. Pectin can then be added for flavor, texture and vitamin preservation; powdered, liquid or high methoxyl (HM) pectin are all suitable.
