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Enjoy Gummies — Natural Supplements and Vitamins Your Taste Buds Will Love

Published on July 15, 2023


By Lisa Stockwell

Lisa Stockwell

Lisa Stockwell has worked as a copywriter, writer, author, and editor for 35 years, specializing in the field of healthcare since 2009. She recognized the need for reliable health information while supporting friends through unique health challenges and refocused her career to bring clarity and compassion to healthcare communications. Lisa is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and a lifelong Northern Californian.

http://lisastockwell.com/

Who says taking herbal supplements, vitamins, and minerals has to be a challenge? Instead of swallowing bitter tinctures and chalky pills, you can now choose from a wide range of gummy supplements and vitamins to make your wellness routine more fun and flavorful. Gummies are chewable, tasty, easy to swallow, and offer a great way to get the nutrition and health support you seek.

In this article, we review the benefits of gummy supplements, what to look for, and how Gaia Herbs is making it easier to keep your body and mind healthy with both gummy and traditional forms of supplements. We hope you’ll find the information you need to select the best form of supplement for you and your family.

The History of Gummy Vitamins and Supplements

Fruit-flavored chewable vitamins were first introduced in the 1960s when Miles Laboratories recognized an opportunity to provide dietary supplements to children in the growing Baby Boomer market. 

First came the candy-like chewable tablets, Chocks. Then, the cartoon-character-shaped Flinstones. For the next fifty years, chewable vitamins remained a favorite option for kids, while adults had the choice of chalky tablets or large capsules to supplement their diets.

Since the mid-1990s, when the first natural gummy bear vitamin hit the market, gummy supplements have grown in popularity. Today, more adults consume gummy supplements than kids. In fact, around 67 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 prefer the gummy format. REF#2292

So what makes gummy supplements so popular now? One explanation is pill fatigue. According to the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University, 66 percent of Americans aged 18 and older use prescription medications.REF#2293 People are tired of swallowing pills. 

But another reason for their popularity is simply that they taste good! 

Like pills and capsules, gummies can help supply the vitamins, minerals, or herbs that might be missing from your diet. They come in a variety of flavors, colors, and shapes, providing a fun and convenient way to give your body what it needs to keep you feeling your best.*

The Benefits of Gummies

There are several advantages to choosing gummies as your supplement format of choice:

  1. Taste Sensation: One of the most significant advantages of gummy supplements is their pleasant taste. They come in a wide variety of flavors, from tangy citrus to juicy berry bursts that make taking them feel like a treat, which makes it easier to incorporate supplements into your daily regimen. 
  2. Easy to Take: Gummies are a boon for those who struggle with swallowing pills. Whether you have a sensitive gag reflex or simply find it challenging to swallow tablets, gummy supplements provide a welcome alternative. They are soft and easy to chew, making them accessible to children and adults alike. 
  3. Good Absorption: One research study found that vitamin D is more readily absorbed by the body in gummy form as opposed to the traditional soft gel.REF#2294 However, research is needed to determine whether this is the rule or an aberration. However, not all gummies offer the same amount of nutrients per gummy, and you may need to consume more gummies than traditional tablets to get the same dosage of nutrients.

It's important to note that while gummy supplements offer many advantages, they should still be treated as supplements and not candy. Because they are so tasty, it can be easy to overdose on gummy supplements. Always follow the recommended dosage and consult with your healthcare professional if you have specific health concerns or questions.

How to Choose Gummy Supplements

Different manufacturers offer different herbs, minerals, and vitamins in gummy form. Not all nutrients lend themselves to gummy form. The taste of some herbs, vitamins, and minerals is hard to mask and would require too many sweeteners or additives to make them edible. 

When considering gummies, look for those that are actually healthy for you since that is the objective of taking supplements. When purchasing gummies for natural health support, make sure they offer the following qualities:

  • Low sugar content: Gummies use sweeteners to make them tasty. The American Heart Association recommends a total daily sugar intake of 36 grams for men and 24 grams for women, and you don’t want your gummies to take you over that limit. So the less sugar in your gummy supplement, the better. Consider choosing gummies sweetened only with natural fruit juice or honey instead of refined sugar. 
  • Potent and effective dose: Because of their sugar content, look for gummies that meet your daily requirements in a single dose or two. (It’s not unusual to find products that require six or more gummies to get the same nutrient level you find in one or two traditional pills and capsules).
  • Clean and pure organic ingredients: For the best health support, purchase from suppliers that provide sources for their herbs and other ingredients and, if you prefer, do not contain refined sugar, added synthetic flavors, or synthetic colors.
  • Organic or Non-GMO: Look for gummies made with herbs that have not been exposed to chemical fertilizers or pesticides and that have no genetically modified ingredients or seeds.

Gaia Herbs Gummy Supplements

At Gaia Herbs, our list of gummy supplements is growing as the demand for them increases.

For plants used in the gummy supplements that we cannot grow on our Certified Organic farm in Western North Carolina due to the climate conditions, we turn to our network of organic and sustainable partners to source herbs from where the herbs grow best and where conditions are ideal for producing the highest possible level of botanical compounds. 

We look for farmers who will grow to meet our stringent quality standards and grow either organically or use sustainable farming practices. Our priority is to find the most effective herbs that meet our standards of purity and potency. 

Our gummies use only healthy and wholesome ingredients. Every ingredient in a Gaia Herbs product is screened and validated in our state-of-the-art, onsite Gaia Lab. We pledge to continue investing in science and technology, keeping our products safe for consumers and the environment. We are committed to remaining at the forefront of plant-based well-being.

Gaia Herbs gummies are only sweetened with organic fruit juice concentrates, including Black Elderberry fruit extract, apple juice and puree, pomegranate juice, acai puree, and goji juice. Most have no more than two grams of added sugars per serving from organic fruit concentrate, and servings are typically two gummies.

Currently, we offer gummies to support immune health, stress reduction, healthy inflammatory function, emotional health, and sleep: 

No matter which gummy you choose, the result is naturally delicious, fun to chew, and full of the herbal support you need for good health and wellness.

3 Precautions for Taking Gummy Supplements

When taking supplements in any form, you should always learn what herbs and other ingredients are used in the formulation and make sure you are not allergic to them. Additionally, if you take prescribed medications or have a medical condition, you should always consult your healthcare provider before taking new supplements, vitamins, or minerals.

There are several things to consider before taking gummy supplements: 

  1. Pay attention to recommended dosage: We’ve mentioned the importance of finding gummies that offer sufficient nutrients in the fewest number of gummies. However, while you want to get enough nutrients, it’s also important not to get too many. Because gummies are delicious, it can be easy to consume more than you should, thinking you’re just eating candy. Gummy supplements should be safety-sealed for your family’s protection. If you have gummy supplements in your cabinet, be sure to keep them out of children’s reach and only take the recommended serving each day.
  2. Check “best by” date: Gummy supplements will lose their potency over time. Because they absorb more moisture, they may degrade faster than supplements in tablet form. Make sure you use them before the “best by” date listed on the label. Eating past the “best by” date may also affect their taste.
  3. Check all ingredients: When you’re trying to decide between gummies (as well as other forms of supplements) always check the labels for unwanted ingredients. If you suffer from gluten intolerance or are allergic to peanuts or yeast, you need to avoid these ingredients. Also, a lot of dietary supplements are full of added ingredients or their derivatives that you may want to avoid, including:
  1. Corn
  2. Dairy
  3. Gluten
  4. Peanuts
  5. Shellfish
  6. Soy
  7. Sugar
  8. Tree nuts
  9. Yeast

Doing your research can mean the difference between supplements that support your health and those that waste your money or can do you more harm than good.

Traditional Forms of Supplements Versus Gummies

The most traditional forms of dietary supplements, tablets, and capsules, are most commonly taken orally and swallowed whole, which makes them a quick and easy option for most people who have no trouble swallowing. Tinctures and extracts are also available, which can be taken as drops or mixed in water or another liquid. While an effective way to consume supplements, extracts require careful measurement of drops and can taste very bitter, making it a chore to take them.

The advantage of taking supplements in a tablet, capsule, or tincture form is that these forms generally provide a more potent form of herbs, vitamins, and minerals, with more nutrients per serving. In many cases, their stated dosage may be more accurate as well. Tablets and capsules don’t require sweetening. When stored correctly, they also may maintain their potency longer than gummies.

A Unique Form of Capsule

At Gaia Herbs, our herbs typically come in the form of Liquid Phyto-Caps, which means they’re concentrated liquid extracts contained inside a capsule. This form provides a potent dose of herbs, which would be challenging (and sometimes impossible) to consume in your diet. 

Our Liquid Phyto-Caps are 100% vegan and gluten-free, providing the convenience of an easy-to-swallow capsule and supporting the absorption of our concentrated plant extracts.

Determining the Right Form of Supplements for You

The supplement or herb form you choose is completely up to you. You need to consider your unique health goals and preferences.

If you have trouble swallowing pills or capsules or are looking for a more convenient option, gummy supplements are an ideal solution. On the other hand, if you are looking for specific herbs that don’t lend themselves to sweetening — like Holy Basil, Maca, Oregano Oil, and more — tablets or capsules might be the way to go, as it would be challenging to find these herbs in a gummy form.

We recommend trying both gummies and traditional supplements and then choosing the one you will be most likely to take consistently and according to the suggested use instructions.

REFERENCES:

  • 1. , "Gummy Supplements Market Size Worth US$ 16,510.39Mn, Globally, by 2028 at 8.3% CAGR", Exclusive Report by The Insight Partners..
  • 2. , "Prescription Drugs", Health Policy Institute.
  • 3. , "Gummy Vitamins vs Pills: Are Gummy Vitamins Effective for Everyday Use?", by Chris Iliades, MD..