For the most part, members of a family have the same gaps in their diet. Nutrient needs fluctuate as you get older, but you’d be very surprised by how little they do. For example, a 13-year-old girl should be eating the same foods as her 35-year-old mother - except that she requires ½ cup fewer vegetables and 1 oz fewer grains (1). When it comes to vitamins, nutritional needs change a bit - with toddlers requiring 700 mg of calcium in contrast to the 1,300 mg that 9-18-year-olds need (2). Adults up to 50 years need only 1,000 mg of it a day (3). Even though the quantity of some of our needs shift, everyone in the family has the same basic vitamin and mineral needs: vitamins A, Bs, C, D, E, K, folate, calcium, iron, zinc, and chromium (4).

In essence, what we’re saying is that the best multivitamin for kids will be the best multivitamin for seniors. The best multivitamin for men will be the best multivitamin for women. There are a few differences in nutrient needs there, but overall you’ll be looking for a good family multivitamin. Something that is palatable enough for kids to enjoy (and helps explain what a kid’s dosage should be), and something that supports the overall health of the whole family. A good solution is a liquid multivitamin since it has a faster absorption rate and dosages can be adjusted based on age easier than pills/chewable vitamins. After all, depending on the age of the child, they may not have learned how to swallow pills yet - but everyone knows how to swallow a liquid!

Just because we love the idea of liquid vitamins doesn’t mean we want to leave you with them as your only option, though. In the list below, we are going to do our best to provide you with good choices as far as family multivitamins - regardless of what form those vitamins come in. Continue reading for our recommendations.

Best Multivitamin for Family 

What is the best multivitamin for the family, then? We’ve already made it clear that liquid is our preferred form, but if you’ll indulge us another moment, please allow us to detail why we think it’s an ideal choice for families. In addition to being the best multivitamin for absorption, it’s more convenient for the whole family to take. One bottle and your entire family’s covered. That’s better than cluttering up the living space with a bottle for every family member. We’re all for simplicity.

That said, what we look for in family multivitamins may not be what you look for. Sure, the liquid is more effective and more convenient in terms of taking the vitamin… but what about the convenience of purchase? Tablets, chewables, and gummies (oh my!) are readily available at any grocery store or drugstore. You don’t see liquid vitamins on the shelves (yet). So where do you get them? Many liquid vitamins are available online. Although you can’t simply pick them up from a local store, they are delivered right to your door. In addition, most liquid vitamin brands offer subscription services so you don’t even have to think about it.

Of course, you do have to pay a small price for maximum absorption, and that could be a dealbreaker for some families. No one wants to feel like they’re being shortchanged, though, and when you factor in absorption rates it’s a bit easier to justify the purchase price of liquid vitamins. Another benefit of it is that you don’t have fillers or binders in liquid vitamins. That means you’re not paying for extra junk that could cause stomach irritation. Many people who claim they can’t take vitamins do so because their stomachs are sensitive to fillers, binders, coatings, coloring, and flavoring. And taking tablets isn’t just tough for kids. About 40% of adults say they have trouble swallowing pills (5). 

Organic Multivitamin 

In recent years, there’s been a lot of focus on organics, whether it be at the grocery store or in your vitamin. You know that organic veggies don’t contain any pesticides. You may even know that organic meat means that the animal was raised with good living conditions, fed organic feed, and not given antibiotics or hormones.

But what on earth does it mean to have an organic multivitamin? Well, we’re glad you asked. Organic vitamins can be made one of three ways, but each way is standardized. Some are made with whole foods. For example, an organic vitamin with vitamin C will get that vitamin from oranges or grapefruit, since those are natural sources of vitamin C. Some are made from animal-derived ingredients, which means that the ingredients need to be derived from organic meat.

And other organic supplements are made with processed/multi-ingredient foods, which can include organic sunflower lecithin or palm oil to hold the formula together. To put it simply, organic means “naturally derived.” Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but what if we told you that synthetic vitamins are lab-produced from coal-tar derivatives (6)? We don’t know about you, but we’ve never heard “coal” or “tar” and thought “Yum!” If you ask us, organic vitamins are a better choice.

If reading the last paragraph gave you a sudden urge to find an organic multivitamin for kids, we don’t blame you and we’ve got you covered! Organic vitamins come in different forms, including organic multivitamin gummies and organic liquid multivitamins. We’ll start with the gummy options and then move on to organic multivitamin liquid later.

Garden of Life has a Kids Multi Gummy for kids four and over with vitamins A-E (including B1, B2, B6, and B12), K, folate, and plenty of essential minerals including zinc, selenium, manganese, and chromium. Another option (with zero sugar) is Nordic Naturals Kids Multi Gummies, which also has vitamins A-E (including all the B vitamins above), and folate. This one doesn’t have vitamin K but it does have calcium, iodine, magnesium, and zinc.

This product also contains xylitol, making it a tooth-healthy choice as far as gummies go! Another gummy option is MaryRuth’s Kids Multivitamin Gummies, which are pectin-based, sugar-free, and come in several flavors. Whether your kid prefers the strawberry, papaya, or super punch flavor, you can rest easy knowing they’re getting vitamins A-E, including B6 and B12, in addition to folate, biotin, iodine, sodium, zinc, and potassium. This product is also vegan, celiac-friendly, and free of most allergens, making it a good choice for kids with the most specific dietary restrictions.

Organic Multivitamin Benefits 

There are lots of organic multivitamin benefits, including increased standardization, reduced exposure to toxins/antibiotics/hormones, extra antioxidants, and healthier soil, not to mention the obvious benefit of eating all-natural vitamins and minerals (7). Let’s delve a bit deeper into some of these and then go over some organic multivitamin liquid options available to you.

First, organic supplements are more regulated than regular supplements, to ensure that what you are putting into your body is truly organic. They regulate these based on what type of organics they are (as I mentioned earlier, whether it’s a whole food vitamin, made with animal-derived ingredients, or it’s made with processed or multi-ingredient foods. Organics also reduce your exposure to toxins. This is important because pesticide exposure can increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, and exposure to hormones in meat can cause prepubescent children to enter puberty up to seven months earlier (8).

If you’d rather try an organic liquid multivitamin in lieu of all the drawbacks to other vitamin forms, Mary Ruth’s (mentioned about for their kids’ gummies) offers a liquid morning multivitamin that is formulated for the whole family and is raspberry flavored. It contains a ton of vitamins, including A, C, D, E, B6, folate, and biotin. Another option is Organic Life vitamins, which contain vitamins A, C, D, E, B6, and B12 along with minerals like magnesium and zinc. It comes in a raspberry-cranberry flavor.

Whole Food Multivitamin 

Remember when we talked earlier about what an organic multivitamin was? We listed three different kinds: whole food-derived (derived from plant material), animal-derived (from organic meats), and processed/multi-ingredient organic vitamins. Of those choices, which vitamin sounded the best to you? If you’re anything like us, the whole food multivitamin sounded far more appealing than a vitamin that may contain meats or multiple ingredients. It just seems so much more natural and logical to get our vitamins from plants that are already producing them.

It’s normal to be skeptical when we hear glowing reviews about a new product such as organic, whole food vitamins. That’s why we look at reviews, to see if they live up to all the hype. Whole food multivitamin reviews (of products such as Naturelo) are consistently high. In fact, Naturelo’s Whole Food Multivitamin for Men currently has a review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, with nearly three thousand global ratings. They also offer a whole food multivitamin for women, which has a rating of 4.6 stars and just over two thousand ratings.

Supplements Studio Daily Vegan Whole Food Multivitamin Plus for Men and Women also has 4.5 stars and contains probiotics, enzymes, omega fatty acids, and CoQ10. These only come in capsule form, and are formulated for adults, so keep that in mind. Nature’s Plus Source of Life Liquid Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement comes in tropical fruit flavor and has 4.5 stars and 128 reviews on their website. It contains vitamins A, D, E, K, B vitamins, folate, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and more. 

Whole Food Multivitamin Benefits 

Whole food multivitamins benefit people in a number of ways, but many of the benefits may be surprising to discover. You’d expect whole food multivitamins to be beneficial health-wise, but did you know that taking them can also have a positive impact on the environment as well? Synthetic vitamin A is made from fish or palm oil, but the collection of palm oil leads to deforestation and the endangerment of orangutans. By taking vitamin A derived from natural sources such as carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes, you are protecting yourself from the risk of developing night blindness (a hallmark of vitamin A deficiency) while also protecting against deforestation.

Since synthetic B1 is derived from coal tar and is crystalline in structure, it can cause damage and mineral accumulation where it isn’t needed, like in your joints. Vitamin B1 that’s sourced from oatmeal, nuts, and watermelon helps to protect you from developing symptoms of B1 deficiency such as muscle fatigue, weakness, and poor reflexes, while also contributing to better overall joint health. Synthetic B3 is created using a “scary name cocktail” of coal tar, ammonia, acids, 3-cyanopyridine, and formaldehyde. As can be expected, these synthetic ingredients carry with them far more side effects (including abdominal pain, itching, diarrhea, liver damage) than their natural counterparts do. Niacin (B3) is naturally found in legumes, brown rice, potatoes, tomatoes, and green vegetables, so those are the sources for whole food multivitamins containing B3 (10).

The list goes on, but hopefully, we’ve provided compelling proof that, despite the importance of vitamins due to our general nutritional gaps, not every vitamin is created equal. For this reason, we feel the best vitamin is one that’s easily absorbed (liquid), organic, and sourced from whole foods. It’s simply a better choice for families who want the best life has to offer.

References

1. Boehme, Danelle. “Nutrition for Kids and Adults.” Asenzya, 16 August 2019, https://www.asenzya.com/blog/2019/08/16/nutrition-for-kids-and-adults/. Accessed 27 April 2021.
2. Shaw, Gina. “6 Vitamins and Minerals Your Kids Need.” WebMD, 15 April 2013, https://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/features/family-vitamins. Accessed 27 April 2021.
3. NIH. “Calcium.” National Institutes of Health, 22 March 2021, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-Consumer/. Accessed 27 April 2021.
4. Goldberg, Elana. “11 Essential Vitamins and Minerals Your Body Needs.” GoodNet, 30 October 2013, https://www.goodnet.org/articles/11-essential-vitamins-minerals-your-body-needs. Accessed 27 April 2021.
5. It Spray Vitamins. “3 Major Differences Between Liquid Vitamins and Pills.” It Spray Vitamins, 26 June 2019, https://itspray.com/press/liquid-absorption-vs-pills/. Accessed 27 April 2021.
6. Stewart, Dava. “What's the Difference? Synthetic vs. Organic Vitamins.” Chiropractic Economics, 12 May 2015, https://www.chiroeco.com/synthetic-vs-organic-vitamins/#:~:text=As you may expect, natural,along with several other plants. Accessed 28 April 2021.
7. Lotts, Liz. “5 Benefits of Organic Supplements.” City Market, (unknown), https://www.citymarket.com/health/info/5-benefits-of-organic-supplements. Accessed 28 April 2021.
8. Zoppi, Lois. “Sex Hormones in Meat and Dairy Products.” News Medical, 14 January 2019, https://www.news-medical.net/health/Sex-Hormones-in-Meat-and-Dairy-Products.aspx#:~:text=Growth hormones found in meat,earlier, a study has found. Accessed 28 April 2021.
9. Sun Warrior. “9 Surprising Differences of Whole Food Vitamins vs. Synthetic Vitamins.” Sun Warrior, 2 October 2019, https://sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/whole-food-vitamins-vs-synthetic-vitamins-the-difference-may-astonish-you. Accessed 29 April 2021.