Multi-vitamin formulas

Update Sept 2008

My husband and I are taking Mercola's multivitamins. We take 3 or 4 per day.

I use the Dr. Ron's "Doc's Best" multivitamins for the kids. This formula is the best one I know of, and doesn't include any stearates. This is the most comprehensive I've seen and also had the particular nutrients I was looking for including: Vitamin E Mixed tocopherols, Vit K2, the B vitamins, Zinc, Copper, Grape Seed Extract, plus much more. My justification for using this more expensive one is that if I were to use a less expensive one and then buy other bottles of single nutrients, it would end up being more expensive in the end. This way, everything is in one formula, easy to use and less confusing, but still complete. They are capsules filled with a powder, and I mix it on a spoon with raw honey. It also works to mix in other cold/cool foods or drinks and has a very mild taste. Tip: Shipping is $8.95 for one bottle of Doc's Best. Order two bottles to save on shipping. The additional bottle will keep. Dr. Ron said: "The expiry date is about 15 months out, and even that is conservative; the nutrients do not deteriorate when properly encapsulated and packaged."

If the above are not an option for you or your kids, I would suggest looking at Peter Gillham's Natural Vitality Liquid Organic Life Vitamins. This has an orange-y plus cough medicine kind of flavor. But, I don't mind it at all and my kids take it without comment. It works as a chaser for cod liver oil. This might be a little less expensive or similar in price to Mercola's. (However, I'm guessing that the nutrients are more broad in the Mercola's.)

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For kids who will not take the Natural Vitality, I would check out "Gummi" type multis because they usually don't contain any stearates (probably because of a totally different manufacturing process). I've seen at least 4 or 5 different brands. Compare nutrients. Look on simplenaturesalternative.com under their children's nutrition section to see a few brands. There's also a brand called Child Life (I think) that looks interesting. And another one called Tropical Oasis.