Chewable Vitamins: The Pros & Cons
From capsules to pills, sachets to chewable, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to how you take your vitamins.
Pill and capsule supplements are the most common form on shop shelves and medicine cabinets across the UK, but chewable vitamins and supplements continue to grow in popularity.
Surprisingly, there are a few differences between chewable and pill-form vitamins that go beyond taste and shelf life. And, as no two people are the same, deciding which type of vitamins work best for you is important.
Here we explore chewable vitamins; their pros, cons and what you should look for when choosing the best supplements for your needs.
Easier to consume
If you have a hard time swallowing tablets or capsules, or just don’t like the sensation, chewable vitamins are ideal. And if they taste good too, you’re more likely to remember to take them instead of viewing them as a chore.
Easier to absorb
Chewable tablets are also optimised for absorption, so you know you’re getting the highest possible amount of nutrients from your supplements. A huge benefit of chewable vitamins is their ability to be absorbed like food in your stomach. Chewing exposes your food (and chewables) to saliva which contains digestive enzymes that break it down—the longer you chew, the more opportunity these enzymes have to deconstruct it.
Easier on the stomach
Most pill-form vitamins are recommended to be taken with food. This is because if they’re consumed alone, they may not digest as well, cause nausea or heartburn. For this reason, many people, such as pregnant women, find chewable vitamins much easier to stomach at any time of the day.
Other considerations
Chewable vitamins can be too tempting. Children may mistake vitamins for sweets and consume more than their recommended dose, so we recommend storing them somewhere safe and out of reach.
Many chewable vitamins contain sugar, gelatine and artificial colours which may not be something you want to consume, especially on a daily basis. Whilst the sugar in a single chewable vitamin might not seem too much, it’s more than you’d get with a pill-form vitamin—it’s why at Nourished, we’re proud of our sugar-free, vegan options such as our Pre-Blends and Personalised gummies.
We also wrap each individual stack in a plastic-free wrapper, which not only helps you to control your intake to one a day, but also makes them ideal for travel too.
