Vitamins

Updated on 4/6/18

I’ve been asked many times which brands we use, so this page is designed to list off the brands we have tried and liked, and why.

Daily Vitamins:

PaleoCleanse – This has worked miracles for my child with poor methylation and adrenal / cortisol issues. She no longer requires so much adrenal herbs (more on this below) and omega 3s as she did to maintain her mood. At first I didn’t want to pay that much, but when I compared pricing for similar products or a compilation of products that would encourage methylation like this, you’d probably pay more that way. Glutathione by itself can run $40/ month. It is a pea protein shake, and one mom was concerned it might increase glutamine, but I noticed the opposite for my daughter. The key to getting your child to drink it (or you!) is to put it in apple juice as a shake, and the pea protein is so filling, expect it might be a meal replacement, or split it up into two doses alongside two meals. We began with 1/2 – 3/4 shake once a day and sometimes twice a day. My daughter and I are sensitive to so many vitamins and this has been our lifesaver – even for me. My alcohol tolerance went up after 6 months of using this (not that I drink often, I don’t, but if my tolerance went up that means I’m detoxing faster = evidence it works).

Brain Child Nutritionals is amazing, and especially designed for kids that are ADHD or have autism. And it’s especially for kids that need the extra B vitamins like my younger daughter (who does not have ADHD or Autism but she needs extra vitamins due to gut absorption issues, similar to gut issues many Autistic children have). They have multiple formulas, including Sensitive, and the package comes with suggest dosing based on weight. Start SLOW! My friend’s autistic daughter has seen gains on this, but when increasing dosage too fast, her daughter (who is sensitive to B12) starts acting out. In calling BrainChild’s customer support, I spoke with an Autism mom that was very impressively educated on the ingredients and how each vitamin, mineral, and herb impacts the  child’s body, including detox. We’ve been super happy about this brand too. www.brainchildnutritionals.com

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Kids is a food-based vitamin. The B12 is methylcobalamin (Methyl B12) and Folate from broccoli (not “synthetic”). This can be especially important for people who have certain genetic mutation such as MTHFR or MTRR and have difficulty with synthetic versions. The only downsides: they use fermented grains in some of their products (not GF), and the amount of the “helper” B vitamins like Thiamin are rather low. Which is fine for mot people but we found out though labs that B1, B2 and B3 were too low. They also have a Garden of Life prenatal which changed the way I experienced pregnancies, for the better! I’m just upset it took my third pregnancy to find it! 😉

We also found SmartyPants Kids Complete Gummy Vitamins: and these became our youngest child’s favorite! They taste yummy, and are chewable sugary gelatin (of course they love it). If your kid won’t chew the Garden of Life ones, they won’t be able to turn down these. They have Omega 3s in them as well, from sardines and anchovies. The downsides: They are high in sugar. They do not cover the extra B’s (similarly to the Garden of Life above). You have to give 4 of them.

At one time, we switched back to Seeking Health Kids Multivitamin (pill form) and the Adults Multivitamins. Below is the ingredients list for this Optimal Multivitamin one, which is the most comprehensive of their adult multi’s. Note it even has Chlorella in it (for heavy metal detox). This vitamin is designed by Dr. Ben Lynch, the pioneer in Nutrigenomics and MTHFR.

Vitamin A 7500 IU; Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid/ascorbyl palmitate/calcium and magnesium ascorbate complex) 700 mg; Vitamin D3 200 IU; Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl, mixed tocopherols) 200 IU; Thiamine 50 mg; Riboflavin 25 mg; Niacin/Niacinamide 95 mg; Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine HCl/Pyridoxal-5-phosphate) 50 mg; Folate (as Metafolin) 400 mcg; Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) 125 mcg; Biotin 150 mcg; Pantothenic acid 250 mg; Calcium (citrate/ascorbate) 250 mg; Iodine (kelp) 100 mcg; Magnesium (aspartate/ascorbate) 250 mg; Zinc 13 mg; Selenium (as Selenium Krebs*/kelp) 100 mcg; Copper (amino acid chelate) 1 mg; Manganese (aspartate complex) 5 mg; Chromium GTF 100 mcg; Molybdenum (as Molybdenum Krebs*) 50 mcg; Potassium (aspartate complex) 50 mg; Lutein 3 mg; Lycopene 3 mg; Zeaxanthin 0.5 mg; Inositol 50 mg; Trace Elements (from sea vegetation) 50 mg; Choline 30 mg; PABA 25 mg; Boron (aspartate/citrate complex) .75 mg; Vanadium (as Vanadium Krebs*) 25 mg; L-Cysteine/NAC 75 mg; Betaine 57 mg; Bromelain (2,000 GDU/g) 25 mg; Glutamic acid 10 mg; L-methionine 6 mg; Rose Hips 50 mg; Lemon Bioflavonoids 50 mg; Red Wine proanthocyanidins and OPC/pine bark extract 25 mg; Hesperidin 18 mg; Rutin 12.5 mg; Proprietary Organic Fruit and Vegetable Blend 350 mg; Garlic 50 mg; Cauliflower 50 mg; Spirulina 50 mg; Chlorella 50 mg; Green papaya extract 50 mg; Blackberry 50 mg; Celery powder (leaf) 40 mg; Black radish powder 35 mg; Apricot powder 35 mg; Green tea extract 25 mg; Apple Pectin 25 mg.

If you go to the Seeking Health website you can find a chewable option as well. And if you are a fan, you can pay a membership fee and get 10% off all the Seeking Health products for a year.

Zinc:
Optimal Zinc Lozenge by Seeking Health Easy to chew

Optimal Zinc with Vitamin C And Vitamin B6 (Capsules) B6 and C are co-factors (work together) to help each other work better.

Fish Oil:
Nordic Naturals liquid Cod Liver Oil (some little ones will take this one straight off a teaspoon). Nordic Naturals uses Cod from the Arctic (less pollution)

Ultimate Omega Soft Gels Cod Liver Oil: my kids enjoy sucking / biting these soft gels, even when they were like three years old. Though they can be swallowed like a pill. (Infant version is below as well).

I personally do not advise Fermented Cod Liver Oil (such as Green Pastures), as it is a controversial fermenting process different to the processes used in our grandparents’ generation. I personally experienced Leaky Gut and food intolerances during the 5 or so months I was taking it daily. Two experts have informed me that it was the oil. (The product also tastes disgusting! Lol.) Some people swear by it, but in my personal opinion, I’m not convinced.

We also love Barleans, the Mango one is super yummy and I catch my kids trying to sneak extra.

B12
Active B12 Lozenge With L-5-MTHF – Seeking Health
My younger child was severely B12 deficient and this really made a huge difference in her behavior. She enjoys the cherry taste too. It’s a great one for those with MTHFR Genetic Mutation because it also contains 5-MTHF which is the version of folate that is easy to process.

Garden of Life mykind Organics Organic B-12 Spray, 2oz SprayThis spray is a high dose of B12 (maybe higher than you’re looking for), and it tastes good.

Adrenal Support
Adrenal Edge – Fatigue Support Supplement & Cortisol Manager – 2 ozThis was a miracle for us. My child was always on edge, always overstimulated, and screams or jumps at the slightest thing (fight or flight) before this. After beginning this daily, she calmed down. Her sensory isn’t as bad. She smiles A LOT! This supplement changed my child. We’ve tried less expensive options but none worked as well at the recommended doses.

If your child has stressed out adrenals this should be combined with omega 3s. Personal external and internal stress, chelation, heavy metal toxicity, parasites, and/or other health conditions can all stress the adrenals. If you have surpassed adrenal fatigue and are suffering a later stage (or Addison’s Disease), you will be producing less cortisol, so this product will do the opposite of what you are looking for. If that’s the case, you may want to seek out a Dessicated Adrenal supplement instead.

Probiotics:
Garden of Life RAW Organic Probiotic It’s easy to dilute into a drink and it tastes sweet (ages 2 months and up). IF your child can swallow capsules, it may be best to choose a capsule instead, so more goes to the gut.

BioGaia Probiotic:  It’s chewable and my kids like it so much they ask for more. However, at this price they’re only getting one! We personally have no miracles to report with L. Reuteri for us over a month of use. These articles  here and here discuss how it’s effective in reversing autism symptoms, and this study here says it helps relieve colic.

Garden of Life Probiotics Organic Kids Plus Chewable Tablet, 30 Count
There is an amazing book called The ADHD and Autism Nutritional Supplement Handbook, and this book (you can find it on Amazon, click the banner on the side/ bottom of this page), goes over the various supplements that individuals on the ADHD/ Autism spectrum often need. It also breaks down each vitamin’s side effects, dosage, and different forms of each vitamin.

Keeping On Hand to Fight the Onset of, and for Maintenance of, Illnesses

Herbs for Kids Echinacea/Astragalus, This stuff tastes good straight, everyone takes this!

Now Foods Elderberry Liquid Concentrate  I trust this brand and we have no complaints about the taste of this one at all.

Buffered Vitamin C Powder is easy to put into drinks with juice. This is the form of Vitamin C (powderedsodium ascorbate) that Dr. Suzanne Humphries recommends for whooping cough protocol and can be used in general.

A chelation expert informed me that Liposomal Vitamin C is the best, especially after medical conditions, or healing.

For Candida:

NOW Candida Supplement

Pure Encapsulations Grapefruit Seed Extract

For infants:

Nordic Naturals – Baby’s DHA I had no problem giving this to my babies (not one of them spit it out). And they all came to really like the taste of fish too. This is a small bottle but it will last you a while for young infants. Older infants I’d just jump to the Nordic Naturals Liquid Cod Liver Oil.

Garden of Life RAW Organic Probiotic It’s easy to dilute into a drink and it tastes sweet (ages 2 months and up). IF your child can swallow capsules, it may be best to choose a capsule instead, so more goes to the gut. The package says it’s safe for 3 months and up but I know of medical professionals who had suggested probiotics like this one for under that age. Dairy free.

Daily Vitamin: If a child is on formula they may not need a daily vitamin. However, you may want to consult with a nutritionist or specialist on this (doctors don’t get properly trained on nutrition, about 17 hours, and mostly about symptoms of deficiency). However if you have a child that is suffering from vaccine reaction or other extenuation circumstances, I found that this product is safe for 2 months and up VacciShield Nutritional Support for Infants and Kids During Vaccination. What’s great about this vitamin is that it includes Vitamin D and probiotics (one strain at least). The vitamin complex here can help a child detox on their own and boost the immune system.  it’s all water-soluble vitamins so the child can’t really overdose (exception of the Vitamin D). If I find any alternative products (I’m on the lookout for something more affordable), I’ll update it here. But on the positive, this product should last an infant a very long time.

Note that these three combined (Omega 3s, Garden of Life Probiotic and Vaccishield) are a great option but that if there is also formula with D3, it may push your infant over the recommended safe limit of 1000 iu per day for infants under 12 months. The Omega 3 has 400iu, and the Vaccishield has 300iu and your formula may have 400iu per day as well (that would be 1100iu). You may choose to alternate every other day of Omega 3 and Vaccishield (one day the Vaccishield the next the omegas) or do half doses of each daily, or find another alternative way to administer to your infant.

Also note that the Vaccishield does contain one strain of probiotic, while the Garden of Life has multiple strains. Varied gut flora is often beneficial so taking both should be ok. If your infant has loose stools following any of these, try lower dosing or call your trusted alternative health care provider. Also note that if your child has strep, do your own research to see which probiotics are not recommended.

Breastmilk is always a superior option to formula, and donated milk is always an option to consider too, which can be obtained through local mom’s groups, Le Leche League, or Milk Share groups. But for many of us we may have to use formula. The only formulas our family would touch would be Baby’s Only (the packaging says toddler formula but it’s widely used as an infant formula). Baby’s Only Organic Dairy Formula, (cheaper directly through their website), or Earth’s Best Organic.

**I do receive advertising fees for Amazon products purchased through Amazon links. These fees are used to cover costs of running this website and anything extra will be donated to vaccine education efforts. My recommendations are based on my own opinions and research and are not influenced by the advertising / referral fees. Also, I am not a doctor.**