I’m the lucky recipient of 2 free bottles of Smarty Pants vitamins, one for kids, and one for adults, in exchange for my honest review of the products. I’d never even heard of this brand before, but when I discovered that they look and taste like gumdrops, I was excited to give them a try!
One of the best parts about Smarty Pants is that they combine Omega-3 fats, vitamin D, and the usual multivitamin ingredients into one product. It just so happens that my entire family has been taking 3 separate supplements for these nutrients, so finding them all in one product was definitely something more convenient for us.
Although this is marketed as a selling point by the company, there’s a trade-off. It’s impossible to include everything in a single dose vitamin because some nutrients interfere with the absorption of others. Their FAQ explains that calcium is not included in their vitamins because it reduces the absorption of zinc. Iron is also not present because of the potential for oxidation of the fish oil in the vitamins. If you choose Smarty Pants vitamins, be aware that you need to monitor your diet for calcium and iron, and use additional supplements if you deem necessary. While this is certainly a downside, most other multivitamins on the market also contain vitamins or minerals that influence each other’s absorption; they just don’t often mention this interaction to consumers!
I’m impressed with the quality of the ingredients in these vitamins. The fish oil is certified to be free of toxins, there are no artificial sweeteners, and the vitamin B12 is a form more readily used by the body than what most supplements contain. These vitamins are also free of all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and the only sweetener is organic sugar. They use only certified labs to produce their vitamins, to ensure high quality.
One negative I see is the amount of sugar used to sweeten the vitamins, which is 5 grams per serving for the children’s vitamins and 11 grams per serving for the adult version. If you consider there are 4 grams in 1 teaspoon of sugar, that means kids are getting a bit more than 1 teaspoon of sugar in each serving of Smarty Pants, and adults are getting just under 3 teaspoons worth in a daily serving.
If go into your kitchen and spoon that much sugar into a bowl, you’ll see what I’m talking about. That’s a fair amount of sugar, which of course is really not healthy at all. They mention on their website that the sugar content is 80% less than a glass of apple juice, implying the sugar content is low. But I don’t advocate drinking much apple juice either; your body does not need sugar from apple juice any more than you need to be ingesting sugar from your vitamins. With America fast becoming a nation of pre-diabetics, and insulin resistance raging rampant across our population, making vitamins taste better with added sugar is an option to be weighed seriously. Having said that, and acknowledging that organic sugar is better than artificial sweeteners any day, my kids loved them, and I do admit the adult vitamins are tasty too!
Overall, I am impressed with the Smarty Pants line of vitamins. The convenience is wonderful and their top-quality ingredients are well worth the price. If you’re interested in learning more about them, check out their website at http://www.smartypantsvitamins.com/.
Images credit: Smarty Pants Vitamins
Alongside her therapeutic work, Vanessa is also a certified birth doula. With her doula training, she offers compassionate support to individuals and families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, ensuring a nurturing and empowering experience.
Vanessa's commitment to supporting individuals on their healing and transformative journeys shines through her expertise in trauma therapy and her compassionate approach to birth support. With her diverse skill set and passion for holistic well-being, Vanessa strives to provide comprehensive care and education.
Thanks for the review! I agree that is a lot of sugar, but it is probably better than some of the “kid” vitamins out there.