Are Chewy Vitamins Effective?

As bariatric patients, you all know how vital vitamins are to your daily lives, especially after bariatric surgery.

For those of you who don’t know, following bariatric surgery, bariatric patients must stick to a daily vitamin regimen for the rest of their lives. Without these vitamins, you risk many different health problems due to deficiency.

Unfortunately, there are many different types of vitamins out there. So, deciding which ones are best for you can be difficult.

One question that patients often raise is if it’s okay to use chewy or chewable vitamins. Yes, it is OK! However, ensure that the vitamins you are taking are labeled as “chewy,” “soft chew,” or “chewable” and not “gummy,” as gummies lack the proper nutritional needs required for bariatric patients.

Keep reading to learn more about chewy vitamins!

What Are Soft Chew and Chewy Vitamins?

“Chewable” vitamins are comprised of compressed powder formed into a chewable tablet. These are the universal standard recommendation for at least the first month after surgery.

“Chewy” or “soft chew” vitamins are soft but not hard to chew like sticky, taffy-type chews.

What’s So Bad About Gummies?

Gummy vitamins are generally clear gelatin or pectin-based shaped sweets that you can chew.

So why shouldn’t you use gummy vitamins?

For starters, it’s challenging to incorporate the same ingredients into gummy vitamins that need to go into chewable vitamins.

Many manufacturers also make gummy vitamins with way too much sugar. In fact, high fructose corn syrup tends to be the main ingredient in many gummy vitamins. If you take enough to meet your bariatric needs, some gummies could deliver as much as 30 g of sugar. That’s five more grams than the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

Gummies also don’t provide iron.

Iron is essential, especially for bariatric patients. It’s recommended to take 18mg to 60mg of iron daily (depending on the surgery). Why pay for gummies, if you’re only going to have to pay extra for an iron supplement? Instead, go with a soft chew vitamin that already contains iron!

Why Should I Take Chewy Bariatric Vitamins?

It’s better to take vitamins that manufacturers specifically make for bariatric patients. That way, you’ll know you’re receiving the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

Directly following bariatric surgery, most professionals recommend that patients take liquid or chewable vitamins.

You see, even several months out of surgery, it may be difficult for your intestines to process a large pill. While this may improve over time, many people consistently prefer a liquid or chewable vitamin.

The ProCare Health | Bariatric Multivitamin Soft Chews | Multi-Flavor | 60 Count, is perfect for any bariatric patient and non-bariatric patients. The recommended dosages per the ASMBS guidelines are as follows:

No weight loss surgery – one chew daily
Gastric band surgery – one chew daily
Gastric sleeve surgery – two chews daily
Gastric bypass RNY/gastric bypass surgery – three chews daily
Biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch (BPD/DS) SADI surgery – four chews daily.

Remember to always follow your doctor’s or dietitian’s recommendations on how many multivitamin chews you need a day.

At only 45 calories per two chews, ProCare’s Soft Chews are perfect for anyone. Some of its popular traits are:

Three all-natural flavors: cran-grape, mango-orange, and cherry-lime
Flexible serving size
Includes iron
No sugar alcohols
Gluten, soy, and dairy-free

These vitamins were developed to provide essential vitamins and minerals your body needs following bariatric surgery and undergo all the quality testing ProCare Health requires.

What To Look for In a Multivitamin

You want a complete multivitamin containing iron and other trace minerals. It should have at least 200% of your daily value for most contents, specifically iron (36 mg), folic acid (800 mcg), thiamine (3 mg), and 100% of your daily value of zinc (15 mg), copper (2 mg), and other nutrients.

In general, try to find a multivitamin that contains at least:

Folic acid – 400 to 1,000 mcg (ProCare Health utilizes methyl folate, which is the readily absorbable form of folic acid).
Iron – 18 to 60 mg
Vitamin A – 5,000 to 10,000 IU
Vitamin E – 15 to 20 mg
Vitamin K – 90 to 120 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – 12 to 50 mg
Vitamin B12 – 350 to 500 mcg
Vitamin D – 3,000 to 6,000 IU
Zinc – 8 to 22 mg
Copper – 1 to 2 mg

The Importance of Calcium

Bariatric surgery can indirectly induce nutritional deficiencies. One of the most common nutritional deficiencies following bariatric surgery is calcium deficiency.

Changes in vitamin D and calcium handling following bariatric surgery can induce bone loss, which can result in higher fracture (broken bone) risk.

Bone loss is observed to some extent after every type of bariatric surgery. This bone loss is typically caused by:

Mechanical unloading of the skeleton (decreased bone formation and decreased bone mass)
Intestinal malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D
Hormonal changes caused by the reduced caloric intake and the resulting energy deficit

To reduce the risk of bone loss and fractures after surgery, it’s essential that you supplement with calcium.

Chewy Calcium Supplements

ProCare Health offers two varieties of chewable calcium supplements. These include:

These are the only all-natural calcium chews on the market!

Both products are formulated with 500 mg TruCal® calcium per piece. TruCal® is unique because it contains more than just calcium. According to TruCal®, it “contains minerals sourced directly from cow’s milk, delivering them in ratios similar to the composition of bone.”

TruCal® is compiled of six main minerals, including:

Calcium – 25%
Phosphorus – 12%
Magnesium – 0.37%
Potassium – 0.7%
Zinc – 0.009%
Copper – 0.0005%

ProCare Health

Shop with ProCare Health for all your bariatric vitamin and supplement needs. We work tirelessly to ensure that each product is high-quality and ready to help you on your weight loss journey.

If you feel you’re missing out on valuable dietary supplements and vitamins, view our product page today!

Do you have any questions about our products? Contact us here.