I often get asked what supplements I give my son and how I keep him healthy the natural way. People often ask if I give him a multi-vitamin. Hell. No. Multi-vitamins (for children and adults) are usually made using synthetic hormones and ‘vitamins’, in a very non-bioavailable source, not to mention all the additives and preservatives added. They actually do more to increase our toxic load than they do to boost our immune systems. And the immune system will NOT be boosted or aided if our body’s toxic load is too heavy. In short, do not buy into the whole multi-vitamin market.

The best way to get all the vitamins and trace minerals our children need into their bodies is through diet, but this isn’t always possible. And not just because of our busy lives, but also because many of the trace minerals we need – the most important being magnesium and potassium, and to a slightly lesser extent, copper – no longer show up in our food as they used to because the soil has become so depleted in them. Therefore we do need to supplement with them a bit in order to make sure we get enough of them into our children’s bodies in order for their bodies to be able to thrive in the optimum way.

I try to get as much as possible into my son through food, but because he is not a great eater (ironic or what!) and because some things just do need a bit more of a boost, these are the things I make sure to supplement him with daily:

Whole foods vitamin c – I use Pure Synergy Powder
Extra virgin cod liver oil – I use Rosita’s (only ever Rosita’s – you can read more about why on their website)
Probiotics to keep gut microbiome healthy – I use Biokult
Magnesium – I put these trace minerals drops in his water daily and use this powder for the gummies.

If his immune system is low or there is a lot of flu going around or I know that children around him may have had the flu vaccine (which sheds for up to 2 weeks), I’ll also give him elderberry syrup.

In order to make gummies, you need gelatin to make them chewy, and growing up in a Jewish household, this was always something that we steered well clear of, despite never being ‘overly’ kosher. But recently not only have I learnt more about the health benefits of gelatin, but I have also learnt about the fact that the healthiest form of gelatin is actually sourced from pasture-reared organic cows, not pigs. So no, the animals are not killed in a ‘kosher’ way, but if you’re like me and prefer to know that they were organically and ethically reared, then knowing it comes from cows and not pigs might change your mind on this, even if you are Jewish or Muslim. (No offence to those who feel differently!)

The amino acids glycine and proline in gelatin are needed not only for proper skin, hair and nail growth, but also for optimal immune function and weight regulation.

As a population, we don’t consume these animal parts as much as we used to. Some health experts claim that our modern habit of eating large amounts of muscle meat (like steak) without eating the organs and connective tissue or making broth with the bones may be contributing to modern disease. For more info on this visit the Weston A Price Foundation.

As a non meat eater myself, it was hard for me to get my head around this, though my reasons for not eating meat are very much based around the ethical side of things and not health. I do believe there are some health benefits to eating certain types of the correctly sourced meat, but I also believe that we as humans have overdone it on the mass farming and therefore have begun to destroy our planet and I don’t think the animals deserve it, especially when we live in an age when there are plenty of substitutes to keep us healthy. That being said, my husband does eat meat and our compromise was that I would never push my views on him, but that any meat in this house would be ethically sourced, and that Braxton would also eat meat unless he decides otherwise for himself when he is old enough. So for that reason I’ve always made bone broth for Braxton (using pasture-reared organic and ethically sourced bones – currently using Primal Meats for this), and I always will because I believe in its healing ability. What I didn’t know until recently was how integral gelatin is to the recipe.

Making these gummies is an easy and efficient way to get all of the above vitamins into my son daily, or every few days, depending on how he feels – I never force them on him. It means I can put all the vitamins in one, yummy place, ensuring he’ll actually take them! Of course I don’t put the fish oil liquid in – yuk! That he has off a spoon followed by a bit of juice to soften the blow 🙂

A lot of what I speak about here I learnt from Morley Robbins and the Magnesium Advocacy Group, which focuses on the Root Cause Protocol. For more information on this I highly recommend joining the Facebook group or reading up on the website.

I hope you enjoy making these and giving them to your kids, knowing you really are giving them the purest version of a multi-vitamin possible.

Ingredients

8 tsp gelatin powder – I use Great Lakes gelatin
1 cup apple or orange juice
2 tsp natural honey
1 tsp magnesium powder
1 sachet probiotic powder
1 tbsp whole foods vitamin c powder

You’ll also need BPA-free silicon moulds – I used these ones

Method

First, lightly grease the silicon moulds with coconut oil and prepare space for them in the freezer.

Combine the juice, gelatin powder and honey in a saucepan and very gently heat over a low heat until combined and until gelatin is fully dissolved.

Remove from the heat, pour into a glass jug and whisk in all the vitamins.

Once incorporated fully, quickly pour into the prepared moulds before it sets and put in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. After the 10 minutes remove from the moulds and store them in a jar or container in the fridge.

Serve daily or every few days.

Love & health,
Lauren