All You Need to Know About Multi-Vitamins

The following information was collaborated with  Madison Regev, an amazingly kind and knowledgable nutrition consultant and research/product developer  in the nutraceutical world (@goodseedwellnessllc)

This is not medical advice.

There are 4 types of multis vitamins.      

• organ

• whole food

• naturally derived

• synthetic

Organ-Based

Nutrients sourced from animal organs like liver, kidney, or heart, which are naturally rich in bioavailable vitamins and minerals. These supplements are typically freeze-dried or minimally processed to preserve their nutrient profile, providing compounds in the forms the body already recognizes and uses.

Dosing for Children:

For example a full adult Paleo Valley is 6 capsules. For an 18 month old start with one a day. You would need to open it and put the contents in something like yogurt or applesauce. Around 5 years old you could up it to 2-3 capsules a day. *If they are new to organ complexes, still start with 1 a day (even at 5 years old) just to make sure they do well on it.

Heart & Soil

Just Ingredients (10% off)

Paleo Valley (15% off)

Equip (15% off)

Primal Pals (formulated for 3yr+)

Whole Food

The term “whole food vitamins” isn’t regulated by the FDA, so many companies mix synthetic or isolated vitamins with some whole food ingredients and market them as “whole food.” Some even ferment synthetic vitamins into a food base to make stronger claims.

True whole food vitamins are minimally processed, usually lower in nutrients, but provide natural cofactors/flavonoids from fruits and vegetables. They’re great for those with balanced diets who just want a boost, but not practical for high doses (like vitamin C) without lots of pills and cost.

Most multivitamins combine whole foods with synthetic or naturally derived nutrients. For truly whole food nutrition, the best sources are real foods (organic produce, meats) or single-ingredient supplements.

Llama Naturals (15% off) (both kids and adults)

Just Ingredients (15% off)

Naturally Derived

Naturally derived nutrients come from sources like plants, vegetables, fruits, or animal products, but are processed to isolate a specific vitamin or mineral in a consistent, concentrated dose. For example, vitamin A can be made from beta-ionone in lemongrass. While the nutrient’s origin is natural, the food matrix is removed, leaving a purified form.

This allows for reliable potency, higher doses than food alone can provide, and the removal of unwanted compounds.

Naturally derived nutrients are often considered a middle ground (more concentrated and standardized than whole foods, but with a natural origin unlike fully synthetic nutrients).

Garden of Life powder

Garden of Life chewable

Synthetic

Synthetic nutrients are vitamins and minerals created in labs from chemical precursors like petroleum byproducts or acetone, then refined to match the structure of natural nutrients. For example, vitamin A can be made from beta-ionone derived from acetone. While the source is artificial, the finished product is usually chemically identical to what’s found in food.

This method makes vitamins affordable, consistent, and widely available. Quality suppliers test to ensure only the intended nutrient remains, and in some cases, synthetic forms may even be more bioavailable than food-based versions, especially for people with genetic variations or health conditions that affect nutrient conversion.

Vita Aid (powder)

• mostly synthetic, but highly bio-available forms for kids that might have gene SNPS/greater needs *contains erythritol & natural flavor

Metabolic Maintenance (capsules)

• mostly synthetic, but a really good high absorption format for older kids that might need more support

First Day (gummies)

• great supplement fact panel and vitamins, but includes organic tapioca sugar, organic cane sugar, natural flavors/colors, organic sunflower oil 

  
  

Ella Ola (powder)

Please don't take this visual as gospel. I created it myself with the help of Google and Chat GPT - and I literally have no idea if any of this is correct. Ha! I'm waiting on my fact checking source/expert to confirm all looks good, but still wanted to get it out there because (at least for me) it helped me wrap my head around things better.

How to Tell if a Vitamin is Natural or Synthetic

A good first step is to check the active and “other” ingredients to see if there are blatant plant/animal/food sources listed (ex: beta carotene from D. Salina algae with x, y, z other nutrients). Most companies producing a naturally derived product will brag on it, so it’s fairly easy to spot. 

Then you can start checking the long chemical names next to the common vitamin name for the endings “-ide” or “-ate” (ex: B6 as pyridoxine hydrochloride). You can be pretty certain that the product contains synthetic derivatives if those are on the list. 

Fact or False?

“The body may have a harder time recognizing and processing synthetic nutrients, which can make them less effective.”

Synthetic nutrients are a double-edged sword. It’s not as simple as whether the body “recognizes” them. Their value depends on the specific nutrient and the person’s needs. For generally healthy people, whole-food or natural multis are usually best, but some may need synthetics to fill gaps food alone can’t cover.

Pros: they can have higher doses, can create bio-available forms/pre-converted forms of vitamins that certain people may not be able to absorb or convert on their own due to health conditions/genetics. They can be nearly identical to natural forms with a lower cost and smaller amount of pills.

Cons: when talking about something like iron, for example, we know the best source is heme iron from meat. Part of this is because meats that produce heme iron are also rich in b vitamins and other cofactors that aid in the absorption and utilization of iron by the body in specific ratios. 

Are Synthetic Vitamins Bad?

Nope! High-quality synthetic nutrients can be very beneficial, especially for people with chronic health issues, genetic SNPs, or other conditions that limit nutrient absorption from food.

Synthetic vitamins are made from artificial sources (e.g., vitamin A from acetone) but end up with nearly identical chemical structures, and studies generally support their effectiveness. Reputable suppliers test to ensure only the intended vitamin remains, whether the source was natural or synthetic.

In fact, some synthetics are more bioavailable. For example, food-based B12 often requires multiple conversions, but those with certain SNPs can’t complete the process. In these cases, synthetic forms like 5-MTHF may be the most effective way to fill nutrient gaps.

Thoughts on Mary Ruth?

Mary Ruth’s multis are synthetic, and include HCL forms of some of the b vitamins, which are not absorbed as well. For synthetic options we opted to select multis with more bio-available forms of vitamins (for example B6 as P5P or whole food form instead of pyridoxine HCL). We also looked at potency of some key nutrients.

In general, MR offers some wonderful standalone products like their Vitamin C, D, elderberry, etc. that contain minimal and certified organic ingredients. But for the sake of this post we wanted to consolidate options, and MR would not be our top choice.

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