Getting children to eat a balanced diet can be one of the biggest challenges for a parent. With my daughters, there appears to be no pattern as to which foods will or won’t be in favour from one day to the next. However, whatever they do eat, you can guarantee that they’re not getting the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables.
To ensure that children get the nutrition they need, the NHS recommends that all those aged from 6 months to 5 years should take a daily vitamin supplement containing vitamins A, C and D. G&G vitamins’ Kid’s Rainbow Food is an organic wholefood multivitamin that targets the top end of this age range. It’s suitable for children over four years old and contains a specially formulated range of essential vitamins and minerals sourced from a colourful variety of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and macrobiotics.
Rainbow food provides 100g of a fine, wholefood drink powder that can be added to drinks, smoothies or even yoghurts. For children aged between 4 and 6, the serving size is 1g so you get a supply that will likely last 100 days. For children aged 7, the serving size is 2g so one bottle will last you for about 50 days.
The packaging is splashed with rainbow colours and presents lots of useful information, including directions for use and details about the product. Inside the box is a sturdy green plastic bottle labelled with some more essential information.
Table of Contents
Who are G & G?
G&G are an independent supplier of high-quality supplements. They were founded in 1965 and are known as one of the UK’s original supplement manufacturers. They make all their products in an ISO Class 8 cleanroom in their premises in Sussex. An onsite nutritional therapist formulates everything they produce, and it is finetuned through research and testing.
Every item G&G produce has been designed to genuinely help their customers and not follow fad diets or health trends. Each active ingredient has been carefully studied and then sourced to create the best results in the precise amount for the best therapeutic effect. To allow everyone to access their products and have good health and wellbeing, most of their products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans, as well as being allergen friendly.
Awards and certifications
G & G hold accreditation to show that they have achieved the standards of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) awarded by the Health Food Manufacturers Association. Rainbow Food has been certified organic by the Soil Association and also bears the EU Organic leaf logo. It has also been approved as vegan by the Vegetarian Society.
I would have awarded a higher score if: There was a third-party certificate of analysis showing the precise vitamin and mineral content.
Ease of use
Because rainbow food comes as a powder, it must be mixed into a liquid and drunk. It comes with a 1g scoop which makes it easy to get a precise amount into your desired drink. Because it’s a powder made from real food it doesn’t dissolve but makes a sludgy looking mixture. Unfortunately, compared to the sweet gummy vitamins my eldest daughter is used to, she found this a bit of a struggle.
Although it was trickier to get her to drink it too start with I was happy to persevere because each 1g serving is so packed full of incredible natural goodness. Our winning formula was to mix it with apple juice and serve it in an opaque drinks bottle. That way I could give it a good shake and she couldn’t see the slightly brown liquid.
I would have awarded a higher score if: it was easier to prepare.
Taste
The powder is completely natural with no added flavour, so it has a mild vegetable taste. It’s not unpleasant, but it wasn’t something my daughter was willing to drink voluntarily. We started by mixing it with water but in the end, found that the best results came when we combined it with apple juice.
The first few days she was very reluctant to drink it although she admitted that she liked the flavour. After a while, things got a lot better, and she would soon ask when she could have her ‘yummy drink’.
I would have awarded a higher score if: I didn’t have to add a flavoured drink too it.
How effective are they?
Although the preparation and flavour were more of a challenge than I had hoped, this was more than made up for by the fantastic blend of beneficial ingredients it contains. It includes apple, pomegranate, acerola, baobab, bilberry, beetroot, spinach, asparagus root, kale, carrot, broccoli, spirulina, shiitake, banana, lemon peel, saccharomyces boulardii, bifido bacterium infantis and lactobacillus rhamnosus.
Knowing that we were giving our daughter a daily blend of such goodness meant that it was well worth the effort. Although it’s tricky to know what can be attributed to a multivitamin, I am convinced that it had a positive effect on her overall health and wellbeing.
Value for money
One hundred servings for 4 to 6-year-olds or 50 servings for those 7-years and older will cost you £21.99, which works out at approximately 22p or 44p per serving. This is without a doubt one of the more expensive kids multivitamins but, in my opinion, well worth it.
With such a range of organic ingredients when giving these to my daughter, it was the first time I was really happy she was getting the goodness she needs. With previous vitamins, I always felt they were a poor substitute for a balanced diet and although I still wish she’d eat more fruit and veg, at least with rainbow food she can still benefit from a range of good produce.
The only drawback was how challenging I initially found it to get her to take it. The flavour and texture mean that you have to be inventive or persuasive, but it’s well worth it in the long run.
I would have awarded a higher score if: they were easier to take and tastier.
My Supplement Recommendations
These are products that I currently use and enthusiastically recommend:
Multivitamin – Nutrigenesis Multi for Men or Nutrigenesis for Women. Performance Lab use their patented Nutrigenesis technique to provide a range of vitamins and minerals in their most effective form. Read my review.
Nootropic – Mind Lab Pro contains eleven natural nootropics that have been proven to support cognitive function and brain health. Read my review.
Collagen – Edible Health Bovine Collagen. This excellent bovine collagen powder is completely tasteless and absorbs quickly into any liquid. It’s third-party lab tested and provides 13g of collagen per serving. Read my review.
Turmeric – VitaBright Organic Turmeric with Ginger and Black Pepper. These turmeric capsules are organic, effective and affordable. They include black pepper to enhance curcumin absorption and ginger to provide additional useful benefits. Read my review.
Incredible value – G&G Vitamin 28 day packs This is the most affordable way to buy supplements in the UK. One tub holds 28 daily packs of up to 11 different vitamins, minerals or food supplements.
You may also be interested in reading our round-up of the best multivitamins UK, or best vitamin D supplements UK.