Is a prenatal gummy “good enough”? A Nutritionist’s Honest Take on Needed Prenatal Gummies
- 19 hours ago
- 7 min read
To be honest, I have never been a big fan of gummy vitamins for adults.
This isn’t because gummies are inherently “bad.” It’s because there are real limitations to how much nutrition can fit into a gummy while still making it taste good and remain stable. When we are talking about a prenatal, those limitations matter even more.
Pregnancy significantly increases the demand for many nutrients. At the same time, pregnancy symptoms such as nausea, food aversions, constipation, bloating, fatigue, and a limited appetite can make it much harder to consistently eat a nutrient-dense diet. While I believe it is possible to have a healthy and successful pregnancy without supplements, I don’t think it’s realistic within the demands of our modern world.
IE: When it comes to pregnancy, I am just not a “food gives you everything” kinda nutritionist. I think taking supplements is important AND enhances postpartum outcomes for both mom and baby.
However, supplement quality is EVEN MORE important in this population. I carefully consider nutrient levels, breadth of nutrients, additives, quality (purity and testing standards), and delivery method when making a recommendation for a prenatal and perinatal supplement.
Needed’s Prenatal Multi Capsules have been my long-standing number one recommendation. However, with the new release of Needed’s Prenatal Multi Gummy (!!) I was faced with a new question: Is the best prenatal the one with the most comprehensive label OR the one you actually take?
Ideally, it’s both.
Spoiler: After reviewing Needed’s new Prenatal Multivitamin Gummy, I still don’t think a gummy is automatically the best primary prenatal. However, I am impressed by how much Needed managed to include, and I think this product fills an important gap for women who cannot consistently tolerate capsules. I’ll tell you why…
My Preferred Prenatal Foundation
For most women who are trying to conceive, my preference is still Needed’s Prenatal Multivitamin in the three-capsule format.
The three-capsule multivitamin contains 22 nutrients compared with the gummy’s 17, with higher amounts of several nutrients I care about during preconception and pregnancy, including choline, vitamin A, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B12.
I like that the capsule formula can serve as a strong nutritional foundation while leaving room for personalization. Depending on someone’s diet, symptoms, health history, and laboratory data, we may add iron, omega-3s, additional choline, vitamin D, magnesium, or other targeted support. I don’t believe prenatal nutrition can (or should) be completely one-size-fits-all; so lower levels of nutrients or less nutrients in a prenatal multivitamin formula allows that easy customization.
Iron is a good example. Iron needs rise during pregnancy, but the appropriate supplemental dose can vary significantly based on actual iron status, diet, symptoms, and tolerance. Someone with iron-deficiency anemia may need a different amount than someone whose iron markers are already sufficient. It is one nutrient that I don’t recommend taking unnecessarily as it can increase oxidative stress (the fenton reaction for the nerds out there) AND can contribute to occasional constipation (nooo thank you, already got enough of that thanks to the rise in hormones). [Psst, luckily Needed makes this easy with add-on Iron capsules 13.5mg each + easy to customize dosing]
Omega-3s present a different challenge, in the form of space! A clinically significant dose of DHA during pregnancy is close to 600mg. That sounds like a tiny amount, but when you’re trying to fit that inside a capsule (or now a gummy), it just isn’t feasible. I absolutely recommend taking additional EPA + DHA when trying to conceive and during pregnancy, but it requires an additional soft gel or liquid supplement on top of a prenatal multivitamin. Similar to iron, I think it is helpful to test your individual Omega Index and dial in ideal dosing based on personal lab data.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient with a well-established upper limit. More is not always a good thing. We want to keep a fairly tight range, which requires frequent lab testing of blood levels and frequent dosing manipulations in response! Since it is difficult to get adequate Vitamin D from food (or the sun), a moderate-to-high dose makes sense. The 4000 IUiu included in both the Prenatal Multi Capsule and The Prenatal Gummy is a solid foundation to build from.
Filling the Gaps With Food
I am a food-first nutritionist, but I am not a food-only nutritionist, especially during pregnancy.
The goal is to use food as a primary source of nutrition while recognizing that pregnancy symptoms can make an ideal diet difficult or temporarily impossible.
Some of the nutrients that I pay particular attention to:
Choline: The adequate intake for pregnancy is 450 mg per day, but I often recommend pushing this HIGHER towards 950 mg! Eggs are one of the easiest choline-rich foods, clocking in around 150mg per large egg. Poultry, meat, fish, and dairy also contribute significantly to daily choline intake. However, these proteins can be some of the main aversions during the first trimester of pregnancy. That’s when supplementation can be so helpful!
>> The Needed Multi Prenatal Capsules provide 200mg of choline, while the gummy contains 55mg. Luckily, Needed offers a Gummy + Choline bundle that adds 500 mg of choline in one capsule!
Calcium: Calcium is not included in the Multi Capsules OR the gummy. I don’t consider this a major problem, because it is possible to get adequate calcium from dairy (foods such as yogurt, kefir, milk, and cheese). For those who cannot tolerate dairy, sardines with bones (!!), fortified non-dairy milks, seeds, and certain leafy greens can provide adequate calcium with intentional planning.
Magnesium: Nuts, seeds, legumes, leafy greens, cacao, and whole grains can help, but may not be enough! The Needed Multi Capsules have some magnesium (200mg), but the gummy contains a very small amount (10mg). I don’t find that food sources of magnesium have the therapeutic effect that you can get from magnesium supplements, which varies by FORM of magnesium.
>> I often recommend additional Magnesium Oxide or Magnesium Citrate in cases of constipation. This is easy to customize and use short-term until symptoms resolve.
Bottom line: Food can help close several gaps, but I would not assume that diet automatically covers everything. This is where individual eating habits, pregnancy symptoms, laboratory data, and clinical history should guide the supplementation plan [alas, the value of working one-on-one with a provider during pregnancy].
SO, Where the Needed Prenatal Gummy (May) Fit
The gummy is not the exact capsule formula converted into a sweeter chewable format (if only!). It is a less comprehensive prenatal formula, but it holds a genuinely useful purpose.
I see it being particularly helpful for:
Women experiencing significant first-trimester nausea
Anyone with a strong gag reflex or difficulty swallowing capsules
Women who have stopped taking their prenatal because they cannot tolerate it (!!)
Days or periods when capsules simply are not staying down
Someone who understands that the gummy may need to be paired with food and other individualized supplements
Back to my conundrum, the point is that a perfectly formulated prenatal does very little if it remains in the bottle. So, if the choice is between taking no prenatal and taking the Needed Prenatal Gummy, I would absolutely recommend the gummy. (And certainly I would also strongly recommend it over the ‘lightly dosed’ gummy prenatal vitamins I commonly see)
Is the Needed Prenatal Gummy “GOOD ENOUGH”?!
Do I think Needed’s Prenatal Multivitamin Gummy is the most comprehensive option in the Needed prenatal lineup? No. For someone preparing for pregnancy and tolerating capsules well, I would still begin with the Needed Multi Prenatal and personalize from there.
But for someone who is struggling to take daily capsules, YES I think the Needed Prenatal Gummy has earned a real seat at the table.
Needed has created a prenatal gummy that takes pregnancy nutrient needs much more seriously than most adult gummies do. It includes clinically studied amounts of several key nutrients, uses thoughtful nutrient forms, and is selective about what it leaves out.
I see it as a strong alternative for women who cannot tolerate a more comprehensive prenatal. As with diets or exercise, the best supplement plan is the one that can be followed consistently. And in pregnancy, now that can look like gummies plus food and targeted support.
The Nitty Gritty Details of Needed’s Prenatal Multi Gummy
Needed’s Prenatal Multivitamin Gummy provides 17 vitamins and minerals in a serving of three gummies. >> see the complete supplement facts here
17 Total Nutrients | 3 Gummies Per Day
FAQS
What about the added sugar? A full serving (3 gummies) contains 7 grams of added sugar. That is more than I would ideally want from a daily supplement, and it is part of the tradeoff involved in delivering nutrients in a palatable gummy. I appreciate that Needed uses organic sugar and organic tapioca syrup rather than artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols. I don’t think 7 grams of sugar makes the product a “bad choice”. I do think it is information worth considering, especially for someone monitoring blood sugar or taking other products sweetened with sugar.
What’s NOT in the Gummy? It’s worth highlighting what ISN’T included in the Needed Prenatal Gummy as well! No synthetic dyes, no synthetic food coloring, no high fructose corn syrup, no gelatin. Woo-hoo!
What flavors are available? Two flavor options! Strawberry-Banana or Orange-Passionfruit-Pineapple. Both come in the bottle, so you don’t have to choose!
Where can I find Needed products? Needed is a practitioner-grade supplement brand, but you do not need a prescription or practitioner approval. No gatekeeping- You can order for yourself directly here!
What if I need help deciding which product or stack is right for me? Wherever you are in your fertility journey (preconception, newly pregnant, postpartum).. We’d love to support you! Learn more about our New Patient Process and become a patient at The Facility.
This post is sponsored by Needed, a brand I genuinely recommend to my patients and use personally.
About Kate Daugherty, MS, CNS: Kate is a certified nutrition specialist and functional nutritionist at The Facility Functional Medicine Clinic in Denver, Colorado.
I embarked on my career journey in neuroscience, which seamlessly transitioned into further education in human nutrition. Utilizing food as medicine to treat the mind-body connection is truly remarkable. I believe our eating habits nourish our soul just as profoundly as they do our body.
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