Look along any pharmacy shelf, or scroll any online store, and you will find multivitamins in two main forms: the familiar strip of tablets and the newer chewable gummy. Both can be part of a daily routine.

The better choice is the one that fits how you live, and the one you will actually keep taking. Here is how the two compare, point by point, so you can decide for yourself.

Two formats, one job

A tablet and a gummy are simply two ways of delivering vitamins and minerals. A tablet is pressed powder, usually coated, and swallowed with water. A gummy is a soft chewable made with a gelling agent and flavouring, eaten like a sweet.

The format does not change what a vitamin does in the body. What changes is how much fits in each serving, what else comes along with it, and how easy it is to take every single day.

Swallowing versus chewing

For many people, this is the deciding point.

• Tablets need water and a swallow. Some people find larger tablets uncomfortable, and that alone can be enough to stop taking them.
• Gummies are chewed. There is no glass of water and nothing to wash down, so they are easy to take at your desk, at the breakfast table or on the go.

If you have ever left a strip half-finished because the tablets felt like a chore, a chewable format is worth a try.

The sugar question

This is where gummies differ most from one another. Many gummy supplements are sweetened with sugar or glucose syrup, and a daily sweet adds up over a year.

ASHPARNI gummies are sugar free. They are sweetened with maltitol and FOS, a dietary fibre, and come to about 10 kcal a gummy, with 2.2 g of dietary fibre and 0 g of fat.

Whichever gummy you choose, check the label for sugar per serving. A gummy is not automatically sugar free.

What fits in a serving

Tablets have one real advantage: they can pack more in. A small tablet can carry larger amounts of some minerals than a gummy, which also has to taste good and hold its shape.

That is why gummies, ASHPARNI included, tend to focus on vitamins and a few key minerals. ASHPARNI covers 11 nutrients: vitamins A, C, D3, E, B5, B6, B9 and B12, with biotin, zinc and iodine. It does not contain iron, calcium or magnesium.

If your doctor has advised a specific mineral, or a higher amount of any nutrient, follow their advice on what to take.

Read the label, not the format

Whichever form you pick, the label tells you far more than the shape does. Look for:

• Amount per serving, not per pack, so you know what one daily dose gives you.
• %RDA for each nutrient. ASHPARNI lists every one per gummy, as per ICMR Guidelines 2020.
• Serving size. If a product asks for two or three a day, factor that into both cost and convenience.
• Sugar and calories per serving.
• The FSSAI licence number and who manufactures and markets the product.

Side by side

Here is the short version.

Which one suits you?

There is no single right answer. These are the signs that point one way or the other.

Either way, the best multivitamin is the one you take consistently, alongside a varied, balanced diet. If you go for a gummy, our guide to building a one-a-day habit will help you stick with it.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. ASHPARNI is a health supplement, not a medicine, and not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet. Do not exceed the recommended usage on the label. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or unsure whether a supplement is right for you, speak to your doctor or dietician.