After back to school season kicks into gear and the leaves start to fall, another “season” creeps in and leaves little to celebrate. There are a variety of ways in which people arm themselves against the winter germies – some natural, some medicinal. My personal immune system, having had some pretty rough moments (er um years) responds best to immune strengthening vs pharmaceuticals. With that said, there are distinct differences between immune strengthening, immune modulating, and immune “boosting.” Those of us with auto-immune issues have to be cautious when BOOSTING. I won’t go into the specifics because these gummies are far too cute to get too science-y, but I like to focus on supplements and/or vitamins which help my body do its thing, rather than immune stimulants which can sort of throw my immune system out of whack. My kids tend to respond well to the natural stuff too, along with eating clean of course, so these gummies were a perfect fit for us. And plus, they’re gummies, I mean what kid is gonna say no to those?! I used these molds. And these.
Note: I am not a healthcare provider and do not even play one on TV. The ingredients in these gummies have documented health benefits and therefore have been incorporated into this recipe for immune support. If you have a known sensitivity to any of the ingredients, please avoid them. If you have an autoimmune disease, take caution with anything that could potentially be an immune stimulant. Only use the ingredients that are beneficial and non-harmful to you and your family.
Below you will find the ingredients, directions, and also the breakdown of how much of each nutrient/vitamin you will find in each gummy. My recipe made about 45 gummies so I am basing the nutritional information on that number. I chose the below ingredients for the following reasons: Cranberry Juice – Cranberries have been shown to reduce the severity and longevity of flu symptoms if caught, it boosts NK (natural killer) cells, and has been shown to be immune supportive. Read more here! Elderberry Syrup – Known to help reduce flu symptoms and severity and to provide immune support. Also may have anti-viral/anti-bacterial properties. Omit if you have a known sensitivity. Vitamin C – helps keep immune systems operating at top notch by increasing white blood cells. Read more here. Local Raw Honey – Immune supportive and may have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Read more here. Vitamin D – Important for overall immune health and disease prevention. Read more here. Ingredients:
- 1 cup Organic Cranberry juice blend (can be pure cranberry too but the most important thing is that it is 100% juice, no sugar added)
- 1/4 cup Grass Fed Gelatin (red can)
- 1 tablespoon pure Elderberry syrup (no sugar added) – be careful to choose one that is PURE
- 1 teaspoon Vitamin C crystals (this equalled 4,000 mg or 4 grams of Vitamin C for this brand I used)
- 1 tablespoon local raw honey
- 3 drops Vitamin D3 (this equalled 3,000 i.u. total for this brand I used) – make sure to use D3 as D2 is synthetic
- Optional: Echinacea drops (Not advised for use if you have an autoimmune disorder – read more here)
- Combine juice, elderberry syrup, vitamin d drops, and vitamin c powder in a small saucepan. Turn heat on medium/high and add in gelatin
- Stir well to combine, leaving no gelatin lumps behind. Heat thoroughly but it is not necessary to boil as long as the gelatin is combined well
- Remove from heat at once and stir in honey
- Pour into molds and refrigerate until set; this usually takes about half an hour, sometimes less
One gummy has:
- 67 i.u. Vitamin D
- 89 mg Vitamin C
What would be a normal daily dose for these for kids and adults? Also do u take more if u are sick?
Since I am not a “healthcare professional” I cannot recommend dosing. However, I can tell you that I comfortably give my kids 2-4 of these a day without worry (based on their age range 3-7)
These gummies are, first off, way too cute! Second off, I love the idea of making gummies that support my immune system in a lot of different ways and are not full of fillers.
Thanks Stacia! Hope you love them!
Absolutely love it~~ Thank you.
One question: How many/day would you recommend taking before it’s too much?
Thanks. 🙂 xo
Since I am not a “healthcare professional” I cannot recommend dosing. However, I can tell you that I comfortably give my kids 2-4 of these a day without worry (based on their age range 3-7)
Btw: Thank you for all the resources and links for the mix-ins. Excellent ideas! 😀
Thanks Nicolette!
Where do you get the molds?! So cute! My son would love gobbling them up!
Hi Caity, the mold links are in the post 🙂
Does the heating process not hurt the Vitamins? Just curious… These look awesome but that concerns me.
In my research, Vitamin C will BEGIN to degrade at 70F degrees. For this reason it is advised that it be cooked quickly. This recipe only takes a minute or two total once the heat is turned on – if you prefer you can add the vitamins after removing from heat or remove them altogether. Foods containing Vitamins also lose some of their potency when going from raw to cooked so if you think of it that way, it is less concerning.
Hi! The link you have for the elderberry syrup is no longer in stock with Amazon. Can you recommend another brand or site to order this specific one at? Thanks!
Hi Sara,
Try this one: http://amzn.to/1yx4PVh
Hi! These look amazing (and so cute) and I’d love to make them! I have a couple comments though:
1) You list honey as an ingredient to be added to the saucepan, and then later say to add the honey after the mixture has been removed from heat. I assume you didn’t mean to add it to the saucepan list, but just wanted to clarify in case I’m wrong!
2) Ever since my doctor discovered a pretty severe vitamin D deficiency due to malabsorption, I’ve been using Vitacost’s 1 fl oz bottles of D3 (don’t know whether linking will get this caught in your spam filter, but you can search “Vitamin D drops” on the site). The ingredients are just cholecalciferol and olive oil (that actually tastes like olive oil), and I’m really happy with the price, but I’m wondering if there’s a particular reason why you use your brand? Vitacost’s is the only D supplement I’ve used, so I like hearing what works for other people since it’s a pretty important Vitamin for me to be getting the good stuff for!
Thanks so much. 🙂
Hi Mo!
Thanks for catching my typo, I’ve fixed it. As for the Vit D, I trust Carlson and like their sourcing and also use very basic ingredients. I was most pleased with how my deficient results were corrected almost immediately following my intake of the Carlson brand so I listed those. If you are seeing great results in your Vitamin D drops then I’d see no reason to switch so long as your labs are where you’d like them to be and you feel well!
Hi,
I made them and love them!!
any suggestion how to store them? do they need to be refrigerated? how long will they last?
Thanks
Yes! Refrigerating them is best. So glad you liked them!
I was curious with the molds you use how many gummies does the recipe make. Im sorry if it was listed and I missed it. Thanks
This recipe makes about 50 gummies total. I used a combination of molds including the robots and dinos. So I laid out all of my molds and poured at once. If you do not have multiple molds you can also pour in a glass pan and just slice them up uniformly after they set in the fridge. Hope this helps!
I want to make these for my one year old nephew is there something you would recommend substituting for the honey? Thanks
100% maple syrup should work 🙂
So cute! But this lazy mama’s kiddos will have to settle for mini cookie cutter shapes over gummie molds. They will survive this level of deprivation, I swear. Haha.
How long do these last in the refrigerator? Just made these today- super cute and easy! Thanks!
A few days, sometimes they can dry out so I’d put them in a zip top bag so there is no air in there. Enjoy!
I just found this recipe, and it’s very cute and handy! I would make a small adjustment though, as vitamin C is heat sensitive, so most of it will be destroyed by the heating. Probably it would work just as well to dissolve it into the jelly at the same time when honey is added, as this would reduce the heat exposure greatly.
Thanks for your feedback!