I’M a fiend for sweets; I can quite happily sit, watch a film, and demolish an entire bag of Tangfastics without breaking a sweat.
I’m also more of a meat and carbs guy than a quinoa buddha bowl guy, meaning that I could use some help making sure I get all of the right nutrients.
So — in theory, at least — Nourished’s personalised gummies, which use patented 3D printing tech to “stack” seven vitamins tailored towards your lifestyle and needs, should be a home run for me.
Read on for my full Nourished review.
Nourished’s 3D printed gummies stack seven vitamins that claim to be tailored towards your lifestyle and needs[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
Pros
- Enjoyable to consume
- Convenient for everyday use
- Personalised for the user’s specific needs and lifestyle
- Freshly made to order, meaning better absorption
- Sugar-free, unlike many vitamin gummies
Cons
- The texture takes some getting used to
- Expensive
- The jury is out on whether or not they’re more effective than other vitamins
Rating: 8/10
How I tested Nourished vitamins
As The Sun’s reviews manager, my job is to test out popular products to figure out whether they’re fads or staples.
To do this with Nourished, I’ve been taking its vitamins for the last couple of weeks, specifically assessing their convenience, taste and value for money. I’ve also asked experts whether they think that they’re worth investing in.
Get Nourished review: Quickfire Q&A
What are Nourished Vitamins? They are personalised, 3D-printed gummy vitamins. Founder and CEO Melissa Snover told us that the idea is that, unlike the scattergun approach used by a supermarket multivitamin, a Nourished vitamin “ensures that people get exactly what they need, without unnecessary ingredients”.
How much are they? They’re £39.99 per month, with discounts of up to 30% if you lock into a subscription.
Who’s it best for? Health-conscious people with a decent amount of disposable income, or people who have a specific issue they want help with.
What we loved: They’re convenient and tasty, and it is good to have a vitamin that’s tailored to my specific needs. The fact they’re made to order also means that they could be more effective than some alternatives.
What we didn’t: Their price makes them a luxury, and the jury is out on whether they’re worth their premium price point (I’ve asked some experts to weigh in below).
Get Nourished review: The Nitty Gritty
The vitamins are packaged in a letterbox-friendly cardboard box[/caption]
Inside the box were 28 individually packaged vitamins and a card detailing my personalised stack[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
First impressions
There are two broad routes you can take if you’re thinking of trying Nourished.
The first is to shop from its range of pre-formulated stacks.
For example, if you’re a bad sleeper who is also on the lookout for anti-ageing help, you could take the Collagen + Sleep supplement.
There’s even a range for kids — I imagine a lot of parents will be interested in the Picky Eater supplement, which is designed to replace 11 of the nutrients usually found in fruit and veg.
Pop quiz
I opted for Nourished’s Personalised Gummy, which requires you to answer a few questions about yourself.
There’s basic information about gender, ethnicity and age, some questions about energy and sleep levels, and you’ll have to provide answers regarding your diet and health.
You can also specify any specific nutrients you want to include in your stack and choose two problem areas you want to improve on (I chose sleep and stress management).
As a fun touch, you can also choose your flavour — I opted for sour blackcurrant.
Before you order your personalised vitamin, you’ll need to fill out a five-step questionnaire[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
What’s in the box?
My gummies took a week or so to arrive, which is pretty good going when you consider they’re 3D printed to order.
Inside the box was a card detailing my specific vitamin’s makeup: mine was a blend of ashwagandha, tart cherry, iron, zinc, vitamin A, selenium and vitamin B12, with a layer of blackcurrant sour flavour.
Looking through the reasoning behind these, I can see how my quiz answers informed which vitamins I got; B12 increases energy levels, helping me to power through my mid-afternoon slumps; tart cherry increases the deepness of sleep, which is something I struggle with; ashwagandha helps fight anxiety and stress, and increases concentration.
Also in the box were 28 individually-wrapped vitamins. While I (and the planet) could do without this amount of plastic, I imagine the purpose of this is to keep the vitamins fresh, in turn increasing their efficacy.
And I know this isn’t the primary consideration in a supplement, but they are very Instagrammable, with layers of different colours. It’s a bit silly to say, but it does make the idea of taking it slightly more fun.
On first taste, responses are mixed. I was naively expecting it to taste more or less like a Haribo sweet, which might have been wishful thinking considering it contains no sugar and seven vitamins.
However, the layer of sour blackcurrant does its job; in fact, it tastes quite pleasant.
The thing that takes the most adjustment is the texture. It doesn’t have the bounce of a normal gummy and is instead quite soft. However, after a couple of days, I got used to it.
Does it deliver?
While I won’t feel any stark differences for a few weeks, I’ve already noticed improvements in my sleep and energy[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
Realistically, I’d need to test these out for a couple of months to notice any stark differences, especially when it comes to big-picture things like mental well-being, but anecdotally, I noticed two things.
Firstly, my amount of deep sleep improved.
Something I’ve noticed since testing out smart rings for articles like my RingConn review is that I struggle to get a sufficient amount of deep sleep due to my high levels of restlessness.
In the second week of taking the vitamin, my levels of deep sleep went from around an hour to an hour and a half per night.
I can’t attribute that exclusively to the vitamins, but I’d like to think that the inclusion of tart cherry (which contains melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep) in my stack had something to do with it.
I also noticed that I had more energy during the afternoons; I usually experience a post-lunch slump, but felt better-equipped to power through the afternoons without the need for a coffee.
As something of a caveat, I feel compelled to mention that, on the same week I began taking the vitamins, the UK experienced an unprecedented week of March sunshine, so at least some of my improvement is likely down to some much-needed vitamin D.
What do the experts think?
Melissa Snover, Nourished’s founder and CEO, says her company’s made-to-order approach makes the vitamins fresher, and therefore more effective, than supermarket multivitamins[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
There’s no denying that Nourished is a LOT more expensive than a normal supermarket multivitamin, so I asked some experts if they thought that there was much of a difference between the two.
Firstly, I put the question to Melissa Snover, the founder and CEO of Nourished.
She said: “Unlike mass-produced vitamins, which can sit in supply chains for months, losing potency, personalised options can be made-to-order, which ensures maximum freshness and effectiveness.
She also noted that “traditional vitamins are often designed for the average consumer, meaning they take a broad approach rather than addressing individual requirements.
Rimas Geiga, a doctor, dietician and clinic nutritionist, also said that personalisation offers benefits.
He said: “Personalisation does excel in eliminating unnecessary nutrients and optimising dosages based on individual needs.
“A supermarket multivitamin is a scattergun approach that’s often overdosing on some nutrients while under-delivering on others.
“Personalised supplements, when backed by thorough health assessments, have the potential to correct real deficiencies more precisely.”
But when I showed my vitamin to Carolina Goncalves, the Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmica, she pointed out that a few of the vitamins in my stack might be fighting with each other for absorption — specifically, iron and zinc.
Summing it up, she said: “One may outcompete the other, reducing overall intake.”
When I put this to Melissa at Nourished, she said: “While research on high doses of iron suggests potential interactions with absorption, studies have not demonstrated any significant impact at moderate levels.
“All of our ingredients and dosages are carefully selected and adjusted based on the latest research, studies, and customer feedback to ensure effectiveness and bioavailability.”
How much are Nourished vitamins?
With each vitamin costing up to £1.29, there’s no getting around the fact that Nourished is pricey[/caption]
Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50
Let’s get it out of the way: personalised Nourished Vitamins cost £39.99 per month if you opt for a one-time delivery.
There are discounts if you subscribe: 10% if you subscribe to every four weeks, 25% if you lock in for 12 weeks and 30% if you pay annually.
However, there’s no getting around the fact that, at up to £1.29 per DAY, they’re much more expensive than a supermarket multivitamin.
Whether you think it’s worth it depends on your budget, needs and lifestyle.
I’ve seen a lot of people online saying things along the lines of “the money would be better-spent buying fruits and vegetables,” conveniently forgetting that many people have allergies or don’t have the time to assemble With Love, Meghan-style rainbow fruit plate every evening.
Having said that, it is worth remembering that no supplement can act as a replacement for a balanced diet.
Personally, I wouldn’t pay £40 per month for these vitamins, but I’m pretty omnivorous and have the time to cook fresh food most evenings.
However, for people with more pressing concerns or those who are more health-conscious with more disposable income, Nourished might become a monthly non-negotiable.
Where to buy Nourished vitamins
Personalised Nourished stacks are available exclusively from the brand’s website, where you can get subscriber discounts. Subscribers also get free delivery (it’s £2.99 otherwise).
You can get some of the pre-formulated stacks, as well as some exclusive collagen products, from Selfridges.
Alternatives to Nourished
Vitl is probably Nourished’s closest competitor[/caption]
The most obvious alternative to Nourished is probably Vitl.
Like Nourished, Vitl asks you to answer a series of questions before you receive your vitamins. At £39.95 per month, it’s also similarly priced.
I haven’t tried Vitl personally but have filled out its quiz. It’s a bit more detailed than Nourished’s — it asks questions about digestion, for example, which Nourished doesn’t do.
The end result is also slightly different; instead of a single personalised gummy, I was recommended four daily tablets, packed in a strip for each day of the week.
I personally prefer Nourished’s system of packing it all into one handy gummy.
Get Nourished review: The Verdict
It’s easy to question Nourished’s trendy mission statement and instagrammable gummies.
But after a couple of weeks’ use, I’m impressed.
I can’t directly pin my improved sleep and increased post-lunch energy on these personalised vitamins, but I also can’t rule it out.
I wouldn’t pay £40 per month for these simply because I don’t believe I have enough health issues for them to solve, but they have incentivised me to look further into supplements — I’ll be buying tart cherry juice in bulk once I’ve run out of my Nourished gummies.
But these could become a monthly staple for people who have some extra change in their pocket and are on the lookout for a personalised health solution.
- Get 50% off the first box of your Nourished subscription using code SUN50 – buy here
