msmuggins
Product Review: Two More Celebrate Supplements
Nov 09, 2014
I tried two more Celebrate products today. I'm still pre-op, but I'm trying to plan my supplement schedule in advance so I bought some samples to see what options I have. From a previous blog entry, you'll notice that I tried the Celebrate 4-in-1 shakes. These are a great option for the immediate post-op period because it's a combo of multivitamins, fibre, calcium, and protein. But using one of these means that you need to take iron separately, so I also purchased Celebrate Chewable Iron + C in Grape flavour. These pills have 30 mg of Iron in the form of ferrous fumarate, a form of iron that is easy to absorb. This absorption is aided by the addition of Vitamin C (60 mg). So, I tried one and surprisingly, it wasn't awful. Generally, I find chewable supplements of any kind to be putrid, but this one not only tasted good, but dissolved really quickly after it was chewed. At first I was a bit surprised by the size of the pill (it's quite big) but it wasn't difficult to chew up quickly and it didn't leave an aftertaste either. So I'm thrilled to report that my initial plan to use the 4-in-1 shakes with these chewables (taken hours apart of course) will hopefully work for me. Two thumbs up on this supplement.
As part of my shipment, I also ordered three packs of Celebrate's Calcium Citrate Chews in Caramel, Chocolate, and Berry flavours. So far, I've only tried the caramel, which I will review below. Most of the calcium chews I've seen in the drug store are actually calcium carbonate, a form of calcium that gastric bypass patients are not able to absorb as well because the duodenum (the place where calcium is primarily absorbed) is bypassed. Scientific studies have proven that calcium citrate has much better bioavailability for RNY patients. So, I stocked up on the Celebrate Chews because they are 100% calcium citrate (500 mg each, plus 500 IU of Vitamin D). Other commonly available chews are either 100% carbonate or a mixture of different types of calcium. In any case, let's get down to business: how did it taste?! Well, I've got to say that the caramel chew wasn't as tasty as the Jamieson calcium chews that are made with calcium carbonate (I'm pre-op so I can still take those and get some benefit from them). But, aside from being a bit chalky, they tasted ok. Certainly good enough to take twice daily (my third dose is covered by the 4-in-1 shake). I'm hoping that the chocolate tastes better, but I certainly wouldn't refuse to purchase them in caramel. I'd say one thumb up on this one, but given that they are specifically designed for better absorption by RNYers, I certainly think they are worth it.
One last word about Celebrate -- apart from the epic difficulties that I had with the ordering process, the sample pack they offer for $3 (and you get that $3 off on the next order) is a great way to give their products a spin without too big of an investment. It contains a sample of nearly all of their products. Their shipping to Canada was also really fast, and their customer service is good.
That's it for now! T-minus 56 until my surgery date! 
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
PS: An early victory for me -- I visited my GP last week and when they weighed me, I was already down 6 lbs! That was a surprise bonus to my week. Must be partly a result of starting to exercise with my trainer and making progress on cleaning up my diet prior to surgery. In any case, I'm not going to question it!
