ASDA Multivitamins & Iron

The tablets are stored in a plastic tub shaped container with a lid. The tub is a good size and is small enough to store in your medication box at home or even in your bag if you dont mind the ratteling. The plastic tub is strong and solid, you know it will last a long period of time. When you first buy the tablets I noticed the sealed lid and once you get through this, which can be a bit of a work out, there is foil covering the opening of the tub. This means the tablets are kept as safe as well as being sterile as possible reducing the risk of contamination. Once you have broken into the seal and use the tablets, the lids have a protective lock which is sort of like a child-proof lock on the tablets. This reassured me that the tablets were going to be kept hygienic and safe while I was using them over the next few weeks. The tight lock on the lid is brilliant if you do have children as even I find it hard sometimes to get into them.

The wording on the tub is simple, clear and easy to understand. The packaging has enough information to keep you informed without bambarding you or giving you unneccessary information. The information provide is all useful including what the tablets contain (vitamins included), the ingredience, allergy advice, storage instructions, dietary information and how to use. I really like how Asda have used a simple table to inform the user of what vitamins are included in the tablet as well as how much is actually in the tablet and what percentage of your daily recommend is included. I have found this as well as the rest of the information included on the packaging to be very helpful and useful.

~ ~ THE TABLETS ~ ~

When I first opened the tub I was confronted with an unusual and not very pleasent smell. Although I have used other vitamins before which have had a much stronger and much more awful smell so that is one advantage to using these vitamins. I cant really describe the smell as it is something you cant really conpare to something else that is familar to it. I have found after using these tablets a few times that I have gotten used the smell.

A lot of people can find the smell bad and the taste is not really any different. Yet again it is hard to desribe the taste as it something I havent come across before, but like the smell I have gotten use to this and find having a flavoured drink with the tablet can help. When you do put the tablet in your mouth it does start to dissolve. Once it does start to dissolve the taste does get a bit worse and there is a powdered taste that starts to form which I hate so I make sure I take the tablet as quickly as possible. After I have taken the tablet I find after a quick drink the taste goes away and there isnt any nasty after tastes to deal with.The tablets are quite small and thin which I find very easy to swallow. The appearance of the tablets are not the best, they are a strange burgundy brown sort of colour. Although it is nice have a nice colourful and appealing tablet to take, sometimes its good to over look this when you know its going to have a positive affect on your body. I dont think the appearance is really important but it could be something Asda could improve on.

Overall I think the tablets are at a good quality that may not look or smell the best but are very easy to swallow with no affects after taken them. I do think they are a lot better than other multivitamins I have taken in the past which have smelt a lot worse or have been huge capusals which make you worried you might choke on them.

~ ~ CONTENTS ~ ~

The packaging is very simple and well displayed in which you can easily see what the contents of the tablets are. The tablets contain these vitamins and the percentage of your daily recommended allowance:

- Vitamin A = 100%

- Vitamin D = 100%

- Vitamin E = 83%

- Vitamin C = 75%

- Vitamin B12 = 40%

- Thiamin = 127%

- Riboflavin = 114%

- Niacin = 112%

- Folic Acid = 142%

- Panthothenic Acid = 100%

- Iron = 100%

The levels indicate these vitamin tablets are trying to give you as much of the daily recommendation as they can, most being at 100% and over. It can be hard to eat a well balanced diet and to get all the vitamins we need so I feel taken these will help to cover you so you are getting as much as possible. I like how the tablets give you a whole range of vitamins we need and covering all the vital ones. What made me buy these tablets is that they include iron which a lot of tablets dont seem to do. I know that with my lack of red meat in my diet I need to have iron as it is so important for the body so I really like how these include iron in there tablets. All the nutritional values are placed in a simple table which can be easily read and is very helpful to the user. The table also includes the actual mesurements of each vitamin in the table incase people need to know this.

~ ~ SUITABILITY ~ ~

The tub clearly states a number of suitability issues that is important for users to be aware of. Asda have included this on the back of the tub in clear font that can be easily read which I think is very helpful. Asda have made sure the user knows that this product is suitable for vegetarians which I didnt realise could be an issue. Also the tub clearly tells the buyer that the product is free of gluten which is also very important for the user to know. When reading the back of the tub you will find that these multivitamin tablets are free of any artifical colours, flavours and preservatives (this might explain the strange smell, taste and look of the tablets!!) which I think is very important that you know it is as natural as possible for the body. Overall I think Asda's multivitamins have included all the vital information that a user might want to know in a great way, if not there is a handy number if there is any problems.

~ ~ PRICE ~ ~

I bought these multivitamin and iron tables from Asda for £1.15 for 60 tablets and I found the multivitamins without iron to be only £1.00. Looking at the prices of other brands I found Asda to be the cheapest with other more well known brands being as high as £10. I think the price is brilliant and the main reason I am sticking with these tablets as they do exactly to the same as any other brand. Specialised vitamin tablets, e.g. vitamin C, all seem to be between £1 - £2 which I still think is very reasonable.

~ ~ HOW MANY??? ~ ~

The tub of multivitamin and iron tables contain 60 tablets so they will last well over 3 months. This means for 1 year you will only have to pay around £4.60 which I think is very reasonable when I have seen other brands charge this for only 60 tablets. I think the price will be the reason most people will go for this product as you will probably find it hard to get the same quality and quantity for the same price.

~ ~ EFFECTIVENESS??? ~ ~

There is a lot of debate about the effectiveness of multivitamins and if they do have a positive affect on the body. Reading into this before buying the tablets I found the arguement to be good on both sides. Many scientists believe it is helpful for the body to take the tablets to boost the vitamins our diet might be inadequate in providing e.g. iron for vegetarians. All vitamins are essential for the body especially to protect ourselves from certain conditions and disease so any help we can have for the body should be taken. However the other argument is that they do not have any effect on the body and go straight through the body not even being absorbed. Recently there has been reports saying that it is more damaging to take vitamin tablets as you can be overdosing on certain vitamins which causes negative things to happen to the body.

Although both sides to this argument seem very convincing, I have decided to continue taking the multivitamins as I want to make sure I am getting as much vitamins for my body to make me as healthy as possible. Over the past few weeks I have seen a small improvements, one being that I have become less tired and feel like I have more energy. However I do need to take into account that I am eating more healthier now, doing more exercise and getting used to my work pattern so these other factors could be the reason for the changes or that these as well as the tablet are all contributing to the improvements I am feeling.

~ *** ~ CONCLUSION ~ *** ~

Overall I would recommend this product to other people as I think with the price and the amount of tablets you do get, I think this is an excellent offer. The tablets may not be the best in taste, appearance and smell; but i think this is an issue with most multivitamin and iron tablets. I think what will make people buy this product will come down to if they think multivitamin and iron tablets actually work. Although I do feel some improvement I am unsure if it is all down to taking these tablets. I think what will make people buy these Asda multivitamin tablets over other brands will be for the same reason I bought them for and that is there price. Paying on £1.15 is not a lot of money when it can have the potential to improve your wellbeing.