Salaam Nutritionals! Yummy, gummy and halal vitamins

[tweetthis] Creative solutions to American Muslim lifestyle questions abound. [/tweetthis] Salaam Nutritionals is one such solution. As it explains on its site, the product was “born out of the necessity to address the growing frustrations from parents whose children were not getting adequate nutrition and not being able to swallow big chalky pills; we knew there was a niche that needed to be filled. [tweetthis] Our line of halal gummy supplements delivers the most complete nutrition to nourish both adults and a child’s growing mind and body in a delicious, fuss free, fun to eat gummy.”[/tweetthis]

altM spoke with Salaam Nutritionals on its story, inspiration, and future plans:

1.     Your gummy vitamins are fantastic! By far the best halal gummies around – and my kids agree. I’ve tried getting my kids to eat the non-gummy vitamins on the market, but no luck. I’m assuming you saw a similar struggle among other Muslim parents and that had something to do with the creation of Salaam Nutritionals?

Thank you so much for the kind words! Getting positive feedback about our products is what strives us to continue creating and selling top quality nutritional supplements for the whole family. The idea for creating a halal nutritional company came to me after many many Muslim parents would come to my pharmacy and ask for a halal vitamin recommendation either for themselves or their children. As a pharmacistand a practicing Muslim, I didn’t have many recommendations to give themthat would fulfill their nutritional requirements and adhere to Islamic dietary restrictions. I knew there was a strong niche to be filled and  thats when I decided to start my own halal nutritional company that offers unique delivery systems like our line of gummy based vitamins.

2. How do you get the vitamins to taste so good, and to have the right consistency even without gelatin?

Getting the right consistency and right formulation was a lot of trial and error. I worked with my manufacturer and food scientists until we got the right texture, taste, quality, and consistency we were looking for. Gelatin is a common gelling agent used to help ‘set’ the gummies found in almost all gummy based products. It’s what’s used to give that nice chewy texture but our gummies are formulated with pectin. Pectin is derived from fruits and vegetables and gives the same chewy texture as gelatin but its vegan and vegetarian friendly, and a lot more healthier than gelatin. We
also pride ourselves in never using any artificial flavors, colors, or
ingredients. It’s a combination of using higher quality ingredients that really differentiates our products then any other company.

3.     You have adult vitamins, too. What are the basic differences between the children’s vitamins and adult vitamins?

We launched our adult vitamins only because our customers were requesting it. As a company, its so great to hear the voices and opinions of your customers and the fact that they were requesting new products told us we were on to something big. The basic differences between an adult vitamin versus a children’s vitamin is the nutritional content. Some vitamins, if taken in excess, can pose serious health problems such as taking too much vitamin A, D, E, K. We have lowered the content of these vitamins in our children’s line to ensure they stay safe and healthy.

4.     What are some of the other products offered by Salaam Nutritionals?

In addition to our Children and Adult Multivitamins we also offer Omega 3’s +DHA and Calcium+Vitamin D. All of our products are gummy based so their are easy to chew and convenient for anyone to take. We are expanding our product line and are currently working on a formulation for two new products later this year, inshAllah.

5.     Any fun stories or anecdotes from customers of Salaam Nutritionals that you can share with altMuslimah readers?

We get a lot of feedback and thank you’s from parents who tell us since their child started taking our vitamins regularly they are more energetic, more alert, or healthier in general. One of the best reviews we received was from a concerned mom whose daughter was having difficulty paying attention and focusing in school. The mom tried to make homework time fun and interactive but her daughter still wasn’t engaged. She recently read this . Realizing the link between having optimal blood levels of DHA and its improved effects on reading, concentration, and behavior, she bought our Omega 3+DHA to see if it had any effects on her daughter. [tweetthis] After just one month, this parent contacted me and told me her daughter’s report card had improved and at her daughters parent-teacher conference her teacher had noticed a positive change in her daughter’s concentration in class.[/tweetthis]  [tweetthis] This mom was thrilled to find a halal all natural gummy supplement to help improve her daughter’s performance in school [/tweetthis] and has since recommended our line to all her friends and family. Kids are too often misdiagnosed with ADHD when some of the time they just need better nutrition, as was the case with this mom and daughter.

Another thing I would like to add is that [tweetthis] we donate 10% of our profits to charity on a quarterly basis. Our company is built on Islamic principles so one of our core values is to give back to those in need when we are in a position to do so.[/tweetthis] Thus far we have helped sponsor an Islamic School, traveled to Istanbul, Turkey and handed out over 100 care packages to refugees on the streets, helped sponsor an Orphanage in Kabul, Afghanistan, donated vitamins to a small village in Rwanda, Africa and much more. One of the charities we work closely with is ZamZam Water. Their mission statement is to create a better quality of life by bringing water to those in need, one well at a time.