The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery advises gastric bypass patients to supplement their diets with 1500 to 2000 mg calcium citrate per day. In the early days after surgery, many surgeons advise patients to use chewable vitamin and mineral supplements while their digestive organs are healing from surgery. It’s difficult to find chewable calcium citrate supplements in stores, although sometimes it can be found at some health food or vitamin stores. Most chewable calcium citrate supplements must be ordered online.
Calcet Creamy Bites
These are by far my favorite chewable calcium citrate supplement. They come in lemon cream and chocolate fudge flavors; I think the lemon cream tastes like fresh lemon cake and I keep the chocolate fudge in the freezer so it takes just like a frozen candy bar. One piece provides 500 mg calcium citrate along with 400 IU vitamin D3. I don’t use them for all my calcium needs, however, because they are fairly costly at about 43 cents per serving and because each one contains 35 calories and four grams of sugar.
Celebrate Bariatric Supplements Calcium Plus Chewable
These chewable calcium supplements are not as tasty as the Calcet creamy bites but they are still good and they are also more affordable at about 13 cents per tablet (so about 26 cents per 500 mg dose). They come in strawberry crème and hot cocoa flavors. Each tablet contains 250 mg calcium citrate along with 250 IU vitamin D3. Each tablet also contains about six calories; they are sugar free.
Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate Chewy Bites
After Calcet creamy bites, the Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate chewy bites are my second favorite chewable calcium citrate supplement. I prefer the caramel chews but they also come in chocolate, raspberry and lemon flavors. Each chewy bite contains 250 mg calcium citrate and 125 IU vitamin D3. They contain 15 calories each and are sugar free. I don’t use them for all my calcium needs, either, since they are only slightly more affordable than the Calcet creamy bites at about 40 cents per dose (a dose being two chewy bites for a total of 500 mg calcium citrate).
Opurity Calcium Citrate Plus Chewable
Opurity calcium citrate plus chewable tablets are orange flavored. They contain 300 mg calcium citrate and 200 IU vitamin D3 in each tablet, and have about four calories and one gram of sugar in each tablet. They are quite affordable at about 11 cents per tablet (so about 22 cents per 600 mg dose).
A Note about Calcium Citrate
Many chewable calcium supplements are calcium carbonate instead of calcium citrate. However, gastric bypass patients no longer produce enough stomach acid to absorb calcium carbonate well, which is why the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery recommends calcium citrate. Gastric bypass patients should avoid supplements containing calcium carbonate or tricalcium phosphate, including Viactive, Caltrate, Tums and Citracal gummies.
Sources:
Bariatric Nutrition. http://nutrition.otago.ac.nz/__data/assets/file/0005/4784/BariatricNutritionReading.pdf. Suggestions for the Surgical Weight Loss Patient.
Celebrate Bariatric Supplements. https://www.celebratevitamins.com/shop/calcium/creamy-bites.html. Calcet Creamy Bites.
Celebrate Bariatric Supplements. https://www.celebratevitamins.com/shop/calcium/calcium-plus-chewable/calcium-plus-chewable-strawberry-cre-me-30-day.html. Calcium Plus Chewable.
Bariatric Advantage. https://www1.bariatricadvantage.com/catalog/list/2/Calcium. Calcium.
Opurity. http://www.opurity.com/store/multivitamin/bariatric-vitamins/opurity-calcium-citrate-plus-multi-vitamin.html. Opurity Calcium Citrate Plus Chewable.