We totally get it, fish burps are not ideal. With a lot of multivitamins on the market, burping after taking multivitamins is a sign that the capsule has started to break open and release its contents. It can be even more noticeable if the vitamin has started dissolving in the stomach, before it hits the digestive tract. If you’re wondering “why do my burps taste like fish?” with omega-3 oils specifically, picture a bottle of salad dressing before you shake it up: the oil and water don't mix. So any oil released from the vitamin in the stomach will float to the top, triggering a burp-back response.

But our capsule works a little differently. Ritual’s capsule is designed to dissolve later in the small intestine, an ideal place to absorb nutrients. That means that you may experience less burping—especially if you’re used to taking softgels, which may dissolve earlier.*

There are also some other factors that might make you more prone to burping, like low stomach acid or even the amount of water you drink when taking vitamins. Either way, fish burps aren’t exactly pleasant. The good news is that there are some easy workarounds to help.*

How to Stop Vitamin Burps:

1. It’s All About the Capsule

Softgels are tricky, because they may start to dissolve before the intestinal tract. This isn’t ideal, especially for burp-back. The cool thing about Ritual’s capsule is that it's delayed-release and designed to dissolve later, in the small intestine. That also means that you may experience less burping, since the omega-3 DHA algal oil is released later on.*

2. Get to Know and Love Our Minty Tab

Though many omega-3 oils go through a deodorization process, it’s tough to get rid of that fishy scent entirely. Ritual multivitamins are vegan, so in our case, it’s the algal oil that may lend a briny scent.

Choking back a fishy multivitamin is about as much fun as sea breeze-burps, which is why we include a minty tab in Essential for Women and Essential for Men, and a citrus one in our Essential Prenatal. We think it does a pretty good job of masking any funky smells—and makes taking vitamins a little more fun.

3. Take Vitamins on an Empty Stomach

Food delays the absorption of vitamins, which might mean that it starts to dissolve earlier. And when that omega-3 DHA oil is released in the stomach instead of the small intestine, you could be more prone to burp-back. Our advice? Take them first thing in the morning, before breakfast, so those capsules get that head start toward the digestive tract—and make sure you drink plenty of water. Or…

4. Take Vitamins Before Bed

If you’d prefer to be unconscious for any potential burps, taking vitamins right before you go to sleep is another solid option.

5. Take Vitamins with Juice

If that initial taste bothers you more than anything else, try knocking back the vitamins with some OJ or another fruit juice of your choice instead of plain old water.

The bottom line: vitamin burps are an inevitability for some of us, but they should never be gross enough to deter us from getting our daily dose of nutrients. (Otherwise, what’s the point?) It might take a little experimentation (and/or a minty new multivitamin), but you can definitely life-hack your way to a more enjoyable habit.