Collaborative Post¦ Cold grey weather, dull rooms now the Christmas decorations are down, a long wait until payday. January is easily the most depressing month of the year. Getting a cold and being bunged up and miserable certainly doesn’t help anything. It seems like every other person I know has a cold at the moment, so I have been desperately trying to avoid catching one! Of course, I can’t just avoid everyone, so instead I’ve been working on a healthier lifestyle. This has included trying to it more fruit and veg and actually remembering to take my vitamins. So far it seems to have worked (fingers crossed!)
Vitamins in Food
The best way to get your vitamins is from food. According to Dr. Sesso of Harvard Medical School, vitamins and minerals are most potent when they come from food1. Plus, they’re accompanied by other nutrients and are often cheaper than buying supplements.
But how do you know which vitamins you’re getting from each food? Pharmacy+Health have produced a helpful vitamins list which shows not only what the vitamin does, but what foods you can get it from. It also advises how much of each vitamin the NHS says we need!
Vitamin C is well known for strengthening our immune systems. So I’ve been adding citrus fruit and lots of pepper into my diet. Peppers go well in so many things, from pasta dishes, to pizza and salads! Vitamin E is another important vitamin for the immune system, so I’ve been making an effort to eat more nuts. I’m also planning to start frequently having avocado with Greek cheese and chili flakes in a bagel for lunch (yum!)
Vitamin Supplements
Your body needs vitamins and minerals to keep healthy in general. However, as the Pharmacy+Health article states, they also play a crucial part in supporting your immune system. This is why I supplement with vitamins as well as trying to keep my diet healthy. I especially make an effort to remember my vitamins in the winter when colds and bugs are rife.
As a vegetarian who doesn’t like eggs (unless they’re in cake), it can be difficult for me to get Vitamin D in my diet. Oily fish, liver, red meats and egg yolks are all excellent sources. Yet I don’t like them, so I make sure I take a supplement every day. I like trying to make the most of sunny weather to try to absorb Vitamin D another natural way. Let’s face it though, the UK isn’t exactly a source of plentiful sunshine!
So if you aren’t already keeping your vitamins up, now is the time to start! It might just stop you from catching something.
Cover photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash
Disclosure: This is an article written in collaboration with Pharmacy+Health. All advice is from their website. All anecdotes of my experiences are my own thoughts and opinions.