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Hi Everyone! I am Emilia, creator of @TheFoodAtHand and Brand Ambassador for the incredible Get More Vits! Today I'm taking over the Get More Vits blog to talk about my favourite products and share...Read Article
Vitamin B12 is a bit of a hot topic at the moment and especially if you have decided to change up your diet and move towards a more plant-based lifestyle, one you are likely to be aware of. Here we’ll talk about why vitamin B12 is so important and how to make sure you’re getting enough.
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, also known as cobalamin, involved in the metabolism of every single cell in the human body. It is particularly important for the normal functioning of the nervous system due to its’ role in the synthesis of myelin – the fatty sheath that coats and protects our nerves and the formation of red blood cells. It is also a co-factor in DNA synthesis and in the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids – helping us to release energy from our food.
Naturally found in animal products - meat, fish, eggs and dairy, due to its importance for health, some foods are also fortified with B12, such as breakfast cereals, non-dairy milks and yoghurts, nutritional yeast (a common ingredient in vegan foods) and marmite. Other vegan sources of B12 include unwashed organic produce (it is found in the soil), mushrooms, nori seaweed, spirulina and chlorella.
Deficiency can be common, especially for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet and the recommendation is to take a supplement. People over 50 may also need to supplement or be mindful of their intake, because as we age, we naturally produce less stomach acid – this reduces our ability to absorb B12 from our food. Our needs are also increased during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Low levels of B12 can be fairly common and mild symptoms may go unnoticed. Signs of deficiency to look out for include weakness, tiredness, or feeling lightheaded, heart palpitations, a shortness of breath, pale skin, digestive disturbances, nerve problems like numbness or tingling, muscle weakness, loss of vision and cognitive issues such as depression, memory loss, or behavioural changes. Untreated, B12 deficiency can lead to anaemia, nervous system damage, fertility issues, bone and heart disease.
As B12 is non-toxic and water soluble, there is no harm in taking higher levels as the body will only absorb as much as it needs. If you are concerned about your B12 levels, you can ask to get them checked with your GP.
At Get More Vits HQ we are very pleased to announce the launch our brand-new Grapefruit flavoured Vitamin B12 drink, which contains 200% of the recommended RDA, helping more people to Get More Vits and live a healthier lifestyle every day.
It can be tricky to get children to eat fruit and vegetables, and while parents do well to disguise them by blending into sauces and soups, the issue of providing children with enough vitamins and minerals goes beyond being picky eaters.
Unfortunately, due to busy modern lifestyles and our ‘western diet’, with convenience at its core, reaching the recommended 5-7 portions of fruit and vegetables per day (both for healthy kids and adults) is almost impossible. Some research suggests that even if we are eating our allocated intake that we are unlikely to be getting the recommended levels of certain vitamins and minerals.
There are several factors at play, including the food choices we make, food growing, processing and preparation methods, the nutrient content of food we eat and the ability of our bodies to absorb and utilise these nutrients, as well as lifestyle factors such as stress and activity levels. To combat these issues, it is important to eat as varied a diet as possible, but it is also worth considering supplementing meals with additional vitamins and minerals. For children who may struggle to swallow tablets or capsules, delivering these nutrients in a liquid form can make life easier.
Between the ages of 5 and 12 children can grow rapidly and be very active, resulting in an increased need for nutrients essential for growth and development, as well as to maintain health and energy levels.
One particular area of concern for young children is calcium required for bone and dental health. To ensure calcium is absorbed from the diet, it is essential to have sufficient stores of vitamin D, however as we spend more time indoors and protect our skin with sunscreen, many of us are falling short.
Our vitamin infused drinks are ideal for busy parents and kids on the go, they’re sugar free, packed full of flavour using natural fruit extract and enriched with nutritious goodness to meet the needs of active, growing children. Making healthy kids and happy parents!
The Get More Vits Kids Range is aimed at 3 to 12 years olds, each containing a multivitamin blend of all-important vitamin D and calcium, along with a B vitamin complex which work synergistically to help digest and encourage the energy release from food. Not only can our kids range help to support children’s overall health, it can also help them keep up with all the after-school activities!
Available in:
Find our kids range in most major supermarkets and online at Amazon, Ocado and Sainsburys.
Ever wondered where we source the water that goes into every bottle of Get More Vits? Well, we have the answer.
To get maximum nutritional bang for your buck, we believe that provenance is not to be underestimated, and with growing awareness of the importance of what we put in our bodies and the impact on our health, we thought we would let you in on our sourcing secrets. Our spring water is drawn directly from Hadrian's Spring in the north of England, close to the Scottish border. With its’ own dedicated boreholes and on-site spring, our manufacturers extract water straight from Hadrian’s Well in the Cheviot Hills. Found within the Northumberland National Park, water here is filtered through limestone rock, providing us with water which tastes crisp and clear and is naturally rich in important minerals including higher levels of calcium and magnesium than most other bottled waters.
Here’s how we compare:
So next time you enjoy a bottle of Get More Vits, you can rest assured that you’re drinking some of the best water available in the UK, as well as getting a boost of essential vitamins.
Here are a couple of photos taken by Ant from our sales team on his last visit to the Spring in Northumbria.
This year the focus for Mental Health Awareness Week is body image, and these days with perfect ideals continually streamed through our social media feeds, it’s almost impossible not to feel the pressure.
It’s not uncommon to go to extreme lengths to try and change our external appearance with the hope of improving how we feel on the inside, despite the fact we know it doesn’t work.
Diet culture is everywhere and while it’s hard to let go of body hang ups and external pressures, it’s important to remember just how incredible the human body is. It’s far more interesting and a much more positive mindset to think about all the incredible things our bodies can do, rather than how they look.
Running marathons, giving birth, emotional intelligence and our capacity for rational thinking are just a few examples of our capabilities. As a human being I naturally have my own hang ups, but as Nutritionist, I like to remind myself of this and shift focus to nourishing my body with the food it needs and steering well clear of restrictive diets - which in turn helps to ease the mind.
Top 5 tips tips to nourish your body and ease your mind:
Summer is finally on its way which means more time spent outdoors, and for some of us the chance to sign up to a new challenge.
Whether you recently ran the London Marathon or are preparing for your first 5k it’s important to fuel your body with a nutritious diet and allow enough rest to aid recovery, but understanding hydration can be a game changer.
Get Outdoors
Regular exercise is vital for our overall health, it strengthens muscles, bones and joints and is a powerful tool in strengthening the immune system and improving our mood. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins and feel good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin. Keeping active also helps us to maintain a healthy weight by encouraging a normal response to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas in response to food (particularly carbohydrates).
Exercising outdoors also comes with a wealth of added benefits. Feeling connected to nature has been shown to improve health, happiness and overall wellbeing. So, make the most of the extra sunshine hours and take your training regime outdoors.
Hydrate like a pro
Varying body shapes and sizes, as well as how much you sweat will affect the amount you need to drink to keep topped up but as a general rule of thumb for any activity that gets you sweating or out of breath, aim to drink around 230ml of water every 20 minutes. In real terms this means if you’re training for 45 minutes which is what most of us achieve during a gym session or longer run, sip from a 500ml water bottle throughout your workout to hit your hydration goals.
Unlike hunger, dehydration is a tricky sensation to navigate and thirst can be a poor indicator but early signs to look out for include poor concentration, a headache or inability to think clearly.
Good old water should do the trick for shorter bursts of exercise, but if you’re going for longer or training for a specific event, added vitamins and minerals can be useful to aid recovery and ease muscle soreness. Post-exercise, Get More Vits Recovery is perfect, enriched with electrolytes sodium, potassium and magnesium it helps to restore lost minerals and is boosted with B vitamins for a steady stream of energy.
If you’re trying to shape up for summer, rehydrate with juicy watermelon L-Carnitine & Chromium which comes with the added benefits of key nutrients involved in a healthy metabolism. L- carnitine helps to transport fatty acids from the food we eat into our cells’ inbuilt powerhouses - the mitochondria, where they are burned for energy; and chromium helps the body to effectively break down protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as maintain normal blood glucose levels.
Buy our Recovery range and the L-Carnitine & Chromium drinks at Tesco and many other supermarkets. See our product ranges to find out which shops stock each drink.
On Thursday 21st March The Get More Vits team were invited down to the Bristol City FC stadium to watch England Under 21's play Poland Under 21's. We headed over not only to see the game but also to help give the kids enjoying the match a well-deserved vitamin boost with our tasty drinks!
We met hundreds of young England fans, eager to spin our Prize Winning Wheel for the chance to try some of the our recently refreshed Kids range and get their hands on Get More Vits goody bags.
The new flavours of Apple & Blackcurrant, Orange & Mango and Raspberry & Blueberry proved to be a winning combo all round! Each of our kids drinks is boosted with a multi-vitamin blend, including B vits to help the body produce energy, along with all essential vitamin D and calcium for growing bones and a healthy immune system so it wasn’t just the kids who loved our drinks, they were just as popular with the parents!
Get More Vits also went down very well with the team mascots, staff and the Community team who showed off their football skills in style!
It was a great privilege to meet the Vice Chairman of Bristol City FC, Jon Lansdown, a trustee of our charity partners Bristol Community Trust and a champion for developing young talent at the Academy.
Finally, we’re very pleased to share the news that our partnership with Ashton Gate is going from strength to strength, you’ll now find our Multivitamin Kids range stocked at bars around the stadium – perfect to keep the whole family hydrated.
The winter blues can be hard to shake off but if you’re ready to spring forward full of beans into a new season, we’ve put together our 5 top nutrition tips to help boost your energy.
Kick the habit – it’s tempting to reach for stimulants like caffeine and sugar for a quick fix when low energy strikes but unfortunately these will leave you flagging. Although they provide an instant boost, this is often followed by a crash which leaves you feeling worse. This is due to the disruptive effect on blood glucose levels and stress hormones. Stay balanced by choosing slow energy releasing foods like wholegrains and fibre-rich fresh fruit and vegetables, and combine with a source of protein - meat, fish, eggs, or a simple handful of nuts and seeds can help to keep energy levels steady.
Soothe your stresses – stress is demanding on our bodies by using up important nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium. Many of us are exposed to long-term chronic stress, which over time can deplete our stores and take its toll on energy levels. It’s important to recognise that stress is not always emotional or mental, but other factors such as a diet high in processed foods or even a lack of sleep can be stressful for the body. Exercise is a great tool to combat stress but don’t overdo it and deplete yourself further, try yoga or get outdoors and boost your immune system by being in nature.
Magnesium – is one of the most important minerals in our body, not only is it essential for energy production, it is actually a component of every single cell and involved in over 600 chemical reactions - so it’s understandable how feelings of low energy may indicate that you’re not getting enough. As well as this magnesium, is also known as ‘nature’s relaxant’ and can help to ease feelings of stress and anxiety.
Load up on dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, avocados, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds and wholegrains and treat yourself to some dark chocolate! It’s packed with magnesium (and a host of other minerals and antioxidants), even better enjoy a few squares in the bath - bathing in magnesium salts is one of the best ways to absorb this vital mineral.
Switch on your energy ‘powerhouse’ – mitochondria are tiny structures found inside every single one of our cells and are known as our very own energy production factories. When we eat, food is broken down into its constituent parts, and through a process called the ‘Krebs Cycle’ provides us with ‘ATP’ - our energy currency. There are many different nutrient co-factors required at each step, including B vitamins (animal products and wholegrains), co-enzyme Q 10 (primarily meat and fish), l-carnitine (meat), malic acid (fruit), lipoic acid (spinach, broccoli, meat), magnesium (green leafy veg) and taurine (animal products), you might also like to top up with some Get More Vits goodness.
Up your antioxidants – to function as best they can your mitochondria need protecting! Churning out energy for us every day results in potentially damaging by-products, so make sure your diet contains lots of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables which are naturally packed with antioxidants – the more richly pigmented the better, eat a rainbow!
To get a boost of a whole lot of vitamins in one go you could try our Multi Vits Sparkling Lemon & Lime drink which is now available to buy in Asda!
We are super excited to reveal our new look Kids range and it's even better than before!
Our vitamin infused drinks are ideal for busy parents with kids on the go, they’re sugar free, packed full of flavour using natural fruit extract and enriched with nutritious goodness to meet the needs of active, growing children.
Get More Vits for Kids is perfect for 3 to 10 years olds and includes three fresh new flavours including Raspberry & Blueberry, Orange & Mango and Apple & Blackcurrant.
Each little bottle of goodness contains a multivitamin blend of all-important vitamin D and calcium, along with a B vitamin complex which helps to encourage the release of energy from food. Not only can our kids range help to support children’s overall health, but they can also help them keep up with all the after-school activities!
Coming soon to a store near you!
We’re pleased and excited to be supporting Bristol Sport’s Community Trust Football Camp at Fives Soccer Centre at South Bristol Sports Centre next week. Half term is due to be action packed for the six-to-12 year olds, and we’ll be on hand to help them refuel with plenty of Get More Vits for kids.
This is a fantastic opportunity for young football fans, giving children the chance to learn from the experts and brush up on their skills with FA-qualified coaches, and even meet the pros!
Community Trust’s Chief Executive Officer Dan White said: “The quality of coaching available to the youngsters makes it excellent value and it is clear to see the enjoyment being had. The emphasis is firmly on participation and the social factors incorporated, thus making our camps suitable for all abilities.”
The camp runs every day, 18th-22nd February between 10am and 2pm.
Want to get in touch with our team? Please drop us an email or contact us via social media!
Contact us via info@getmorevits.com
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