Our Top 5 Vitamins For Immune Health This Winter

In our first blog post of 2021, we’re focusing on all things immune health! We dive into the Top 5 Vitamins that are essential to take during Winter to keep you feeling fighting fit. Staying topped up on these vits will not only help you avoid a deficiency but keep your immune system tip-top too! Let’s get straight into it!

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential to maintain your immune health and support healthy bones, teeth and muscles. We can usually get enough Vitamin D during summer through exposure to sunlight, however, during the winter months, this is near impossible. The government is advising everyone to supplement their Vitamin D intake this winter, to help combat coronavirus. 

Deficiencies

Vitamin D deficiencies affect more of us than you might think, approximately 27% of the UK population are deficient and 74% have levels below the optimum level.

Vitamin D in foods

There are some great ways to increase your vitamin D intake through your diet like eating salmon, eggs and mushrooms, however, you’d have to eat at least 10 mushrooms a day to get enough Vitamin D- that’s a whole lot of mushrooms! 

How to supplement

We at Get More Vits want to make it as easy as possible for you to top up your vits. Our delicious and fruity Mango & Passionfruit Vitamin D drink contains your recommended daily amount, as outlined by the government, of 10 micrograms (200IU) of Vitamin D per bottle, and it’s sugar-free. We also have tablet supplements in the active form of Vitamin D, D3.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has long been associated with strengthening the immune system and avoiding colds in winter. Whilst Vitamin C (also known as Ascorbic acid) can’t protect you from getting a cold it can reduce the length of time you feel poorly. Increasing your Vitamin C can also help you fight off germs more effectively. 

How much Vitamin C do I need?

We are recommended to intake 40mg of Vitamin C per day. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body and so you need to intake it every day. If your diet isn’t perfect, supplementing might be good for you. 

Vitamin C in foods

Citrus fruits, especially Oranges, are usually associated with Vitamin C. But did you know, a bell pepper contains almost three times as much Vitamin C as an orange with 80mg per pepper? Other great sources are leafy greens, broccoli or cranberries. 

How to supplement

Get More Vits’ Vitamin C tablets contain 1000mg of Vitamin C which is 1250% of your daily dose. This may seem a lot, but as Vitamin C is water-soluble, the body will intake as much as it needs, and flush through the rest, so you can be sure you are getting enough.

If you don’t like swallowing tablets, Get More Vits also have a great tasting sparkling Orange Vitamin C drink, it is sugar-free and contains 160mg of Vitamin C. 

Folic Acid

Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9, helps the body make healthy red blood cells and plays an important role in DNA and RNA synthesis. A lack of Folic Acid can weaken your immune system. 

How much Folic Acid should I be getting?

Most adults need 200mg of Folic Acid per day, with pregnant women often advised to double this (speak to your doctor if you are unsure). 

Foods containing Folic Acid

Increasing your ingestion of foods such as leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus and kidney beans can increase your levels of Folic Acid, thus helping to strengthen your immune system.

Supplements

If you want to make sure you are getting enough Folic Acid (or you just really hate green vegetables) then Get More Vits Multivitamins + Iron supplements would be good for you. Each daily tablet contains 100% of your recommended dose (200mg) of Folic Acid.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is ordinarily associated with healthy vision, we’ve all heard that eating carrots helps us to see in the dark right? Well, Vitamin A is also crucial to help keep up our immune health during winter. Vitamin A deficiencies have been associated with reduced immune response and an increased risk of developing infections. 

Am I getting enough Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is found in tuna, eggs, leafy greens and you guessed it, carrots. But if we are not eating enough of these foods it could be a good idea to take a multivitamin supplement to avoid deficiency. Get More Vits Multivitamins + Iron supplement contains 100% of your recommended intake (800ug, Retinol Equivalent). 

Vitamin E

Vitamin E, whilst helping to maintain healthy skin and eyes, also helps to strengthen the body’s natural defence against illness and infection.

Sources of Vitamin E

Vitamin E compound is found in a wide variety of foods but good sources include plant oils (rapeseed, sunflower, soya, olive), nuts and seeds and wheat-based products such as cereal. 

Supplementing

Whilst you should be getting your recommended amount of Vitamin E (3-4mg) from your diet, if you follow a low-fat diet this may be a little trickier. Our Get More Vits Multivitamins + Iron supplement contains 50% of your recommended daily dose, so is a great way to top up. Your body can also store Vitamin E for future use- great to know!

 

You may have noticed a pattern with the foods we have listed to help increase your vitamin intake; vegetables!! Vegetables and fruit, of course, are essential for immune health. It’s true when they say ‘Eat your 5-a-day to keep the doctor away’, well, almost true anyway! 

Increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods such as beans, chickpeas and pulses is a great way to ensure you are upping your intake of vitamins. 

Maybe a plant-based diet could be a good idea? Just remember, it can be difficult to get all of the essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs from a vegan diet, especially Vitamin B12. Why not accompany your new vegan diet with a bottle of our great tasting Pink Grapefruit Vitamin B12 drink? It contains 200% of your recommended dose of Vitamin B12 per serving and it’s sugar-free! 

To celebrate Veganuary we have kicked things off with a competition on our Instagram. This month we have partnered up with some of our lovely plant-based friends to share with you a bundle of our favourite vegan products. What are you waiting for, go and take a look it might be your lucky day! Good luck!