How to make sure you’ve covered all bases, plus we reveal the best supplements to take
Did you know that many of us are deficient in nutrients? The four most common vitamin deficiencies in the United States are Vitamins D (bones and muscles), B6 (brain health) and B12 (red blood cells and nerve cells), and folic (red blood cells and pregnancy), as well as iron, iodine, calcium and magnesium.
In the UK, around one in six adults and almost 20 per cent of children have Vitamin Dlevels lower than government recommendations, with older people, the housebound and those from black and South Asian communities more likely to have a deficiency.
So what can we do to boost our vitamin vitality?
SUPPLEMENTS SECOND
Good-quality supplements can play a part in bumping up our vitamin quota, but experts recommend they should be an extra, rather than the main solution. “The science suggests that, unless you have a deficiency diagnosed by your GP, you are best off getting your vitamins through diet rather than supplements,” says nutritionist Genevieve Hallam. “If you absolutely must take something, take a multivitamin as an insurance policy.
The only exception being Vitamin D, which we should all take from October to April as most of us won’t get enough from diet and sunlight.”
Read on for your top-to-toe vitamin MOT…
EYES
It’s true: eating carrots is good for your eyes. They contain beta-carotene, a substance that the body converts to Vitamin A, which is an important nutrient for eye health. Omega 3 is also good, as well as Vitamin E, which can be found in sunflower, chia and flax seeds. Zinc helps to protect our eyes against damaging blue light, with poultry, small amounts of red meat, fortified breakfast cereals and egg yolks all good sources.
HAIR
Dark leafy greens, such as spinach, kale and rocket, are concentrated in nutrients important for hair health, such as B vitamins and Vitamin C. Studies show that a diet rich in fresh vegetables, such as dark leafy greens, may help improve hair growth in people with hair loss. Sunflower seeds are rich in plant-based protein and Vitamin E, two nutrients necessary for healthy hair growth, while pumpkin seeds also provide zinc, copper and iron. Lentils are another protein-rich plant food we can include more of in our diets.
BRAIN
