There are many essential vitamins for the body that can help for a range of different issues. Having these vitamins within your diet can seriously help you throughout the year. If you are struggling to get these in your diet, start looking at supplementation to help you achieve your daily intake.
Magnesium
Magnesium is crucial for your brain and body and helps in a number of ways, from regulating blood sugar to boosting athletic performance. Whilst it is naturally available in a wide variety of different foods, such as nuts, seeds, beans and leafy greens, not enough people are getting enough of this crucial nutrient.
Magnesium is involved in hundreds, if not thousands, of different reactions in your body and every cell in your body contains magnesium and needs it to function properly. Around 60% of the overall magnesium in your body is found in your bones, whilst the rest is found in soft tissues, muscles and blood. Its main role is to act as a cofactor when it comes to these biochemical reactions, including energy creation, muscle movements and nervous system regulation.
Around 75% of adults are not getting enough magnesium in their daily diet and symptoms of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue and feeling weak, shaking and regular pins and needles or muscle spasms.
If you believe that you’re not getting enough magnesium as part of your diet, then you can look to add it in naturally through the foods you eat or instead take a magnesium supplement daily, such as magnesium glycinate, to ensure you are getting the recommended amount of magnesium in your diet.
Vitamin E
One very important vitamin you need all year round is vitamin E, which is vital in helping to maintain healthy skin and eyes, it can assist with reproductive health, it strengthens the body’s natural defense system and it also acts as an antioxidant to help protect cells all around the body. It’s easy to intake vitamin E through your diet alone rather than supplements, which isn’t always possible with other vitamins. Vitamin E is absorbed well alongside foods that are high in fat, so eating foods high in vitamin E alongside foods like avocados or fatty fish is ideal.
The great thing about this vitamin is that you can find it in so many foods! It is found in virtually any vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables. So, to get your fix for the day, create a big salad with lettuce, kale, spinach and rocket. Roast butternut squash (which is also high in vitamin E), then add that to the leaves. In a blender, combine lemon juice, garlic cloves, olive oil, avocado, salt, pepper and cashews to create a really lovely, creamy sauce. Finish off the salad with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds and more salt and pepper to taste. You can prepare this on Sunday and have your lunches prepared for the week in no time!
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, known also as cobalamin, is an essential vitamin that the body cannot produce itself. It is actually found naturally in animal products and also in certain foods that are fortified. There is also an opportunity to consume this in a supplement form. Vitamin B12 has a range of many different benefits for the body in terms of normal bodily functions of your nerve cells as well as help to form red blood cells and DNA synthesis.
One benefit of vitamin B12 is that it can help with preventing depression and is also used as a treatment. This is due to vitamin B12 playing a role in serotonin so this is an essential vitamin for the winter. VitaminB12 is a huge benefit for the neutrons in your brain. If you are deficient, neutrons can decrease which in turn leads to memory loss and dementia. Other factors that can be affected as a result of being deficient in vitamin B12 include:
- Feeling weak and lightheaded
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Gastro problems (Constipation, diarrhoea, gas and loss of appetite)
- Nerve problems (Feeling numb and tingling, muscle weakness and also problems with walking)
- Loss of vision
- Mental Issues include depression, memory loss and behavioural issues.