Vitamins

Keeping your diet varied is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Not only does this make your meals more enjoyable, it also helps you consume vital minerals and vitamins on a daily basis.

Sometimes the vast amounts of information on this topic can be confusing. This article aims to clear up a few common misconceptions about this topic.

First of all, vitamins and minerals are not the same thing. Minerals help vitamins work properly in a healthy body. In combination, these two types of natural nutrients work to boost your energy and mood levels, among other benefits.

In recognition of their importance in public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) keeps a database of research conducted on vitamins and minerals. One of their stated objectives is to “track progress towards the goal of eliminating major vitamin and mineral deficiencies” by recording the nutritional status of various populations.

Recent research has found that the most effective supplement provides both vitamins and minerals together. This is because they need each other for optimal effects. They are particularly useful for preventing chronic degenerative disease, as indicated by an Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) report from 2001.

Taking too little or too much of a single vitamin can have undesired effects, such as throwing off your body’s natural balance. Extra vitamins that the body does not use will be discarded in urine, but some types of fat-soluble vitamins cannot be washed out as easily this way.

Specialists recommend very specific dosages for both vitamins and minerals, and research into the matter can never go astray. Consulting a specialist is ideal, but if that’s not possible, always make sure your sources are reliable and up to date.

Supplements are not always necessary as long as your diet is balanced and varied. However, in some cases vitamins and minerals help in situations when your body is going through changes, for example during pregnancy. The elderly often benefit from natural supplements as well.

Most vitamin and mineral supplements are made from natural extracts, which will keep your body natural and healthy. Vitamin C is usually extracted from rosehip, and Vitamin A comes from fish liver oil. These substances and others come in capsule form, which makes them easy to add to your routine.

Minerals and vitamins work together to ensure a healthy and natural body. Including them in your diet, in addition to a good variety of healthy foods, can enhance your lifestyle when taken in the right proportions.

With the change in season comes the return of a cool in the air, and the end of those long summer evenings; the shorter days and wintry conditions can have a big impact on both our emotional and physical wellness. Follow our top tips to keep you happy, balanced and inspired throughout the freezing season!

Get some sleep
With the long winter nights it’s the perfect time to catch up on your rest. Few of us get the recommended 7-9 hours of rest at night time. Maximize the darker, shorter evenings and get an early night time. Sleep can have a unique effect on your feelings and ability to carry out your daily responsibilities, as well as being vital for wellness.

Eat food that gives you extra heat
Wrapping up in the winter months is one way to keep your body warm, certain food items can also help by heating system us up from the inside. We are naturally drawn to warming soups and hot beverages when it’s freezing outside, some food items even encourage heat production more than others. Strong ingredients – like hot cinnamon, hot chili, garlic, pepper and beans – can aid circulation and generate extra heat. Coughs and colds are common during this period so ensure you keep your immune system optimised by eating plenty of green veggies and fruits packed with vitamin C like oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes and beans etc.

The great outdoors
It’s simple to hibernate inside during wintertime, but getting outside every day is important for wellness as your body needs sunshine to create vitamin D – essential for healthy teeth and bones. Even when the sun is not shining your body can still produce this from sunlight on your skin; getting out for a short walk everyday will keep your vitamin D levels up.

Protection from the elements
Winter conditions combined with central heating can leave your skin feeling seriously dry and dull; never forget your skin just because it’s simple to hide away under your winter cloths. Deal with dry flaky skin by first exfoliation away the dead skin and then applying a rich moisturizer. Although it might seem unusual to be thinking about sun damage when it’s so freezing outside, UV light can still pierce the skin so use a moisturizer with a built-in SPF to protect your skin and keep lines at bay.

Keep been active
Just because it’s freezing outside does not mean you should depart your exercise routine – wrap up for a nice walk or try fun winter activities like ice skating etc, the cold weather means your body will use-up more calories in an effort to keep heated. If going outside when it’s blustery, wet or raining really does not appeal never let the elements set you back, try some indoor activities, try a workout DVD or using a gaming system (Wii, Xbox etc) to get fit at home.