Brands such as Swanson, Now Supplements and Natrol pride themselves on providing you with high-quality supplements. Whilst you might feel good in your day-to-day life, it’s quite possible that you have a deficiency in some of the key vitamins and minerals you need to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Vitamins and Minerals are essential nutrients that you supply your body with, because of these, your body can operate to normal standards each day. But what if I told you that most people have a deficiency in most vitamins and supplementing certain minerals can enrich your daily lifestyle from motivation through to stress.
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is a Vitamin that a lot of Brits fall short of. Vitamin D is usually collected by the body using the suns ultraviolet (UV) rays, but as you probably guessed – we don’t get that much sun exposure in the UK.
According to WebMD, having a Vitamin D deficiency can be adverse for you because it is used to maintain bone structure by regulating calcium in your body which can ensure strong and healthy bones. Although we’ve mentioned that Vitamin D is usually thought of as being mainly in sunlight, you can also get Vitamin D from food such as eggs, fish and mushrooms but none of these as effective intake of this essential vitamin. This can be debilitating because being deficient in Vitamin D can mean you have a higher risk of experiencing bone pain and muscle weakness so a Vitamin D supplement can be a real lifesaver!
You could try our Swanson Vitamin D-3 1000IU in 25mcg with 30 capsules which can also benefit your cardiovascular system. Another of our Vitamin D supplements is the Natrol Vitamin D3 2000iu in 90 fast dissolving tablets which helps build strong bones.
IRON
Iron is used to support natural muscle growth by creating and maintaining the red blood cells in your body which transports oxygen. The top foods to get Iron from and into your diet are Clams and Oysters, not Spinach like widely spoken. Mayo Clinic say A lack of iron in your diet could mean a case of ‘Iron Deficiency Anemia’, which you would need to immediately consult a doctor about as it can cause serious fatigue, chest pain, headaches and more. However, with a healthy, balanced diet, supplementing Iron to maintain your lifestyle is perfectly healthy and encouraged.
If you’re in the market for some Iron supplements, we recommend Swanson’s Iron Ferrous Fumarate. It has 60 capsules each containing 18 mg of Iron derived from Ferrous Fumarate. As a key component of haemoglobin, it plays a vital role in helping red blood cells deliver oxygen to every cell in the body.
TMG (TRIMETHYLGLYCINE)
TMG (Trimethylglycine) is known to facilitate methylation processes. Methylation is a normal biological process that is critical for DNA repair, liver detoxification mechanisms, lipid metabolism, and the production of SAMe. It is also an important step in the conversion of homocysteine, a damaging amino acid, into a more friendly amino acid, methionine. Supplementation with TMG has been shown in clinical and non-clinical studies to support healthy homocysteine levels already within the normal range.
If you’re looking for some TMG, we recommend purchasing Now Supplements TMG, 100 tablets of 1000mg of TMG, perfect to combat against the toxic homocysteine.
VITAMIN B’S
According to the NHS website Vitamin B’s are eight, water-soluble nutrients that can be found in animal-derived foods such as poultry, liver and fish or plant sources such as potatoes and lentils; taking a supplement is much more efficient as who wants to eat liver and lentils every day! Your body needs Vitamin B to maintain physiologic and metabolic functions, which can be essential in battling fatigue and muscle weakness.
Vitamins B1 and B2 help turn food into energy and promote healthy muscles. Being deficient in these can lead to symptoms of insomnia, loss of appetite, and muscle weakness.
Vitamin B3 is needed to produce hormones and promote the function of the digestive system and a deficiency in this can cause poor circulation.
Vitamin B5 helps your body to produce red blood cells and cholesterol.
Vitamin B6 ensures that your body uses and stores protein and carbohydrates efficiently as well as protecting your immune system. A deficiency in this vitamin can cause muscle weakness.
Vitamin B7 generally promotes growth and a deficiency in it can result in muscle pain.
Vitamin B9 makes red blood cells and being deficient in it can result in a loss of appetite and shortness of breath.
Vitamin B12 is used to promote your metabolism of protein and a deficiency can cause fatigue, general weakness, and weight loss. Supplements are critical to this vitamin because your body doesn’t store it for very long. If you’re feeling tired or low on energy, you could try our Natrol Vitamin B12 5000mcg in 100 tablets to boost your natural energy levels and support your nervous system.
For a supplement that provides all of the required Vitamin Bs, you could try our Life Extension Complete B-Complex which contains 60 vegetarian capsules that will help release energy from carbohydrates, fat, and protein.
COQ10
Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance that you consistently find throughout your body. It is most common in your heart, liver, pancreas and kidney. You consume it in small amounts in meats and seafood and is often made in laboratories. As well as playing an important role in the functions of many of the organs and chemical reactions in your body, Mayo Clinic again says that it also provides much-needed energy to cells.
You should always try and get your nutrients from food, but we know that’s not always possible especially if you have a certain diet. That’s why if you need to supplement we’ll recommend Swanson’s CoQ10 Supplement, it’s 90 capsules of 200mg of CoQ10, so you’ll be getting enough of it in your diet.
5-HTP
5-Hydroxytryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid. Your body uses it to produce and increase serotonin levels, the chemical messenger than relays messages between all of your nerve cells. Studies show that low serotonin levels are associated with depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, weight gain as well as other health problems. In supplement form, 5-HTP originates from the seeds from an African shrub named ‘Griffonia Simplicifolia’. If 5-HTP supplementation is for you, we have a few products for you might like…
Primaforces 5-HTP has 120 Veggie Capsules with 100 mg per capsules or perhaps you’d be interested in Natrol’s 5-HTP 30 capsules instead which contains a whopping 200mg per capsule releasing over throughout the day.
MILK THISTLE
Milk Thistle is one of our most popular supplements, it has a wide range of benefits that can suit the user. The effects of Milk Thistle whilst supplementing it can promote healthy skin, aid weight loss, supports bone health and lowers cholesterol. Milk Thistle originated in Europe, but has now been found in the Northern Americas – it grows in dry rocky areas like mountain ranges.
If you’re in the market for some, why not check out Applied Nutrition’s take on it, with 300mg per tablet – of which you get 90. If you feel that is too much, however, you can go down to Swansons 500 mg version, with 30 caps per bottle.
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C is used to strengthen blood vessels, absorb iron, give skin it’s elasticity and plan an anti-oxidant function. It is often found in oranges, strawberries, guava and peppers. A deficiency in Vitamin C can result in fatigue and joint pain. Unfortunately, unlike many animals, humans can’t produce Vitamin C internally so other sources and supplements are a real necessity.
Our Swanson Vitamin C with Rose Hips in 1000mg with 250 capsules provides extra support for your immune system.
FOLIC ACID
Folic Acid can be an important component to cell renewal and is often found in Asparagus, Broccoli, and Citrus Fruits. A deficiency in this Vitamin can often mean fatigue, weakness, irritability, and shortness of breath.
To beat this, you could try our Swanson Vitamin B-12 with Folic Acid at 1000mg in 60 tablets.
VITAMIN K
Vitamin K has a key role in ensuring your blood is clotting well through coagulation which means that having a deficiency in it, can lead to a very serious symptom of excessive bleeding.
Natural sources of Vitamin K are Kale, Spinach, and Broccoli or you could try our Swanson Vitamin K-2 with 100mcg in 30 soft gels which can help to keep calcium out of the arteries and go into the bones instead
As always, supplements are not intended to treat or cure any illness or disease. If you begin to show symptoms you should immediately seek a medical professional.
