Health, Diet, Men's Health, Nutrition, Supplements & Vitamins, Women's Health
The start of 2021 might have inspired you to make some dietary changes or support your health with a new supplement regime. Covering your intake of key vitamins through food or adding a nutritional supplement to your daily diet could go a long way towards keeping you healthy and well this year. However, when it comes to spotlighting vitamins, it can be difficult to know what the difference is between the wide selection available, and the process of choosing the right ones for you can often be overwhelming.
To shed some light on the situation, we caught up with Clarissa Lenherr, the in-house nutritionist for biohacking company, bioniq, who reveals her top vitamin and mineral picks for optimising your wellbeing.
According to Mind mental health charity, nearly 10% of the population suffer with mixed anxiety and depression. Whilst there are many different factors at the root cause of anxiety, ensuring you avoid nutritional deficiencies and looking after your diet can be helpful. There are 8 distinct B vitamins, each found in different foods and with varying benefits. However, collectively, B vitamins taken in a B complex can help support energy levels and calm the nervous system, as well as help to make neurotransmitters and balance your mood.
Ever heard of the blood sugar rollercoaster? This is the up and down journey that our blood sugar, energy, and mood can follow if we are not managing to balance our blood sugar. This can occur when we are stressed or when we skip meals or eat foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. Eating meals with adequate protein, complex carbohydrates, fats, fruits and vegetables can contribute to balanced blood sugar levels, but for that extra helping hand, you could consider taking a chromium supplement. This mineral helps to efficiently transport glucose into the cells for energy and also helps support carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.
Many of us at one stage or another have trouble with our sleep, whether it is trouble falling asleep or an interrupted night’s sleep. There are a whole host of reasons as to why your sleep might be sub optimal, including stress, anxiety and too much light exposure in the room. One of the best minerals for sleep support is Magnesium Glycinate. Magnesium contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system and helps to support calm and relaxation, which is very much needed to fall into a deep sleep.
Vitamin D was given a superstar status last year, and for good reason. Ranging from immune system support to boosting energy and mood, this vital vitamin contributes to many aspects of health. Vitamin D is synthesised by sun exposure on our skin, which is why those who live in darker and colder climates are advised to supplement during the winter months (the NHS recommends 10mcg per day from October to April).
Found in red meat, seafood, nuts and pulses, Zinc is an essential mineral that plays a key role in immune system function, cellular metabolism and wound healing, to name a few. When it comes to the skin, Zinc has been linked to helping conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and rosacea. When it comes to hair health, whilst it may not speed up hair growth, hair loss is a common symptom of Zinc deficiency.
We all get our low energy days and dips from time to time, but if your energy feels like it has been lagging for some time, it might be worth checking in on your B12 levels. B12 is an essential part of energy production and is found in all animal foods, which is why those who follow a vegan, vegetarian, or restrictive diet may be deficient and wish to take a supplement.
A great way of avoiding nutritional deficiencies and ruling out any underlying issues that might be contributing to your health problems, such as increased anxiety or insomnia, is by investing more into your health and taking the ‘quality over quantity’ approach when it comes to supplementation. Too often, people are reaching for several different supplements that are taken singularly in pill format, which can often cause adverse side effects and push the blood levels out of reference ranges. To take control of your health safely and find out exactly what your body needs, I recommend a personalised supplement programme such as bioniq BALANCE £99.00 per month, available to buy from bioniq, a unique supplement formula that is tailored based on your individual blood test results and blended into tiny granules, which release active ingredients into the blood stream during a sustained period to enhance absorption in the body.
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