In winter, the body's defenses are depleted under the influence of many stress factors. You can compensate for their impact with the right nutrients. As such, there are no vitamins for adults in winter, just as there are no specialized vitamins for women or men in winter. You can simply take the complexes from the "all in one tablet" series, or independently compile a basic set for the cold and dark season. In this article, we will tell you which vitamins are best to buy in winter.
Vitamin D
The body produces vitamin D when sunlight hits the skin. In winter, the daylight hours are too short, and it is too cold outside to go outside and spend as much time there as you need to get your daily vitamin requirement. Vitamin D can also be found in pharmacies. Drink it to promote bone health, increase resistance to certain diseases, and help your body fight off the winter blues.
Important: the recommended daily dose of a vitamin varies from year to year and depends on individual characteristics. Doctors say that today it ranges from 600 to 2000 international units (IU).
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is talked about so often that you might think it's magical. Some even say that vitamin C helps you stay healthy during cold and flu season. Which of these is true? The truth is that vitamin C, unfortunately, does not prevent colds. But it will help reduce its severity. This is because vitamin C strengthens the immune system and stimulates metabolism.
Vitamin C is found in cranberries, citrus fruits, leafy greens, sweet peppers, and apples. In winter, this may not be enough, so it is advised to buy vitamin C in pharmacies.
Vitamin E
It is a vital component, especially for the skin. Frost and cold wind cause the skin to peel off, causing dryness and itching. It is lotions enriched with vitamin E that help from this - they retain water and make the skin soft and supple. Vitamin E also reduces inflammation, redness, and wrinkles. Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish - you can add these products to your menu, or you can take vitamin E in a pharmacy.
Iron
Iron is not a vitamin, but a mineral, but this makes the body need it no less. Iron produces hemoglobin, a protein responsible for delivering oxygen to tissues. It also helps regulate body temperature, so if you're tired and your hands and feet are cold, it could be an iron deficiency. Beans, lentils, leafy greens, and red meat will help fight the deficiency. A more comprehensive approach is to buy complexes with iron in a pharmacy.
Selenium
Selenium is an essential element of the antioxidant defense system of the human body, has an immunomodulatory effect, is involved in the regulation of the action of thyroid hormones (iodinated derivatives of the amino acid tyrosine produced in the thyroid gland). Selenium is involved in the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Selenium supplements are essential for a woman's body, especially when it comes to pregnant women. It is also able to slow down the aging process, maintain skin turgor.
Zinc
Zinc is also a mineral. It has an antioxidant effect, stimulates tissue regeneration, helps in digestion, supports hormonal metabolism and immunity. With a lack of zinc, nails, hair, and skin suffering, there is a feeling of fatigue and nausea. You can fill the gap if you lean on oysters, spinach, beans, seafood, nuts, and pumpkin seeds.
Vitamin C
This is a lifesaver, known to everyone who has ever caught a cold. This vitamin is not synthesized in the body and can only be obtained from food. Warm drink with cranberries, tea with lemon - these and other folk remedies help the body cope with the inflammatory processes caused by a cold, but vitamin C in the form of tablets work much more effectively. It not only significantly strengthens the immune system, but also improves the regenerative processes in the body and reduces the need for vitamin A, E, and B vitamins, which also need to be taken in winter.
How to take vitamins in winter?
In addition to the fact that it is desirable to take vitamins in a course of at least a month (and vitamin D can and should be drunk for 2-3 months), not all of them are combined. This is one of the reasons why in countries that are more advanced in terms of the culture of using dietary supplements, such as Japan, vitamin-mineral complexes are much less in demand than jars containing one, maximum 3-5 vitamins and/or trace elements.
If vitamins are poorly combined, then they will be absorbed much worse. In the set in this article, all the recommended vitamins either work well with each other or do not adversely affect the absorption of each other. It is better to drink vitamins in the daytime or the morning with water or, if possible, juice. Tea, especially coffee, cannot be washed down with vitamins, not to mention sweet carbonated drinks and energy drinks. It is best to take the whole complex after a meal, after 20-30 minutes.
