Unless you lead an incredibly healthy lifestyle and eat a diet full to the brim with home-grown and organic fruit and vegetables, it is likely you are deficient in one or more key vitamins, nutrients or minerals. Recent studies have found that the nutrient value of our food is decreasing. This means that even if we eat the same amount, and the same variety, of fruits and vegetables as we did a few years ago, we are getting less goodness from them. The experts put this nutritional decline down to mass production and pesticides. [1] So, if our diets are less nutritious, it stands to reason that we should supplement. Here’s how…
Enjoy Great Skin
We know that probiotics are good for our overall health but they are also brilliant for skin. Probiotics, which are live micro-organisms, improve skin immunity and calm acne and conditions such as rosacea [2]. Enjoy the live cultures in yoghurt and fermented foods such as kimchi, but remember to supplement further.
We Love… Beauty Chef Glow Inner Beauty Powder because it contains bio-fermented foods and probiotics. Add a scoop to a smoothie or yoghurt.
We love… Ouai Thinning Hair Supplement which boasts biotin plus silica, omega 3 and 6, MSM and amino acids which together encourage growth and shine.
Get Lustrous Hair
Despite being a ‘non-essential’ organ (as it’s not crucial for good health) our hair requires a variety of nutrients in order to look its best. Proteins give hair its strength so ensure your diet includes good quality meat, fish and pulses. Additionally, the B vitamin Biotin (also known as Vitamin H) has been shown to improve the quality of hair and encourage growth [6]. Biotin is in eggs, spinach, sweet potato and cauliflower.
Hone a Healthy Body
Omega oils (AKA essential fatty acids) are fantastic for improving bone, joint [3] and cardiovascular health [4] and even fighting autoimmune diseases [5]. “Oils are not only crucial for healthy hair, skin and nails they are important for bodily functions too,” says Arabella Preston, founder of Votary. Find your omegas in oily fish like salmon, mackerel and herring and in flaxseeds, walnuts and chia seeds.
We Love… Votary Super Seed Supplement which contains a blend of linseed, hemp, chia and pumpkin seeds and can either be taken straight from the spoon or drizzled over vegetables.
We Love… Welleco Nourishing Protein Tin Vanilla because it is so versatile. It is vegan and contains rice protein and pea (instead of over-processed whey) and it’s plentiful in the amino acids your muscles need to regenerate. Blitz it up with almond milk and a banana or get creative and use it in your weekend pancakes.
Maximise Your Workout
Protein is important for strong and healthy muscles that are quick to repair which is why it’s not uncommon to consume some protein immediately after giving your muscles a workout. Chicken, eggs and pulses are good sources of protein but they are hardly convenient when you want to re-fuel and go.