As I continue working with hundreds of clients through this global pandemic, I’ve noticed some trends. They are struggling with digestion, stressed about everything going on in the world around them, and they aren’t getting outside much. This sparked some thought and discussions here in the office. With all these changes, the body is under tons of mental and physical stress, but not many people are making lifestyle and supplement changes to assist our bodies in keeping up!
Here are 4 supplements we think everyone should take during these tough times:
- Vitamin D
If you’re someone that has been spending a lot of time inside, especially now that it’s cold, it’s unlikely you’re getting enough vitamin D. Vitamin D is synthesized by the sun, so if you’re not seeing enough sun, you’re most likely deficient in this vitamin. Health professionals suggest spending a minimum of 20 minutes in the sun daily to get enough vitamin D. Not only is this hard in the winter, but it’s harder now that we aren’t leaving our homes much. Vitamin D is essential for bones, immune function, mood, sleep, and energy. Our current favourite are these vitamin D gummies.
- Probiotics
While on the topic of the immune system, probiotics are fabulous when it comes to supporting the immune system. 70% of our immune system is housed in the gastrointestinal tract. If we aren’t supporting a strong gut, then over half of our immune function is compromised! In addition, probiotics are helpful for digestion and regulating bowel movements. With stress, comes changes in digestion. Stress compromises our ability to break down food and can change bowel regularity. Probiotics can help with this. Here's a few Dairy free options!
Garden of life makes these dairy free, soy free and gluten free probiotics , OR if you could try making Organic Traditions' delicious probiotics lattes in turmeric or matcha.
- Magnesium
Magnesium is great for calming the central nervous system. When under stress, our needs for magnesium increase drastically. Magnesium also promotes muscle relaxation and good quality sleep. Taking Can Prev Magnesium, or Magnesium calm as recommended on the bottle is a good place to start. It is also ideal to make an effort to eat more magnesium-rich foods like cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and dark chocolate. Cooking with high-quality cacao, is another great way to getsome in magnesium through food.
- Multivitamin
A high-quality multivitamin is ideal all year round. It is hard to check off all our boxes daily when looking at nutrient levels. Multivitamins are great when it comes to filling any gaps missing. It is important to realize that not all multivitamins are equal. Many on the market are poor quality, and our body is not able to actually use the nutrients. They can also contain cheap additives like colourings and other fillers. Our current good quality multivitamin favourite is Sisu Supreme Multivitamin. We also love Herbaland Multivitamin Gummies for kids!
Written by Allison Sherkin, RHN, CHNC
Allison is the in-house nutritionist at House of Wellness. She is a registered holistic nutritionist with experience in weight loss, mental health, hormonal balance, and digestion. She is passionate about helping others elevate their health and truly discover their highest potential! Allison believes in products made with integrity and focuses on effective solutions to help her customers and clients.
