02 Dec Supplements to Keep You Fighting Fit This Christmas

Christmas is often a time when we indulge a little more than usual and this can soon lead to feeling less than your best. Supplements can be particularly helpful at times like this. Of course they’re not a cure-all, but they really can make a difference to how well you feel throughout the festive period.
 
Here are my picks of the best supplements to keep you feeling fighting fit over Christmas.
 

SUPPORT YOUR ENERGY LEVELS

B vitamins are essential for the conversion of food to energy. Often, a good quality B vitamin supplement can noticeably improve your energy levels. I like BioMedica’s BioActivated B – it provides B vitamins in high quality forms at effective doses.
We should all be supplementing vitamin D at this time of year, I like the BetterYou range of DLux sprays. One symptom of low vitamin D levels is fatigue, so if you suffer with consistently low energy levels, regardless of how much sleep you get, it’s worth checking your vitamin D levels, along with iron, B12 and folate. Ask your GP or contact us for more information.
 

PROTECT YOUR LIVER

There are two types of supplement I recommend to support your health while drinking alcohol: milk thistle and antioxidants. Antioxidants help to protect cells from alcohol-induced free radical damage. Milk thistle acts partly as an antioxidant and is well researched for it’s liver protective effects and detoxification support. Oxyguard from BioMedica is an antioxidant complex that also includes milk thistle. It’s perfect for this time of year and you can take it daily.
 

HELP YOUR GUT COPE

Christmas can take it’s toll on our gut health, often leading to bloating and discomfort. Digestive enzymes are naturally released into the gut when we eat to help us breakdown food. Taking them as a supplement can help aid digestion when we consume larger meals than usual, or meals that you know your system struggles to digest. NutriAdvanced’s Similase is a broad spectrum digestive enzyme, meaning that it supports digestion of a range of different foods. Take one with the first mouthful of your meal. A good quality probiotic, such as Symprove, is also a good idea to support our beneficial gut bacteria.
 

KEEP THINGS MOVING

If you’re prone to constipation anyway, slipping out of your usual healthy habits can often make things worse. Don’t be tempted to turn to irritating laxitives like senna – I strongly discourage the use of harsh laxitives unless absolutely necessary. Instead, try Pukka’s Wholistic Triphala. It’s a far gentler yet highly effective solution. Take one to two before bed. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water!
 

SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNE HEALTH

Vitamin C and zinc are both important nutrients for immune system function and helping the body defend itself against infections. Try this Vitamin C Rosehip Complex from BioCare. It contains both vitamin C and zinc and comes in powder form – easy to mix with water or add it into your berry smoothie.
I also highly recommend UnBEElievable Health’s Bee Prepared Max Strength. Take one to two capsules per day as maintenance or up to four capsules a day if you feel like you’re coming down with something.
 
All of the supplements mentioned above can be purchased via the Natural Dispensary using our discount code: PEARSON10.