A-Z of winter-warrior nutrients
Article by The Drummond Team
According to the BNF (British Nutrition Foundation), falling temperatures over the winter months can leave us all feeling a little “under the weather”. As well as wrapping up warm on the outside, its also important that we take care of our inner health in order to battle infections and illness – here is the list from the British Nutrition Foundation’s A-Z guide to germ killing, immune boosting nutrients to help stay healthy this winter:
Vitamin A
Remember as children being told to “eat your carrots for good eyesight”?! This is because carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A. Unfortunately, Vitamin A will not give you night vision super-powers, however, it is needed for normal vision and also helps our T-cells to work at keeping us healthy by hunting down and destroying germ-infected cells.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 helps the body add to its army of immune cells and studies have shown that it is also important for the metabolism of antibodies and in amplifying our bodies’ in-built battle-cry, allowing immune cells to communicate.
Vitamin B12
This immunity boosting vitamin works along with folate and Vitamin B6 to make new DNA and protein, which allows the body to create new immune cells.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is our go-to vitamin for fighting off those nasty winter colds – while it may not prevent you getting a cold in the first place, it appears to reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms. Studies suggest that vitamin C has a wide range of functions within the immune system – it is absorbed by immune cells and helps them attack infectious microbes in the body; it helps clear away old immune cells from the site of infection; and it builds our external armour, helping to maintain the skin and stop infections getting into the body.
Copper
It may sound a bit odd, but copper plays a role in our bodies’ daily battle against germs by protecting and fuelling immune cells. Luckily, copper is abundant in nature and found in a wide variety of foods.
Vitamin D
Sunlight is our main source of vitamin D and in the winter months the sunlight isn’t strong enough to make any vitamin D in the skin. But, vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced immune response to infection. Low vitamin D status is more common than you might think in the UK (about 1:5 across the population). It’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from the diet alone and so Public Health England advises that young children (up to 4 years), and people who do not get exposed to the sun during the summer month (either because they are unable to get out and about or because their skin is covered) should take daily supplements of Vitamin D all year round while, from October through to March, everyone should consider taking supplements.
Folate
We all need folate to make new DNA and to allow the body to create immune cells in response to infection. Low folate status is a result of poor diet or increased folate requirement, for example in pregnancy, from prolonged use of medications that interfere with folate metabolism, or malabsorption. It is recommended that women who are planning a pregnancy or who are pregnant take a daily folic acid supplement of 400μg/day until they are 12 weeks pregnant.
Iron
Iron helps to maintain healthy immune cells; if we don’t get enough iron from the diet the effectiveness of our immune cell army can be impaired. Especially for women, low iron intakes are common. Iron from meat, chicken and fish is more easily absorbed than plant sources; however, vitamin C assists your body with the absorption of iron from plant sources.
Selenium
More commonly known for promoting healthy nails and hair, the nutrient selenium is also a fighter when it comes to maintaining healthy immune cells, and can help the body to make more cells as well as strengthening their response to infection.
Zinc
Zinc develops ‘natural killer cells’ that help to fight off viruses. Studies show that zinc is needed to make DNA, and allows the body to make new immune cells. Zinc is also part of an enzyme needed for developing our germ-busting T-cells and for immune cell communication.
Here’s where you can find some Winter-Warrior nutrients:
| Vitamin A | carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, cantaloupe melon, papaya, liver, cheese, eggs and dark green leafy vegetables |
|---|---|
| Vitamin B6 | poultry, fish, fortified breakfast cereals, egg yolk, yeast extract, soya beans, sesame seeds and some fruit and vegetables, such as banana, avocado and green pepper |
| Vitamin B12 | meat, fish, shellfish, milk, cheese, fromage frais, eggs, fortified yeast extract and fortified breakfast cereals |
| Vitamin C | citrus fruits, blackcurrants, strawberries, papaya, kiwi, green vegetables, peppers and tomatoes |
| Copper | bread, breakfast cereals, rice, quinoa, meat, fish and shellfish, pulses, avocado, dried fruit, nuts and seeds |
| Vitamin D | oily fish, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified spreads and fortified dairy products |
| Folate | green vegetables, pulses, oranges, berries, nuts and seeds, cheeses, bread and fortified breakfast cereals |
| Iron | red meat, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds, fish (such as canned sardines, cockles and mussels), quinoa, wholemeal bread and dried fruit |
| Selenium | nuts and seeds (for example Brazil nuts, cashews and sunflower seeds), eggs, offal poultry, fish and shellfish |
| Zinc | meat, poultry, cheese, some shellfish (including crab, cockles and mussels), nuts and seeds (in particular pumpkin seeds and pine |
Source: British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)
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