Essential vitamins for fall/winter

It’s that time of the year again. It’s getting colder by the day and the days are getting shorter. Grocerie stores are starting to sell typical winter foods but what are the essential vitamins that most of us lack during winter season?  And what foods do you need to eat to keep your vitamin levels up. 

Vitamin C
First al all there is vitamin C. This is a quite obvious one and lots of people start taking C-supplements as soon as winter kicks in. Even though vitamin C does not  prevent you from getting the flue or a cold, it can at least help reduce the length and severity. It’s quite easy to get your daily dose of vitamin C as long as you eat enough fruits and veggies. Citrus fruits, strawberry’s, kiwi’s and cranberries carry lots of it. Next to that green vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and beans are also loaded with vitamin C.

But wait, there is more to look after.

Vitamin A
What it does: vitamin A helps you body repair growth-tissue. It helps strengthening the immune system. It also helps you maintain good eye sight and its keeps you hair sparkly and skin glowing.

Main food source: milk, fatty fish like tuna and sardines, egg yolks, mango and apricots.

Vitamin D
What it does: sometimes it’s hard for us to see any sunshine during winter because the days are so short. Vitamins D can only be absorbed when our body is exposed to sunlight. Without vitamin D the body can’t absorb calcium and the immune responses to colds and infections drop.

Main source: there are foods that provide vitamin D,  but most of our daily need come from sunlight, which is quite unusual for a vitamin. You just have to get out in the sun as much as possible, even during winter season when the weather is at it's worst. You can eat products like dairy, fatty oily fish and eggs to get some added vitamin D.

Vitamin E
What it does: this vitamin is an anti oxidant that helps keeping your cells healthy. It also helps to keep your nails, skin and hair pretty and strong.
Main food source: nuts and oils are perfect. Green leafy vegetables (such as spinach and cabbage) are a good source aswell

So make sure to eat all these vitamins and they will make sure to keep you jumping around!