Top 5 Health-Boosting Tips for Winter

An important note: No supplement will cure or prevent disease. Currently there are no studies that show supplements can prevent COVID-19. Please continue to practice safe health measures to protect yourself.

We all hate feeling down and tired, especially as the days get shorter and colder. There are many reasons as why we'd feel this way, one of which is due to the gaps in our diet that create a deficit of the vitamins and the minerals that we need! Luckily, taking a few simple steps, such as incorporating key supplements into your diet, can help keep you healthier this upcoming winter season! Read below to find out our favorite supplements to take this winter season that's helping us stay happy and healthy.

Vitamin D3: Most people are now aware of the importance ofvitamin D3, but you may not know that if you optimize your levels of this vitamin, you can enjoy a number of potential benefits, from a stronger immune system, to stronger and quicker performance in sports, to a reduction in multiple types of cancer risk – even gene expression!  This vitamin acts in such a far-reaching manner in the body, it could be considered a kind of master hormone!

 

Because the angle of the sun is so low in most of the mainland United States and northern hemisphere during winter, most of us wouldn’t produce much vitamin D - even if we do get out in the sun at mid-day.  Therefore it’s essential to make sure we get enough from our diet or supplements to maintain optimal levels in our body.  Deficiencies are a real epidemic around the world, especially in the winter, so it’s worth getting tested twice a year to know where you stand.

 

Vitamin K2: If vitamin D is the king of vitamins,vitamin K2 could be considered the queen.  While vitamin D helps us absorb calcium from our diet, our body gets quite confused about where to store this calcium without vitamin K2.  So if you want the calcium you eat to create strong bones and teeth instead of plaquing up your arteries, joints, and kidneys, take a vitamin K2 supplement daily along with your vitamin D.  We are still in the early stages of institutional research on vitamin K2, but there are promising signs that K2 may help prevent heart attacks, osteoporosis and even some forms of cancer.  Even without these potential benefits, vitamin K2, with its incredible “calcium whisperer” superpower is solidly second on our list.

 

Vitamin C: The two nutrients above are difficult to derive from diet alone in quantities that are therapeutic, andvitamin C is no exception.  Especially during the winter, it’s important to take enough vitamin C to enable it to do its job in supporting a strong immune system and facilitating the growth and repair of all our tissues (not a small role!).  We recommend eating foods rich in vitamin C like broccoli, cabbage, onions, citrus, and berries, as well as supplementing with a food-based vitamin C supplement. (Synthetic vitamin C as ascorbic acid is usually sourced from GMO corn and does not contain important cofactors like bioflavonoids.) 

 

Zinc:Zinc is one of those minerals that is easy to overlook, but we do so at our peril. Zinc is the second-most-abundant trace mineral in our body, and is necessary for the functioning of hundreds of enzymes, for overall growth and healing of wounds - and for the development of our immune cells.  Because a deficiency of zinc is associated with a weaker immune system and increased likelihood of infections (including pneumonia), it’s important to keep a balanced intake of zinc.  Some zinc-rich foods include shellfish, meat, poultry and fish, pumpkin seeds, mushrooms, kale and asparagus.  

 

Oregano oil:This is one of our favorite winter supplements to take when we feel a cold or flu coming on. Oregano oil (in the supplement form, not as an essential oil) is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant when taken internally.  It has powerful immune-enhancing and antiparasitic properties, and may support overall gut health.  It’s remarkable in our experience - give it a try, and follow the directions on the bottle closely.

 

Speaking of gut health, our GI tract is really the seat of our immune system, so take good care of it!  Eat probiotic-rich foods during the winter like kefir and yogurt - and consider taking a good full-spectrum probiotic to keep your gut’s friendly flora happy.

 

Finally, be sure to get enough sleep and drink enough pure water to enable your body to regenerate and detoxify this winter.  

 

- And of course, don’t forget to regularly wash (and wear) your HALOmask!  

 

From all of us at HALOLIFE, enjoy a healthy winter season!

 

(The information in this article is not meant to be viewed or interpreted as personalized medical advice.)