Summer is a time of abundance of fruits and vegetables, but does this mean that you can stop taking your vitamin supplements in the summer and pay full attention to the use of ordinary ripe seasonal foods? Do you agree that this question can be confusing if you care about your diet and health?
The overall Widespread opinion is taking vitamins during the cold season and especially the off-season is important and In the summer the body needs vitamin complexes.
Due to this fact, even a significant increase in the variety of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs cannot fully compensate for the body’s needs for all vitamins and microelements.
Nuances play an important role!
For example, industrially grown fruits and vegetables are low in vitamins due to the repeated use of soils and their depletion, early harvest. Also, the use of chemical fertilizers for growing plants! These conditions will certainly affect the concentration level of vitamins and nutrients in seasonal products.
Also, vegetables and fruits do not contain the entire spectrum of vitamins, most of them are occupied only by vitamin C, beta-carotene, and bioflavonoids, greens contain a large amount of folic acid. Fruits and vegetables cannot provide you sufficient levels of Vitamins such as group B, D, E, pantothenic acids, biotin, choline, found in animal products, seafood, and cereals. That is why the above vitamins should be included in your diet in summer.
Despite sunny weather, it is necessary to continue taking vitamin D3 for prevention in summer. Its development depends on many factors:
- Geography
- Skin type
- Time spent outdoors
The sun is not always able to “saturate” the body with vitamin D fully. For many people, prolonged staying in the sun may be contraindicated. In addition to using sunscreen, vitamins K, E, C, A, beta-carotene, and biotin are taken to protect the skin from excessive UV radiation.
Absorption of vitamins by the body influence indirectly circumstances, for example:
- Genetic predisposition to the absorption of vitamins
- Individual metabolic processes
- Conditions and place of residence
- Work and rest regime
- Diet type
In this regard, the recommendations for the dosage of vitamins will also be different.
Conclusion
The right steps are to undergo special laboratory tests for vitamin deficiency diagnostics, also for calculating the correct dosage of vitamin supplements.
These laboratory tests can consist of:
- Analysis of vitamins and minerals
- Analysis for organic acids
- Genetic testing
- Consultation with a doctor who will help you with individual recommendations
Photo by Madison Inouye