9 Minute ReadEducation by David Levesley
18.02.22
When you hear the word ‘supplement’, most people immediately think of vitamins, or the thousands of multivitamin pills marketed at us. After all, the idea of supplementation is making up for something which we are lacking, whether it’s iron or vitamin C in your diet, or vitamin D from sunlight.
However, the truth is most vitamins can be sourced from a balanced diet. Unless you know you are not eating a balanced diet, multivitamin pills should not be necessary.
LYMA, however, is not a vitamin pill. It is formulated to provide you with ‘super ingredients’ that you cannot get from a balanced diet, giving you an advantage above anything you could source from food. But how can there be things we need that even a healthy lifestyle can’t give you? Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything as we go. In this piece you’ll learn:
People who take LYMA are usually already eating a balanced diet. Simply, this means they are getting all the nutrients they need for the body to function correctly. Everybody’s diet is different however, so here is a checklist of the particular food groups that should benefit the body.
There are some substances people get via supplement that are perfectly possible to get in a good diet. Omega-3, is one of the most popular supplements on the market, as it is crucial for heart and brain health. However, Omega-3 has been proven time and again to be ineffective in supplement form: while studies back up dietary Omega-3 as beneficial, other studies have found it provides ‘little to no effect‘ on cardiovascular health as a supplement. More on how Omega-3 supplementation is a myth here. On top of this, an independent report published in The Guardian recently found that one in 10 fish oil supplements on high street shelves is rancid, as well as often produced by unsustainable fish farming. Instead, supplement Omega by eating a diet rich in oily fish or, for those who prefer, lots of nuts: hazelnuts, chestnuts and walnuts are full of the stuff.
A diet full of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy – often referred to as ‘the Mediterranean diet’ - is a great rule for what you should be eating. All of the above categories are excellent for reducing the risk of heart disease, maintaining blood pressure, lowering your risk of cancer or dementia, and keeping your cholesterol in check. All of these food groups also have multiple other benefits. Complex carbohydrates like oats and whole grains, antioxidant-rich fruit and veg, beneficial fats and complete proteins are all excellent for making sure you keep your energy levels up and don’t become tired. Two great foods for preventing fatigue are almonds and avocados, which come loaded with key nutrients.
Vitamins A, B, C and E – plus zinc, iron and selenium – are important for a healthy immune system. Look to brazil nuts for selenium, eggs for iron, and vitamins B and D. Vitamin A can be gained from foods rich in beta-carotene, such as spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers. Vitamin E is found in sunflower by-products, almonds, peanuts, and pumpkins. Zinc, meanwhile, can be found in whole grains, dairy, oysters, red meat or poultry. For plant-based diets, chickpeas and baked beans also work.
Calcium is great for teeth, bones and also to prevent osteoporosis. It also helps with heart, muscle and nerve function. Traditionally we see calcium as coming from dairy, but can also come from dark green leaves, beans, lentils and sardines.
While getting your five a day is great, getting ten fruit and vegetables into your diet a day is even better. Make sure to eat a variety throughout the day, week, month and year: the wider the selection, the bigger the plethora of benefits, including a healthy gut. While fruit and veg also help to hydrate the body, make sure to aim for eight glasses of water a day as well, which helps to maintain a functioning metabolism and converting food into energy.
We at LYMA are also very pro fermented foods, which are key for improving your gut biome: a vital part of human health. More information on the power of gut flora can be found here. Whether you decide to lean into Asian flavours like kimchi, miso or natto, or go for more yoghurt, kefir and sauerkraut, a diet rich in fermentation will makes for a better healthspan.
There are several natural substances that the body needs that we’ are deficient in through no fault of our own.
One is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is great for bones, but also for our immune systems, and we predominantly get it from the sun. Therefore people living in less sunny climes - but also people who are older and housebound, or with darker skin tones - are almost inevitably deficient in the stuff. That’s why the NHS recommend everyone in the UK supplement with it, as it’s hard to get enough through our diet alone.
Another, closely connected to Vitamin D, is Vitamin K2. K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps transfer calcium around the body. It also helps to keep our body’s most vital processes ticking along, including those that maintain bone health, heart health, and immunity. Vitamin D alone can run the risk of calcium production without making sure it ends up where it is needed; this is where K comes in. It also does a few other vital tasks: preventing breakages in bones and teeth, but also helping blood to clot and encouraging blood vessels and soft tissues to decalcify.
But K-rich foods are not a huge part of our diets. A recent randomised study that looked at 452 healthy adults in the USA found that 438 of them - a staggering 97% - were either deficient or insufficient in vitamin K2. This is because offal has long been a way of getting it in our diets, and organs are not as much of a staple as they were in the past. Fermented foods, too, are big for K2: sauerkraut, kimchi and fermented soy beans - known as natto - are all rich in it. To learn more about K2 deficiency, read our guide to spotting the signs.
Vitamins B6 and B12 are two B vitamins that many people are deficient in. B6 is vital for brain development in growing foetuses and children; B12 is vital for red blood cells and nerve cells. B6 is found in chicken, fish, chickpeas and bananas, B12 is found in meat, fish, milk and poultry. B12 is therefore particularly hard to find in a vegan diet.
Another B vitamin you might be lacking in is folic acid. Folic acid helps the body produce red blood cells alongside iron, and without enough of these you might find yourself with anaemia. It’s also vitally important for people who are pregnant and infant children. Iron is also something people are often deficient in: it’s a vital component for haemoglobin, which carries oxygen to organs and tissue. Dark leafy greens are phenomenal for both iron and folic acid: this includes spinach and kale. Folic Acid can also be found in beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, whole grains, liver and seafood.
Iodine is crucial for thyroid hormones, which help with growth, development and metabolism. It’s often found in salt and seafood (which is why salt is often reinforced with additional iodine.) You can also get it from eggs, dairy and grains.
Magnesium is a mineral that assists digestion, bone health, sleep, mental health and cardiac health. Too little can lead to osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease. Whole grains, nuts, dark chocolate and dark green leafy greens all assist with upping your magnesium uptake.
You might also be lacking in potassium, which is a common deficiency. Bananas are a great way of getting your potassium levels up, as well as B vitamins and magnesium.
You may also be low in fibre, which can lead to constipation, blood sugar fluctuations, fatigue and inflammation. If you are, beta glucans are a type of soluble dietary fibre that can sort you out, and help to treat high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and patch up your immunity. You can find beta glucans in oats and barley, mushrooms – specifically reishi, shiitake or maitake – beans, peas, lentils, broccoli, sweet potato, aubergine, apples, strawberries and prunes. A patented beta glucan, Wellmune Blend, is also present in the LYMA Supplement.
LYMA has always functioned under the premise that we are not here to amend an imbalanced diet, but to provide additional support even a perfect nutritional game couldn’t provide. We do cater to some of the deficiencies listed above, but usually these are deficiencies that you can’t help but have due to factors outside of our control.
Our Supplement is for people who are already mindful of their health and nutrition and instead are looking for a formula that goes beyond this to counteract the inevitable challenges of modern life: stress and sleep, to improve their brain performance and build their immunity. That is why LYMA is the superbrand of supplements; it goes above and beyond.
