Most people often use the New Year as the time to make improvements and resolutions about their health and their life. These things typically include drinking less, stopping smoking, and losing weight. These are all great goals, yet there are very few people that make a decision to increase their overall intake of important vitamins that ensure better mental and physical health.
In addition to others, the B vitamins and vitamin D are vital for good health, especially for older age. These are the vitamins that support healthy bones, brain, blood, the immune system, along with how the body uses energy. For this reason, it is crucial to make sure that your intake of these vitamins remains consistent regardless of your age, and whether you’re administering them yourself or via a carer or a someone from a live in care company.
Yet, a deficiency in vitamin B and vitamin D is a lot more common in adults that are older, which increases the risks of developing age-related diseases and osteoporosis.
Vitamin D is necessary to achieve better bone health, protects against colds and flu, and helps to fight depression. If you are lacking vitamin D you increase your risks of developing conditions such as dementia. Yet vitamin D deficiency happens to be highly common in over half of the adult population in the UK.
As we start to age, our bodies start to deplete nutrients faster as well as retain less. This is why it becomes important to start including foods that are vitamin-rich and to also look into taking supplements that are made available through health stores, pharmacies, and most supermarkets.
So you may be wondering how to increase your intake of these important vitamins? Here are some tips on where and how to obtain these vitamins.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is generally derived from sunlight when you are exposing your skin to direct sunlight. Through this process, your skin naturally converts ultraviolet B-rays into vitamin D.
Since elderly individuals have skin that is thinner when compared to younger individuals, they are not able to produce the same levels of vitamin D. This means that elderly people have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Over the winter months, it is important keep in mind that everyone starts lacking vitamin D. When there is little or no sunlight, or for seniors, vitamin D is found in:
- Cod liver oil
- Fatty fish like trout or salmon
- Fortified cereals
- Supplements
- Fortified orange juice
- Egg yolks
You can also use an ultraviolet lamp from home or go for a tanning session at a beauty salon. UV light in safe doses is usually very beneficial.
B Vitamins
Vitamin B includes a few different types, and each one is crucial to achieving good health. Each B vitamin performs vital functions which include assisting the body with releasing energy from specific types of foods.
All of the B vitamins are regarded as essential, however, vitamin B12 also known as cobalamin is extremely important as it assists with normal functioning when it comes to the nervous system and the brain, along with the production of blood.
Deficiencies in this particular vitamin can display the symptoms that are much like those of dementia. If your body is no longer absorbing vitamin B12 from the food that you eat, it is advisable to go for B12 injections. B12 assists with retaining better mental health, and can also assist with health and memory for those that already have dementia.
B12 deficiency is a lot more common in the elderly and vegetarians (as vitamin B12 is typically only found in animal protein). Foods that contain vitamin B12 include beef liver, shellfish, and mackerel.
Vitamin B1 known as thiamine helps to keep the muscles and nerves healthy and can be found in wholegrain bread, liver, peas, fruit, eggs, and vegetables.
Vitamin B2 known as riboflavin helps to keep the nervous system, eyes, and skin healthy. It is found in rice and dairy products.
Vitamin B3 known as Niacin maintains the health of the digestive and nervous system which can be found in wheat flour, fish, meat, and dairy.
Pantothenic acid assists with releasing energy from food that we eat. It is common in just about all vegetable and meat sources.
Vitamin B6 known as pyridoxine helps the body to use and store energy and assists with forming haemoglobin. B6 is present in milk, potatoes, peanuts, bread, eggs, fish, and pork.
Folic acid works with B12 for the formation of healthy red blood cells along with reducing the risks associated with central-nervous-system defects. You can find folic acid in brown rice, broccoli, chickpeas, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.
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