The supplement boost you need to support your immunity for winter

Every winter, and this winter in particular, worry descends about the strength of our immune systems. Will we be able to fight the flu if we get it? Will we get cold after cold, leaving us low in energy and unable to live our active lives? Quite often, winter time is when we look most to vitamins and supplements to bolster our potentially weakened systems.

The problem for many is that the crowded supplement market can be confusing, and often we're left wondering what are the right ones to take – and if they're safe.

More than seven out of 10 people believe vitamins are an important part of a healthy diet, but we still wonder just how healthy the ingredients are within them. And which ones are essential for you and your family?

Irish brand, One Nutrition has stepped up to create a range of plant-based, sustainably packaged and ethically sourced supplements using only the purest ingredients, taking away the worry and replacing it with trust in what you're putting into your (and your family's) body.

Darragh Hammond, one of the founders of One Nutrition, based in Rathnew, Co Wicklow, says that trust in the company’s products is at the very heart of its business, with a particular awareness that what families give to their youngest members is of the utmost importance.

"It's absolutely important to us that our customers can trust us. Ultimately, these are products we use ourselves in our own families. We are the consumers too. I give them to my kids, so it's important to me as a parent," Hammond says.

Health and wellbeing is featuring more and more heavily in our lives, and as with so many things, acting now to prevent illness is better than acting later to heal.

"With each passing year we are seeing more and more people take a proactive approach to their overall health and wellbeing, and increasingly looking towards preventative measures over cures," he says.

With so many unknowns on the supplement shelves, Hammond is reassuring about the brand’s plant-based and 'free from' promises.

"Our products are free from allergens, free from animal products and we monitor how the ingredients are treated to make sure they haven't been irradiated. Outside the EU, companies may allow that, and we ensure that they're not treated that way. Things like pesticides can be a problem, so we source organic where possible," he explains.

Environmental credentials

With so many of us now becoming increasingly environmentally-aware and making efforts to live sustainably where possible, packaging and recyclability is high on our list of priorities when buying. Hammond says this was central to their ethos when creating the One Nutrition range.

"Having pure ingredients inside our product has to be reflected outside too,” he confirms. “We used to use recyclable plastic packaging, but we've since moved over to using glass and cardboard. Glass is completely recyclable, the cardboard we use is all completely recyclable and all the cartons are produced here in Ireland.”

Supporting those who work at the ingredient and packaging source was also a priority for the company. "We use suppliers who have ethical statements, we look at the sources of raw materials. We use a team of assessors to monitor how the ingredients are processed," Hammond says.

With immunity and nose-diving energy levels being a concern for many of us in winter, Hammond recommends three One Nutrition products that are universally supportive and useful at this time of year. Discover them here.

Best for immunity support: D3-Max

Many Irish people are already vitamin D-deficient, so with One Nutrition's D3-Max, a plant-based high strength vitamin D oral spray, you can tackle that. Vitamin D contributes to the normal function of the immune system and to the maintenance of normal bones and muscle function. D3-Max works to support the immune system, bone health and muscle function. It’s suitable for all the family, from ages four upwards, and ideal for different D3 needs – the delicious orange flavour means it tastes great too.

Best for increased energy: Revive and Go Immunity

These micro-encapsulated vitamin C and zinc supplements help with both energy and immunity. Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, the maintenance of the normal function of the immune system, and to normal energy-yielding metabolism. Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system. Allowing for rapid absorption and retention of vitamin C in the body, Revive and Go Immunity helps to support the immune system and contributes to the reduction of tiredness.

Best for plant-based power: B12-Max

Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal sources such as fish, meat and eggs. This plant-based- and vegetarian-friendly B12-Max is a highly absorbable vitamin oral spray which supports the immune system, boosts energy levels and contributes to red blood cell formation, which is particularly useful for those following a plant-based diet. Vitamin B12 contributes to normal red blood cell formation, to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal energy yielding metabolism and to the normal function of the immune system.

Find out more about the immunity-bolstering powers of vitamins B, C and D - onenutrition.ie