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Everything You Need To Know About Immunity Supplements According To Nutritionist Tripti Gupta

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The world is getting scarier by the day. Our health has never mattered more than right now. We are beyond the phase of stepping into good health and feel the NEED to rush ourselves to build greater immunity, stamina, and a lot more resistance towards this heart-breaking pandemic. But how much is too much?

We’ve all stocked our kitchens with health supplements without really knowing and understanding them. In this desperate rush to build our health, we may have skipped the research on what’s good for us— and in what quantities and combinations.

To shed more light on the issue at large, we spoke to leading celebrity Lifestyle Nutritionist Tripti Gupta, who has over 20 years of experience in nutrition, diet training and beauty, and here’s what we’ve found out.

BB: Are supplements really necessary? Or can a good diet be enough to keep our immunity levels in check, even in the pandemic?

Tripti Gupta: A good diet which includes all our essential food groups is the foundation of our health & immunity. Supplements are the added protection around it to ensure our levels are optimum and not just borderline.

For e.g. Our range of B12 in a blood report can be anywhere between 200-900 ng/ml. While 200-300 is also considered healthy, it’s important to maintain a range of around 600- 700. This ensures that we’re not on the borderline and avoid moving into the deficit mode quickly. In addition to having our green leafy juices we may need to top up our diet with the required supplement to stay safe. Same goes for Vit D, Zinc, C etc. which are the common supplements people are consuming at the moment. However, mindlessly taking high doses of supplements should definitely be avoided as they may cause hypervitaminosis and other allergic reactions.

BB: What are the ingredients we should definitely look for in immunity-boosting supplements?

Tripti Gupta: The average Indian is deficient in Vitamins D, B12, Iron, Folate & Magnesium; try searching for multivitamin supplements that include all of these. Omega 3, Amino acids, Vitamin E and Vitamin A are also necessary to improve mental stress, eye strain, bone and brain health. To know your body requirements better, get a blood test done for these parameters and check with your health advisor for a curated list of supplements.

BB: What are some common misconceptions related to taking supplements?

Tripti Gupta: The most common misconception is to take all your pills together. Most people do this out of convenience, so they don’t forget to take them later; but one must always check the timing and combination of their pills. For instance, calcium and iron supplements interfere with each other’s absorption so if we take them together, they won’t give us the required results.  People taking a thyroid tablet should maintain at least a 30 minute gap between the pill and their meals.

Having Tea/ Coffee with or soon after your vitamin C tablet can damage its absorption. Hence, taking your supplements in the correct dose, at the correct time in the correct combination is truly necessary.

BB: What kind of ingredients or doses should we be mindful about? How much is too much when it comes to supplements?

Tripti Gupta: Anything in excess is bad even if it’s healthy. Here are a few pointers you should be careful about.

  • Any artificially created medicine or supplement when taken in excess can cause greater harm than natural food. This is something we must always be careful about.
  • Avoid unhealthy junk food, processed and canned food, food with colour, preservatives, additives, caffeinated beverages, colas, alcohol, sugary juices, sodium rich spreads, sauces, chemical sweeteners etc.
  • Over consumption of concentrated foods such as spices, nuts, seeds, oils & fats, which are otherwise packed with nutrients, when taken in excess can cause diarrhoea, stomach aches, ulcers, breakouts, acidity and many other issues.
  • Excess overall calorie consumption even if it is caused by healthy food is unhealthy. Obesity has become a huge co-morbidity today and is the largest cause of severe symptoms in the younger generation falling prey to Covid 19.

Bottomline, it’s important to know what you’re eating, how much of it and follow a sustainable eating pattern to maintain good immunity and health.

BB: Can you break down the specific supplements that are necessary for women in various age groups?

Tripti Gupta:

For 14-20 year olds-

  • Concerns - Acne, Weight Gain, Brain Health, Constipation
  • Consume - Vit C, Zinc, Omega 3, fibre

For 20-35 year olds-

  • Concerns - Stress, Anxiety, Hair fall, Acidity
  • Consume-  Calcium, Vit D, Iron, Magnesium

For 35-50 year olds-

  • Concerns - Hormones, Joint Health, Gut Health
  • Consume - Women’s Daily, Bone Health, Probiotics

BB: What are some nutrient-rich foods that you recommend to Indian women to boost immunity?

Tripti Gupta: A combination of various nutrient-rich foods consumed everyday can work wonders for Indian women when it comes to their health and immunity.

  • 2 portions Green Leafy Vegetables (in any form)
  • 1 bowl Fruit Yoghurt 
  • 30g Pumpkin seeds & flaxseeds
  • 1tbsp Turmeric & fenugreek powder dissolved in cold pressed oils.

Try including these to your regular diet and you will experience great harmony in health, with better sleep patterns, gut health, hormonal balance, rise in energy and stamina, lesser hair fall, milder body aches, lesser acne etc.

BB: What is your advice to women today, with Covid-19 attacking our immunity everyday?

Tripti Gupta: My advice to each and every person today is to learn the importance of being particular and specific when it comes to your nutrition. We can’t be carefree about our health any more, we have to take charge of our bodies, listen to the small signs it gives us, such as - headaches, hair fall, acidity, indigestion, constipation etc. Treat the root cause with professional guidance and maintain excellent blood parameters by checking your levels every 6 months or annually. It’s time to prevent disease and not wait to fight it.

Eat healthy, home cooked foods, don’t fall prey to fads, listen to your body and trust the numbers you see on your reports and your scale. Stay in the pink of health always.

Nykaa recommends: INLIFE Multivitamins & Minerals For Women, WOW Life Science Omega 3 Capsules, Oziva Plant Based Vitamin E Capsules, Himalayan Organics Calcium Magnesium Zinc Vitamin D3 and B12 Tablets, INLIFE Chelated Iron Folic Acid Supplement with Vitamin C, E, B12, Zinc & Selenium, Purna Gummies Immunity Orange Gummies with Vitamin C

Tripti Gupta is a leading Lifestyle Nutrition Consultant working with senior and renowned endocrinologists & diabetologists like Dr. H.B. Chandalia, Dr. Nadeem Rais, several hospitals, fitness professionals etc. Her career spans over two decades as a nutritionist, trainer, speaker and fitness expert for Doctors, Dieticians of IDA, and several Indian beauty pageants. She has also recently formulated her own line of 100% natural, organic, freshly handmade products for Skin, Hair and Immunity under her brand name iPink.

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