
Supplements to keep you thriving this season
Many of us tend to think about stocking up on supplements during autumn as we look to strengthen our defences against the incoming winter viruses. But looking after your health and wellbeing is essential all year round, and the summer season can bring unique challenges. We spend more time outside in the sun and often do more sports and exercise, we venture to new environments on our travels where we eat and drink differently, so stocking up on summer-ready supplements is a must to support you and your family’s health and wellness in a variety of ways.
Travel health

While a holiday or any trip away from home is always extremely exciting, it also increases the likelihood of picking up bugs that can have a major dampening effect on your fun. Unfamiliar foods, different standards of hygiene in hotels and restaurants, over-indulging, and water-borne, harmful bacteria – in both sea water and drinking water – can all leave the digestive system feeling rather delicate. One problem which can ruin many holidays is the development of traveller’s diarrhoea or ‘holiday tummy’.
It has long been thought that taking a daily probiotic supplement may help to avoid this issue, a hypothesis which is now backed by science – read more in this updated review about how probiotics play a key role in the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea. Specific kind of bacteria such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, one of the strains in our own Live Bacteria capsules, have been shown to be effective in this area, so if you are aiming to support your digestive system whilst on holiday, make sure your probiotic supplement includes these bacteria.
An absolute ‘must-have’ supplement during the summer months is a pot of our activated Charcoal. It’s a completely natural and gentle way to give your stomach and gut a good ‘deep-clean’ and help eliminate any nasty pathogens that may be lurking and creating uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as trapped wind or bloating. It’s also effective at helping to reduce the effects of a gut infection like food poisoning so it’s a good idea to pack a pot in your suitcase to take on holiday, especially if travelling to the Far East, India, Africa, South America, the Caribbean and if cruising.
Keep a pot at home too for barbecue season. There’s always a spike in cases of food poisoning during the summer months. Begin taking Charcoal straight away at the first signs of food poisoning, three capsules before meals and three capsules after meals, until symptoms begin to subside. If you still have symptoms after three days, then have a word with your pharmacist as you may need some hydration sachets too.
Summer immunity

Many of us are conditioned to think that we only need to look after our immune health during the winter months. However, the amount of close contact and socialising we partake in during the summer can lead to uninvited guests visiting in the form of viruses and bacteria. Crowds, festivals and travelling abroad can all leave the immune system vulnerable. In addition to your daily probiotic, there are numerous ways you can help support your immune system, both in summer and all year round, through your dietary choices.
- Get your 5-a-day – fresh produce provides important immune-boosting nutrients like vitamin C and beta carotene.
- Add garlic to your food – garlic contains a compound called allicin which has been shown to possess natural anti-bacterial properties. It is certainly no coincidence that the coveted Mediterranean diet – renowned for its health benefits – includes plenty of garlic. It is also said to keep mosquitoes away for those enjoying a holiday abroad.
- Limit tea, coffee and alcohol – whilst the caffeine in tea and coffee may give a temporary energy lift, they do not really support immune health. Although popular during the summer months, alcohol is known to supress the immune system, and depletes the body of nutrients, so ideally avoid drinking alcohol when you feel ‘run down’.
Combatting overindulgence

Summer – the season that many of us like to attend festivals, BBQs, parties, and other social gatherings. During these times, it becomes easy to let your good dietary habits slip, either eating too much, drinking too much or both. Over-indulgence is as much a part of the summer as Wimbledon and many of us are all too familiar with the consequences of this excess! Try following these tips:
- Restrict your intake of sugar, salt and wheat-based foods.
- Avoid red meat, processed foods and ready-made meals.
- Focus on lightening the load on your digestive system, by eating mainly fruit and vegetables, with fruit juices and homemade soups. Eating as much food as possible in its raw state can also be beneficial, as it helps to preserve the enzymes naturally present in the food. But be sure to do this earlier in the day as it takes longer to break down raw foods and can lead to uncomfortable digestive symptoms if you leave it too late. You can support the enzymes naturally present in the body by taking a Digestive Enzymes tablet before meals to help properly break down food and absorb nutrients.
- Keeping the bowels moving effectively is also important after over-indulging. Try to incorporate plenty of high fibre foods such as pulses, porridge, quinoa and brown rice as well as ensuring adequate fluid intake. It is recommended to drink at least 2 litres of water per day, preferably at room temperature. Herbal teas can also be a great idea, for their cleansing properties and as a pleasant alternative to water. Try our soothing and healing Tummy Tea for extra digestive support.
- You can get even better results by supporting your organs of elimination and general metabolism with our Milk Thistle tablets. These are the perfect supplement to help relieve the symptoms associated with occasional over-indulgence of food and drink such as indigestion and upset stomach. If you know that you are going to be drinking alcohol, take one Milk Thistle tablet before you go out, another one before you go to bed, and one more when you get up in the morning. The active ingredient, silymarin is a strong antioxidant that promotes liver cell regeneration and helps to eliminate the toxins you have drunk more efficiently, therefore lessening the impact on the liver – and your head.
If you have any questions about a digestive and gut health issue or would like to know more about a tailored supplement protocol, please get in touch.