3 Essential Vitamins You Should Replenish Daily

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential, water-soluble nutrient that’s critical for an exceedingly high number of healthy body processes, including response to stress and the day-to-day activities of the immune system.¹ Vitamin C is present in your white blood cells, helps build protein, and even acts as an antioxidant.² The daily recommended value for Vitamin C is 90 mg.³ However, some take more than the daily recommended value of Vitamin C to supplement deficient diets. Considering it’s so important to the body, make sure you’re getting enough by eating vegetables and fruits rich in Vitamin C or taking daily supplements. Talk to your healthcare provider to understand how much Vitamin C you need.

Food with Vitamin C:

• Broccoli, raw: 69.4mg⁴ per cup
• Strawberries: 84.7mg⁵ per cup
• Navel oranges: 97.5mg⁶ per cup

Vitamin B

The B-complex vitamins are also water-soluble and are very important for the activity of the nervous system. They help release energy from food so that it can be used by all cells. Vitamin B1 (thiamin) specializes in helping break down glucose⁷. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) participates in dozens of chemical reactions that extract energy from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats⁸. Vitamins B6 and B12 are required for the production of red blood cells, which deliver the oxygen required for cellular energy production ^7,9.

Daily Recommended Values for B-Complex Vitamins³:

• B1: 1.2mg
• B6: 1.7mg
• B12: 2.4mcg

Foods with B-Complex Vitamins:
Dietary sources of thiamin include vegetables and whole and enriched grains ¹⁰.

Vitamin B6 is found in a variety of plant and animal foods. Foods with plentiful amounts include tuna, salmon, poultry, leafy green vegetables, fortified cereals, bananas, papayas, oranges, and cantaloupe⁸.

Vitamin B12 is exclusively found in animal foods and some enriched foods. Good sources of B12 include fish, red meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy. Vegetarian and vegan food are poor sources of B12 and need to have B12 added to it resulting in fortified nutritional yeast, fortified breakfast cereals, and fortified plant-based milk⁹.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that participates in approximately 100 different enzyme reactions throughout the body¹¹ and is an important nutrient for immune health. Zinc helps produce several different types of white blood cells that perform various functions for the immune system¹². White blood cells, specifically macrophages, also use Zinc strategically as they encounter different invaders in the immune system.¹³

The daily recommended value for Zinc is up to 11 mg.³

Foods with Zinc:
Zinc is present in a plenty of plant and animal foods. Oysters contain the highest levels of zinc, with 74 mg per 3-oz. serving¹³. Beef and crab are also good sources with about 7 mg and 6.5 mg per 3-oz serving, respectively. Plant foods such as pumpkin seeds (2.2 mg per oz.), chickpeas (1.3 mg per ½ cup), instant oatmeal (1.1 mg per packet), and almonds (0.9 mg per oz.) provide modest amounts.¹³ But if you find yourself struggling to eat some of these foods on a day-to-day basis, you can also take Zinc in your daily supplement regimen.

There are also plenty of vitamin supplements—including Vicks Super C caplets—that can help you replenish more than one of the essential vitamins you need to keep your body healthy, every day.

Vicks Super C Supplements

Vicks Super C Daily Energize and Replenish Caplets is a daily supplement to help energize and replenish your body.* It has select B Complex Vitamins and 1000mg of Vitamin C along with a blend of quality extracts including turmeric, ginseng, and green tea.

Vicks Super C Nightly Rest and Replenish Caplets helps replenish levels of vitamin C and zinc to support immune function.* It also has Ashwagandha to help you relax and de-stress.* The tablets have 1000 mg vitamin C and 15 mg of zinc along with 145 mg of an herbal blend of echinacea, chamomile, and ashwagandha*.

If you’re looking to replace your essential vitamins, pick the Vicks Super C supplement that fits your needs best.

Getting the essential vitamins you need is key to stay healthy. It’s equally as important to maintain a lifestyle that supports your body, so you can feel well rested and energized each morning to tackle the day ahead of you. Here are some tips to help you feel well rested & energized:

1. Practice Healthy Sleep Hygiene

The first step to feeling well-rested and energized is to get enough quality sleep. Studies show, production of the cellular energy molecule called ATP, occurs mostly during the deep phase of our sleep, also known as slow wave sleep.¹⁶

Practicing good sleep hygiene can help you accomplish your sleep goals. Sleep hygiene is about creating a bedroom environment and evening rituals that help you relax and prepare for sleep and ensure that your sleep is restful and restorative.

Experts at Harvard University suggest these soothing, sleep hygiene tips:¹⁷:

• Make Your Bedroom a Cozy “Sleep Cave”
  Quiet, dark, and cool environments promote restful sleep. Prevent outdoor light from leaking in with light-blocking curtains. If noise is an issue, use earplugs or a white noise machine. Keep the room temperature between 600F and 750F for optimal sleep comfort.

• Transition to Soothing Activities Before Bedtime
  Avoid stimulating activities an hour before bedtime. Instead, take a bath, read a book, watch television, or practice relaxation exercises.

• Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
  Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day sets your circadian rhythms so that your brain and body will begin to wind down at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning.

2. Eat a well-balanced diet

A healthy, well-rounded diet provides all of the macro- and micronutrients you need to keep you fueled throughout your active day. But do you need good nutrition for a good night’s sleep? Yes! A large-scale survey of nutrition habits of U.S. adults found that many participants who got inadequate amounts of sleep (less than 7 hours each night) also consumed inadequate amounts of numerous essential nutrients.¹⁶

So, what does a diet that promotes healthy, restful sleep and good energy levels look like? Ideally, it’s one with low amounts of processed carbs to promote balanced blood sugar levels while providing high micronutrient content. A good example is the Mediterranean diet, which is high in whole plant foods, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, with moderate amounts of lean meats¹⁷.

3. Get Your Exercise In

Getting regular exercise is one of the most effective tools you can use to help you sleep well at night and have abundant, productive energy during the day, according to the Mayo Clinic¹⁸. And the good news is you don’t need to put in long, high-intensity workouts to derive the benefits – moderate exercise works just fine.
Whether it’s a brisk walk or jog around the neighborhood or a nearby trail, dancing to your favorite tunes, or a relaxing session of yoga, whatever gets you up and moving on a regular basis will make you more relaxed and better able to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

4. Listen to Music that Makes You Feel Good

Upbeat music can get you humming and tapping your toes within seconds and calm music can help put your brain and body in a chilled-out, restful state receptive to sleep. A review of published studies found that music-assisted relaxation also improved subjective sleep quality, fewer times waking up during the night and less tossing and turning reported²¹. And, as a sleep inducer, music is safe, convenient, and cost-effective.

Cue up your favorite classical, soft jazz, or other calming sleepy-time tunes and make music part of your nightly bedtime routine.

5. Try Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice with proven benefits for quieting the mind, reducing stress, improving sleep, and increasing energy and productivity²⁰. According to Cornell University’s health services website, a few minutes a day is all it takes to get the benefits of meditation.

Additionally, the benefits of meditation occur even if your mind occasionally wanders and you think you’re doing it “wrong” ²⁰. Experiment to find a meditation method that works for you or learn several techniques that you can practice according to your preference, lifestyle, or mood.

6. Limit Caffeine

A cup or two of coffee in the morning provides a welcome energy lift to help you get your day started. However, relying on caffeine will eventually affect your sleep and energy levels. Consuming coffee, soda, and energy drinks to keep you going throughout the day can impair your ability to sleep and sap your energy the next day, making you reach for more caffeinated beverages, and this results in an unhealthy cycle. The key is to drink caffeine in moderation and avoid caffeinated beverages in the afternoon²¹.

*THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.