For or against food supplements? Advice from a dietitian to improve your immunity

Vitamin C, marine collagen, hyaluronic acid, zinc, brewer’s yeast… Never before have pharmacy shelves been so stocked with food supplements of all kinds. Especially in this fall and soon to be winter season. However, health professionals are far from unanimous on the subject. Starting with Fanny Blanchou-Lasbouygues, dietician in Lot. “As its name suggests, the food supplement complements if there are deficiencies. It cannot replace a healthy and balanced diet. Some prefer to swallow tablets than to eat correctly, because it is the easy solution. Like this patient I received one day in my office He arrived with a list of food supplements on my desk,” warns the nutritionist who practices in Cahors, Gourdon and Puy-l’Évêque. . She only recommends food supplements once the patient’s blood test has been read and a deficiency is actually identified. Otherwise, it’s nothing.

“This is a marketing argument which can lead to abuses. Some, gummies in particular, are presented like candy and are sweet. We are tempted to consume a lot and therefore exceed the doses. ANSES (the national health security agency) has however already warned about them by making the link with the risks of developing hepatitis. Accumulating 5 to 6 different food supplements can be a bad cocktail because not all of them are compatible,” the dietician further reacts. Rather than consuming food supplements, Fanny Blanchou-Lasbouygues advises instead to pick out suitable foods in the kitchen. Here is what It is recommended in cases of vitamin D, magnesium and iron deficiencies.

Dairy products to promote vitamin D

“Before making food, start by going out to get some sun, at least half an hour a day,” the specialist recommends above all. Then, we focus on dairy products with whole milk, both yogurts and cheese. “Oily fish such as sardines, fresh and smoked salmon, trout and mackerel are excellent in cases of vitamin D deficiency. You can also eat egg yolk and oilseeds,” she notes. Again. His recipe: sardine rillettes (mix sardines with cottage cheese, lemon and parsley) on a slice of wholemeal bread. History of boosting your immune system from the aperitif.

Lentils to stock up on magnesium

“We can easily sprinkle wheat germs on our preparations. Then we think of dark chocolate, it must have at least 70% cocoa, and dried vegetables: lentils, split peas, chickpeas, red beans, quinoa, spelled , buckwheat seeds… We supplement with almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts which are real nutritional nuggets,” explains the nutritionist. His recommended recipe for a snack: a handful of oilseeds with a square of dark chocolate or, for those with a sweet tooth, a homemade dark chocolate brownie with pecans.

Meatballs against iron deficiency

We might as well say it straight away: eating spinach when you suffer from an iron deficiency is of no use. “It’s a preconceived idea. But spinach does not particularly contain iron,” says Fanny Blanchou-Lasbouygues. She advises eating red meat, raw or cooked, cooking having no impact. “The liver and blood sausage are excellent as long as you like it,” she observes. To fix the iron well, we combine it with parsley which is full of vitamin C. And if you really have trouble with the piece of red meat, the dietician suggests a recipe for homemade bolognese with meatballs or steak chopped celery, carrots, wholemeal pasta or coral lentil spaghetti.