At M&S, we believe it’s better to eat your vitamins than to take vitamin pills. And with a little help from our expert nutritionists and food writer Dr Rupy, we’re making it easy and delicious to do just that!
We’ve all heard that vitamins and minerals are important for health – but what does that actually mean?
“Vitamins and minerals are crucial to the complex workings of our body,” says M&S nutritionist Sophia Linn. “Different functions of the body need different nutrients to function effectively, and a balanced diet should provide all the nutrients we require. Combinations of certain foods can also help enhance or reduce the absorption of certain vitamins and minerals when consumed.”
Read on for more inspiration on how to incorporate foods with more vitamins and minerals into your diet.
We’ve teamed up with NHS GP and food writer Dr Rupy to share some inspiring tips on how to pack plenty of vitamins and minerals into your diet.
“Whole foods such as cabbage or broccoli not only contain high amounts of specific vitamins (such as Vitamin C and K), but also multiple types of fibre and the many other plant chemicals that make consuming vegetables so beneficial for health,” says Dr Rupy. To up your vitamin intake, try his easy ideas:
“Following a largely plant-based diet with lots of colour guarantees a great mix of nutrient-dense ingredients.”
“Eating whole foods is a good strategy for making the most of your ingredients – try steaming and sautéing, rather than boiling, your veg.”
“Using good-quality fats, such as nuts, seeds and quality cold-pressed oils, will help absorb some of the fat-soluble vitamins. Hazelnuts are a great example!”
“Red cabbage is one of the most nutrient-dense veggies – shave raw into salads, or stir-fry.”
Discover a day’s worth of meals that contain your recommended daily intake of nutrients, developed by our expert nutritionist Sophia Linn
M&S Bran Flakes with Plant Kitchen oat milk and banana
45g M&S bran flakes
150ml Plant Kitchen oat milk
1 banana
“Our M&S bran flakes are Remarksable Value and fortified with vitamin B6, B12, niacin, iron, pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, and folic acid – a great way to start your day!” says Sophia.
For lunch, fillet of Scottish salmon with a quinoa salad with za’atar, curly kale, sprinkle of sunflower seeds and crumble of feta. Served with a wholemeal pitta
95g kale
1 salmon fillet
Sprinkle of Cook With M&S za’atar
1 M&S bulgur wheat, quinoa, freekeh and red rice pouch
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 M&S wholemeal pitta, enriched with vitamin D
20g sunflower seeds
10g feta
“Simply sprinkling pumpkin seeds on your soup or salad is a delicious way to add a source protein, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese and selenium,” says Sophia.
For a snack, try mixed nuts and Greek yoghurt
150g M&S 0% fat Greek yoghurt
A handful of M&S Collection mixed nuts
Stir-fried steak with peppers, M&S vitamin-D-enriched mushrooms and wholegrain rice
1 M&S wholegrain rice pouch
100g M&S chestnut vitamin D mushrooms
1 red onion
1 red pepper
“One red pepper has all the vitamin C you need for the whole day!” says Sophia.
Pick up everything you need in store
Disclaimer: Consult your doctor or health-care professional before embarking on a new diet. Supplements may be required for a variety of health needs and at particular life stages: for 6 month olds to 4 year olds, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly. Vitamin D levels in this country are low and therefore government advice is that we all take a supplement of 10µg of vitamin D a day. 100g M&S Bran Flakes >15% RI niacin, iron, pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid. 100g of M&S pitta contributes 15% RI vitamin D, 100g vitamin D mushroom contributes >30% RI vitamin D. 100g of red pepper contains >100% RI vitamin C. 20g of pumpkin seeds contains >12% energy from protein and >15% RI for vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese and selenium.