Our bodies are designed to work with specific minerals and vitamins helping all the systems function well.

The immune system is amazing and when given enough nutrients like Vitamin D (sunshine, cod liver oil), Zinc (oysters, pumpkin seeds, nuts and seeds), selenium (Brazil nut, seaweeds such as kelp or selenium drops) and Vitamin C (colourful vegetables and fruits – especially ripe ones) it will heal itself.

Vitamin A in carrot juice or orange coloured vegetables is very important for the skin. You need zinc to convert betacarotene into Vitamin A to help your skin, eyes and immune health.

Stretch marks are often an indication of a zinc deficiency. To prevent stretch marks keep up good zinc foods and take zinc if worried in a balanced supplement mix.

Slow digestion often improves with minerals like zinc, selenium that help the thyroid become more active and with Vitamin D boosts and a good supply of healthy gut bacteria and foods that help feed the gut bacteria like kumara, hummus, pumpkin, chia seeds, artichokes and so on.

Sinuses need a mould free environment and lots of zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin D and minerals to stay free of allergies.

Allergies can reduce when our body is well balanced with Vitamin D, A, Zinc and Vitamin C, as well as the colourful part of fruits and vegetables, called bioflavonoids.

Slow-healing sores or too many boils can respond to removing excess refined sugars and carbohydrate white flours, white rice and taking a boost of zinc, Vitamin D and even Vitamin C as needed.

If you keep getting coughs or colds or infections look at taking something with Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and consider a regular Vitamin D dose along with some olive leaf extract. Salt gargles and warm drinks can help support you fight off viruses that target the throat area.

Ideally, we get our nutrients from foods and sunshine, but sometimes the foods are not full of everything we need due to the soil depletion or crop being harvested before ripe or stored in cool store so there is nutrient decay.

The immune nutrients are ones like zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin C and other minerals like selenium as well as seaweeds or sea vegetables for natural trace sea minerals including iodine.

Enjoy some sunshine a swim in the ocean and a meal of vegetables, fish and healthy shellfish or seafood and seaweeds for a real boost! Pacific Harvest has an online store with a range of tasty seaweed products in NZ.