We’re going to sound like your mother here. Limiting stress, eating well, exercising regularly, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep is healthy. It gives your body what it needs to fight off viruses and infections. But, now we’ll sound like your doctor/naturopath. There are supplements that you can take to fill in the nutritional gaps to support your immune system. And now, we’ll sound like the National Institutes of Health: “Consuming adequate amounts of several vitamins and minerals—including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc—is important for proper immune function, and clinical deficiencies of these nutrients weaken immunity and can increase susceptibility to infections.”
None of this is surprising. But it is worth knowing a bit more about these nutrients and ingredients.
Not to beat a dead…
Just because supplements don’t come with a prescription, do not assume they are safe for everyone, even when taken as directed. Whenever taking any medication, supplements, vitamins or anything that is meant to affect the body, check with your health care provider first. They’ll know if it’s OK for you to take or not, and how much you might need if you do.
For example, Danielle, on the FLEETSTREET team, gets nauseous from zinc. She worked with her naturopath to halve the dose to get the nutritional benefits without the stomach pains. Of course, the outcome could be very different for someone else, though, such as an allergy, intolerance, contraindication with another nutrient or med, dietary requirement issue, symptoms of something else completely and so on.
So, long story short: Ask your healthcare provider first.
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What supplements support the immune system?
The NIH reports the following vitamins, minerals and other supplements as supporting the immune system. And these are the Canadian-recommended dietary allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, minerals unless otherwise prescribed by a health care provider. This acronym μg means micrograms (mg is milligrams), which you will often find on supplement packaging labels.
| Vitamin | Daily RDA for females | Daily RDA for males | Daily RDA for pregnancy | Daily RDA for lactation |
| Vitamin A | 700 μg | 900 μg | 770 μg | 1,300 μg |
| Vitamin C | 75 mg | 90 mg | 85 mg | 120 mg |
| Vitamin D | 15 mg | 15 mg | 15 mg | 15 mg |
| Mineral | Daily RDA for females | Daily RDA for males | Daily RDA for pregnancy | Daily RDA for lactation |
| Selenium | 55 μg | 55 μg | 60 μg | 70 μg |
| Zinc | 8 mg | 8 mg | 11 mg | 12 mg |
The NIH also recommends the following ingredients. These do not have recommended intakes because they are not considered essential nutrients.
Botanicals: Andrographis, echinacea, elderberry (European Elder), garlic, ginseng, tea and tea catechins
Other ingredients: Glutamine, N-acetylcysteine and glutathione, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics.
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Supplements available in Canada
Before taking any supplement, speak with your healthcare provider to find out if it will benefit you, especially for known or unknown health conditions and/or contraindications with other supplements or medications.
Cold FX Daily Support
What the package says: COLD-FX Daily Support contains a specialized extract from North American ginseng (CVT-E002), which may help strengthen the immune system. When taken regularly, it has been shown to reduce how often cold and flu symptoms show up.
What the Nutrition Facts label says: On the label, CVT-E002 is listed as a medicinal ingredient, which, according to the packaging, comes from Panax quinquefolius – a botanical in the ginseng family. Also, fun fact: Cold-FX says it’s “Proudly Canadian,” meaning that the company is Canadian-owned. Love that. The packaging doesn’t make claims on the origin of ingredients or location of manufacturing, though. It is gluten-free and vegan.
How to take it: Adults may take one to two capsules twice daily.
We tried it: It doesn’t taste like much as the capsules are unflavoured. If taking pills is difficult for you (we sometimes struggle with supplements as sometimes they “float”), they also have a chewable tablet option in orange and grape.
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Orange Naturally Zinc + Vitamin C
What the package says: “Supports proper immune function.” What the heck does that mean? Well, digging deeper, we found that the combination of zinc and vitamin C work together to help the immune system be stronger for viruses and pathogens, including the common cold. While zinc has its own immune benefits, it also amps up the effects of vitamin C, a well-researched antioxidant. There was one caution, though. Zinc may cause copper deficiency.
What the Nutrition Facts label says: Each capsule offers 400 milligrams of vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), and 50 milligrams of zinc (zinc citrate for easier absorption). Also, don’t take this along with medications; wait a few hours before and after taking this supplement. The recommended daily allowance for adults is between 15 micrograms of zinc a day, and for vitamin C, the RDA is 90 milligrams for male adults, 75 milligrams for female adults, 85 milligrams during pregnancy and 120 milligrams during lactation.
The packaging also says it’s gluten-, dairy-, soy-, wheat- and yeast-free, along with no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives, and is vegan and non-GMO (genetically modified organism).
How to take it: Make it part of your breakfast routine since one capsule is to be taken with food.
We tried it: There’s not much to taste to be honest. In fact, it tastes like it looks: a plain ol’ capsule pill. It’s two centimetres long, so we can’t just take one on its own – we need a glass of water.
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Ine+ Nutrition Super Greens Juicy Peach
What the package says: Contains 50 fruits, veggies and essential fatty acids – and with the “right mix of nutrients,” according to the website, this can support the immune and digestive systems. It’s also “Made in Canada,” meaning the last major manufacturing took place in Canada (ingredients may or may not be Canadian). Of course, like you might expect with a greens supplement, antioxidants are a big noted benefit.
What the Nutrition Facts label says: Honestly, there are too many medicinal ingredients and their amounts to list here, but the long list is broken down into herbs and extracts, cruciferous vegetables, sea vegetables, green food vegetables, phytonutrients (antioxidants), land vegetables (like rice and beets) and plant oils. Each 10-gram scoop contains 1.2 grams of protein, and 20% of the daily value for iron. It does contain stevia, though.
How to take it: Dissolve one scoop with cold or lukewarm water and drink, once or twice a day.
We tried it: The green powder needed help to “dissolve,” so we recommend using a spoon, frother or a protein shaker bottle for the greens to mix well. We did find some of it sank to the bottom as we drank it, so you might have to mix/shake it a few times. We expected it to taste like greens with a faint flavour of peach. But it tastes like Fuzzy Peaches. We’re not sure why vitamins and supplements have to taste like candy – but we’re here for it.
New Roots Vitamin D3
What the package says: Vitamin D is “the sunshine vitamin,” and D3 offers the same benefits but is made from cholecalciferol, which comes from lanolin in sheep’s wool (not vegan). And this supplement is said to help build stronger bones and teeth and immunity. D is needed for the body to absorb calcium and phosphorus, as well as lower how often we can get sick from infections that happen in the wintertime.
What the Nutrition Facts label says: Non-GMO, each capsule contains 1,000 international units (IUs), which is 25 micrograms. Adults are recommended to get 400 IUs a day. This supplement is free from gluten, soy, wheat, eggs, dairy, yeast, citrus, preservatives, artificial flavour, colour and sugar.
How to take it: Take one capsule daily or as directed by your healthcare provider.
We tried it: We love how tiny these gels are. They’re easy to take and swallow – water not necessary. We didn’t notice an aftertaste. If only all pills were like this.
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