Remembering to take our supplements consistently can be hard (we get it, we’ve been there). But for our bodies, it’s only half the hurdle. 

With vitamins, it’s all about absorption. We can only feel the health-boosting benefits of what our bodies can digest and absorb. This is known as ‘bioavailability’. 

In other words, if you don’t absorb it, you won’t get any benefit from any supplement (or food for that matter). Therefore the bioavailability of vitamins is a big factor in how effective they are. 

There are steps we can take to aid the absorption of vitamins, and good news for you—we’ve already done our part by making our supplements as easy to absorb as possible.  

In this article we’ll go into a little more detail about bioavailability and what our formulas are doing to improve it and give you some tips for ensuring your’re absorbing all of that NothingFishy goodness.  

What is bioavailability?

Bioavailability is essentially a fancy, scientific term for how readily our bodies can absorb certain nutrients. So if a certain food has low bioavailability, like certain types of plants, it means the our bodies can only absorb a small amount of the total available nutrients. 

This can be common with certain plant-based foods, as some compounds found in plants can block the digestive enzymes needed to break down food property in the gut. 

The good news is, lot’s of supplements are able to get around this and increase the bioavailability of certain vitamins by removing the enzyme blocking bits. 

Bioavailability can also be improved by pairing certain nutrients together or suspending them in fat-soluble form—just like our NothingFishy range. 

7 tips for improving vitamin absorption 

Nurture your gut health 

The health of your gut, particularly your gut microbiome is incredibly important for controlling the absorption of nutrients and vitamins from food. Ensuring your gut is working in tip top condition can help to ensure you’re absorbing adequate amounts of essential nutrients. 

Make sure you’re eating lots of gut healthy foods, like pro and prebiotics, keeping hydrating, getting good quality sleep, exercising and eating a balanced diet with lots of fibre. 

Take vitamins alongside complimentary nutrients

Vitamin absorption is often impacted by the presence or absence of complimentary nutrients. In other words—taking vitamins with certain foods or other vitamins can help absorption.

For example fat-soluble vitamins, like Vitamin D, are best absorbed with some healthy fat. Vitamin C and iron help eachother out, as do magnesium and zinc. 

Avoid taking them with alcohol or caffeine

Alcohol and caffine can both bad news when it comes to absorption. Both are diuretics, which means they promote water loss. This can deplete water soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and B vitamins. 

Consider taking your supplements at least 2 hours before or after your morning coffee and not in the presence of alcohol. 

Stay hydrated 

Keeping your fluids up can do wonders for your gut, helping to keep things moving. This is good for absorption as it can aid and promote healthy digestion. Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. 

Check any medications you’re taking

Some medications can interfere with the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. Make sure you check any side effects or ask your Doctor for advice on any specifically oral medication that you’re taking before taking any supplements. 

Try to reduce any stress

Stress can affect almost all of our bodies processes and is overal bad news. Some research has suggested that chronic stress can impact our metabolism and how our bodies use and absorb nutrients. 

Get moving

Just like staying hydrated, getting regular exercise or movement (whatever that might look like for you) can work wonders on the gut. Exercise can improve metabolism, aid digestion and reduce stress—all working together to improve gut health and aid essential nutrient absorption.