You probably never thought you’d be malnourished. After all, if you eat as much healthy food as possible, take nutritional supplements, choose organic foods, and even grow some of your own grain vegetables, you’re probably already healthier than most.
But cunning nutritional “thieves” and environmental factors such as your age, health, chronic stress, drug use, where food is grown, and even how food is processed and stored can affect how you absorb certain nutrients or even get certain ones. capacity of some nutrients. You can’t let this happen!
When you realize that you may not be getting enough of certain vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients, you can start to improve. Here’s a list of the 5 most common nutritional deficiencies and their solutions.
Vitamin D deficiency is probably the most common type of vitamin deficiency.
According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 77% of adolescents and adults in the United States have serum vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or less. According to the National Institutes of Health, vitamin D levels of 20 ng/mL or higher are considered “sufficient for most people.” Other experts or agencies, including the Vitamin D Council, recommend that vitamin D levels should be higher; for example, the Vitamin D Council considers 50 ng/mL to be “ideal.” Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include sadness (depression), dementia, frequent infections (because of poor immune function), bone pain, weakness, and sweating of the head.
If you suspect that you are vitamin D deficient, you should have a blood test to determine your vitamin D level. Your doctor can order this test for you, or you can order it online. Unlike many other nutrient deficiencies that can be addressed through diet, the best solution to vitamin D deficiency is sun exposure and nutritional supplements.
In general, you should expose unshielded (without sunscreen) skin to the sun. Exposure is half the time required for a sunburn, which can also vary by skin tone, time of day, and latitude, but is usually 10 to 20 minutes three to four times a week. Taking vitamin D nutritional supplements can make up for the lack of sunlight, or, if needed, by taking supplements alone.
The US Food and Nutrition Board recommends 600 to 800 IU (international units) of vitamin D for adults; the Endocrine Society recommends 1,500 to 2,000 IU; the Vitamin D Board recommends 5,000 IU. Many experts believe the dosage recommended by the US Food and Nutrition Board is too low.
Deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids are fairly common, which may not be surprising since the main food source of omega-3 fatty acids is fish, but many people don’t like to eat fish.
Omega-3 fatty acids have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that help prevent cardiovascular diseases such as arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death, high blood pressure, and also promote vascular health and lower triglycerides. The intake of omega-3 fatty acids should be roughly equal to that of omega-6 fatty acids, which are mainly pro-inflammatory, and the ideal ratio of intake of the two fatty acids should be 1:1, unfortunately, it is now more of 1:20 to 1:50, because the typical Western diet is rich in vegetable oils and fried, processed foods.
If you have dry skin, scaling, dandruff, brittle nails, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, and dysmenorrhea, you may be deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids can increase your omega-3 intake, including salmon (especially silver and Atlantic salmon, but make sure they’re wild), whitefish, sardines, and mackerel.
If you don’t like fish, you can also choose non-fish flax seeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, and sprouted radish seeds, which are also high in Omega-3, but their Omega-3 is alpha -In the form of linolenic acid (ALA), which the body must convert into the more bioavailable eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) commonly found in fish. Consuming fish oil or krill oil is also a way to supplement Omega-3, but choose a reputable manufacturer whose product is non-toxic and environmentally responsible. Vegetarians and vegans can opt for Omega-3 supplements made from seaweed.
3. Magnesium
It is estimated that about half of Americans are not getting enough magnesium. Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in cardiovascular health, migraines, detoxification, diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, and overall cellular function.
How to detect magnesium deficiency in the body? Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include anxiety, irritability, nausea, vomiting, cardiac arrhythmias, confusion, low blood pressure, insomnia, poor nail growth, seizures, sleep problems, hyperventilation, restless legs syndrome, muscle cramps and weakness .
To correct magnesium deficiency, you should first check your diet. If your diet lacks plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, avocados, seaweed, nuts and seeds, start now. Choose organic products whenever possible, as conventionally grown produce is often deficient in magnesium and other minerals. Don’t like green vegetables? Vegetables can be pureed and added to soups or juiced, and the remaining puree added to smoothies or soups.
You can also add nuts and seeds to cereal, yogurt, salads, sandwiches, and soups. If that’s not enough, consider magnesium supplements, such as magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate, which seem to have better bioavailability. Also, you should get enough vitamin B6, because the level of vitamin B6 in your body determines how much magnesium you can absorb.
4. Vitamin B12
About 40 percent of Americans don’t get enough vitamin B12. Deficiency of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a concern because in our rapidly aging population, the elderly are more prone to vitamin B12 deficiency. Other people at risk of vitamin B12 deficiency include vegetarians, vegans, people with celiac disease, people with inflammatory bowel disease, people with other abnormal digestive system problems, or people who have undergone gastrointestinal surgery.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for blood cell manufacture, DNA synthesis, energy production and myelin development. Vitamin B12 deficiency is easy to overlook because it can take a decade or more for obvious symptoms to appear. Symptoms include brain fog, fatigue, apathy, mood swings, memory problems, muscle weakness, and tingling in the arms and legs.
Animal foods such as beef, eggs, salmon, scallops, shrimp, and poultry are all sources of vitamin B12. This means that people following a plant-based diet should look for other food sources rich in B12, including many grains and non-dairy beverages. When taking nutritional supplements to treat vitamin B12 deficiency, sublingual drops, sprays, and injections (usually for more severe deficiencies) work best, while oral tablets are less effective. Plus, methylcobalamin supplements are easier to absorb than cyanocobalamin.
5. Iron
The World Health Organization has designated iron deficiency as “the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world”. Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent in both developing and developed countries. In the United States, iron-deficiency anemia occurs in 20% to 50% of patients, depending on the subjects studied.
Perhaps the greatest value of iron lies in its involvement in the synthesis of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that is essential to life. Iron is also a key player in the functions of various enzymes and proteins, and it also contributes to the transport of oxygen and the regulation of cell growth.
You may be familiar with the term “iron-poor blood,” which is associated with anemia, fatigue, and a compromised immune system. People with low iron levels often experience these symptoms. Other symptoms include pallor and shortness of breath. and leg pain.
To increase your iron intake, you can add foods rich in heme iron or non-heme iron to your diet. Heme iron is found in red meat, fish, and poultry; non-heme iron is found in plant foods such as beans, tofu, dark chocolate, spinach, and iron-fortified cereals. You can also cook in a wok.
If you take iron supplements, consult a healthcare professional first. In general, it is best to take iron supplements two to three times a day, with vitamin C added each time to promote iron absorption. The same is true for eating iron-rich foods. However, taking iron supplements with milk, caffeine, calcium, or antacids can reduce the body’s absorption of iron.
Ferrous iron has better bioavailability than ferric iron when choosing iron supplements. Excessive intake of iron supplements, such as about 45 mg or more per day, may have side effects such as constipation and other gastrointestinal problems. Iron supplements such as heme iron peptides, ferric amino acid chelates, and polysaccharide iron complexes are less likely to have side effects.
Before taking iron supplements or increasing dietary iron, it is recommended that you do a simple blood test to check your iron levels. Too much iron can affect health because iron builds up in the body and can cause severe cellular damage.
Remember that nutrients work synergistically, some are more pronounced than others, and correcting one nutrient deficiency may affect your body’s need for and utilization of other nutrients. Therefore, while it is critical to identify and correct nutrient deficiencies, it is also wise to review your overall nutritional intake, including those from food and supplements, to ensure you are nutritionally balanced.
Deborah Mitchell is a freelance health writer. She has authored and co-authored more than fifty books and thousands of articles on a wide range of topics. This article was originally published on NaturallySavvy.com and was reprinted and translated with permission from The Epoch Times in Chinese and English. For the English report, please see:5 Common Nutritional Deficiencies and Their Signs–Do You Get Sick Easily or Always Feel Tired？◇
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