5 Warning Signs Of Nutrient Deficiencies You Shouldn't Ignore!

[00:00:00]In my profession as a nutrition coach, some of the most common complaints that I encounter are fatigue, lack of energy, muscle weakness, hair loss, and frequent infections. Most people dismiss these.

[00:00:12]They blame it on age, stress, or a busy lifestyle. But sometimes this is actually a body's way of telling you that you could be missing important nutrients. In this video, I'm going to take you through five common warning signs of nutrient deficiencies [music] and ways in which you could fix them.

[00:00:28]Welcome to Simplify Every one. I am Nirupama, a PhD in food science and a nutrition coach. Details to get in touch with me for a consultation is in the description box. In urban India, the problem is not that of adequate food.

[00:00:41]Food is abundant and easily available.

[00:00:44]The problem is inadequate nutrition. We are giving our body abundant calories, but we are not giving it important micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. And these vitamins and minerals are essential for the thousands of bodily processes like regulating our hormones, extracting energy from food, building bones, and fighting infections.

[00:01:05]The result are signs and symptoms that affect your quality of life. Let's start with the most common warning sign, persistent fatigue and weakness. Feeling tired after a day of work is normal. But if you are feeling constantly tired and you are unable to get through the day in spite of getting adequate sleep, it could be pointing towards iron deficiency. Unfortunately, iron deficiency is becoming a norm in India, especially amongst women. You see, iron is to make hemoglobin, which is a protein in RBCs. And RBCs are what carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. When iron levels are low, less oxygen reaches your muscles and tissues, leaving you feeling weak and tired. [music] What can you do? If your fatigue is persistent, get your iron, hemoglobin, and ferritin levels checked.

[00:01:50]Consume adequate iron-rich foods like legumes or dals, nuts and seeds, dry fruits, and dark leafy greens. If you're a non-vegetarian, eggs and meat are excellent sources. Make sure to pair your iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods like lemon and amla, which significantly improve iron absorption.

[00:02:09]And if you have anemia or very low hemoglobin, do not rely just on food.

[00:02:14]Talk to your doctor about iron supplements or intravenous iron shots.

[00:02:19]The second warning sign, tingling, numbness, and mouth ulcers. Now, suppose that your tiredness or fatigue is accompanied with a tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, brain fog, poor balance, or frequent mouth ulcers. Now, these could be suggesting a vitamin B12 deficiency or a broader B complex deficiency. Like iron, vitamin B12 is also required for formation of healthy red blood cells. Not just that, B vitamins are also required for healthy nerves and for effective communication between your brain, your spinal cord, and the rest of your body. Therefore, a vitamin B deficiency affects your energy as well as your nervous system. How can you improve your intake? Now, these days low carbohydrate or no carbohydrate diets are trending, but some of the richest sources of B vitamins are whole grains. So, whole wheat, unpolished rice, or millets are excellent sources.

[00:03:12]Legumes and dark leafy greens are also good sources of vitamin B. Vitamin B12, however, is mostly found in animal products. So, meat, fish, eggs, milk, and other dairy products like paneer, curd, or yogurt. One important point, if you're regularly taking antacids, your vitamin B12 absorption is going to suffer. So, please talk to your doctor about testing and appropriate B12 supplementation. Number three, excessive hair loss. Firstly, if you're losing some hair, do not panic. It is normal to lose some hair every day. However, if you do notice excessive thinning or hair shedding over weeks and months, then it could be pointing out nutrient deficiencies. The first two to rule out are iron and B12. Next, look at your protein intake. Hair is made up of a protein called keratin. So, if you're not consuming adequate protein in your diet, your hair quality and growth may suffer. If you're a vegetarian, focus on a variety of dals and legumes, milk and milk products, and tofu in your diet to meet your protein requirement. Also, please do not get carried away by the expensive biotin gummies that are available in the market for hair loss.

[00:04:20]True biotin deficiencies actually very rare. Most people get adequate biotin from eating nuts, seeds, eggs, or mushrooms. Along with nutrient deficiencies, other situations like crash dieting, excessive weight loss, hypothyroidism, or prolonged stress can also trigger hair shedding. The fourth warning sign, muscle cramps, muscle weakness, or bone pain. If you're experiencing muscle cramps, muscle weakness, bone pain, or lower back pain, it could be pointing to a vitamin D deficiency. Now, vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. So, without enough vitamin D, even a calcium-rich diet won't do its job. So, before going on calcium supplementation, make sure that your vitamin D levels are up to the mark. Despite being a tropical country, vitamin D deficiency is very, very common in India, and this is primarily because we spend a lot of our times indoors, and we all wear a sunscreen these days. What can help is regular and sensible sun exposure, especially early in the morning. Food generally provides very little vitamin D to us. So, therefore, ultimately, people have to go on supplementation after getting their blood levels checked. The fifth warning sign, falling sick frequently and slow healing. If you seem to catch every infection going around, or if your wounds and bruises take time to heal, it could be pointing to vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin D is not just required for your bones, it is also an important regulator of your immune system. Adequate vitamin D is required to launch and activate a defense against viruses and bacteria. Slow wound healing or taking a long time to come out of infections could also be pointing towards a vitamin C deficiency. Because vitamin C is required for proper immune function and tissue repair. What can you do? Make sure that you consume one seasonal fruit every single day and include adequate lemon, amla, guava, tomatoes, capsicum in your diet. Now, these signs and symptoms might not always translate into a nutrient deficiency, but you must think of these as warning signs that are telling you to pay close attention to your diet and get appropriate blood tests if needed.

[00:06:21][music] Another important thing to remember is that nutrient deficiencies are not isolated problems in the body because ultimately everything is interconnected and mere supplementation might not be the solution to your problem. For example, if you are on antacids or if your gut is inflamed, iron and vitamin B12 absorption is going to be affected and even supplementation might not help. Similarly, if you're deficient in vitamin D, calcium supplementation is not going to help.

[00:06:48]Therefore, the first line of action should always be to address the root cause and try to correct it with good diet and nutrition. Supplementation under proper guidance can only help when the first line of action is in place.

[00:07:00]That's all from me today. If you found this video useful, give it a thumbs up and share it with friends or family who may be ignoring these signs and symptoms. And if you would like more science-backed health content that is easy to follow, do not forget to subscribe to Simplify. I will see you guys in my next video. Take care until then. Bye.