Symptoms Related to Nutritional Deficiencies
What do you think?
Our modern lifestyles are far from healthy, and the only thing keeping us from an early grave is modern medicine. Not always sometimes holistic healing works better, think of the drug addiction, and side effects of some effective medications.
Recently my dad had a stint in hospital and they found certain deficiencies in his blood. He received a few nutrient transfusions, due to his lack of certain nutrients, and in two days he was full of energy and revitalized and of course, we were most thankful for this.
That got me thinking about nutritional deficiencies and some common symptoms, so doing some online research I came across these common symptoms of nutritional deficiencies.
Gasping for air
If you have that feeling that you are not getting enough air, this could be an indication that your body is too acidic, and this in turn could be that you lack Vitamin B1.
Sources of vitamin B1 other than supplementation are Lentils, yoghurt, salmon, fish, chicken, eggs, and beans. Spinach and Liver and Mussels also are good food sources of Vitamin B1. This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the foods you should be eating to bring down the acidity of your body.
Twitching eye-lid or muscles
This is the opposite of the above, this could be due to your body needing more acidity. Try a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Generally, not always, twitching in your body, if it is caused by nutritional deficiencies then the remedy is acidifying your body. Coupled with that check your calcium levels because low calcium levels have the same effect on our bodies.
Sources of calcium from food include yoghurt, milk, cheese, almonds, spinach, beans, oranges.
High blood pressure or racing pulse rate
This can be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, also vitamin D deficiency can lead to morbidity. This vitamin is amazing, it impacts so many body functions and health pathways, from mood to the immune system. Some scientists believe it acts more like a hormone.
Vitamin D3 or animal sources of this vitamin alongside getting some sunshine, are the best forms.
Food sources of vitamin D3 are:
Milk, cheese, yoghurt, liver, salmon, canned fish.
This racing pulse rate and high blood pressure can also be due to a potassium deficiency.
Food sources for potassium are:
Avocado, spinach, bananas, dried apricots, potatoes, yoghurt, oranges.
Muscle weakness
From a nutritional point of view, there are many causes of this, but one that I found quite interesting was sodium deficiency, and then it dawned on me. I remember my friend’s mother giving us salt tablets before we ran a school cross-country race, and we both did better than we expected. Cue the twilight music, could it have been? surely not?
Try a little salt if you don’t suffer from high blood pressure, but are feeling that you have muscle weakness. Also check your calcium, magnesium, and potassium levels.
Bloating
If you are gluten intolerant and eat gluten, you will most likely experience bloating, but another cause I found rather interesting from a nutritional point of view is the need for more acidity, I suppose it makes sense, as acidity assists with digestion. a supplement like betaine hydrochloride could assist in relieving bloating.
Lower back pain
Lower back pain may mean that you are lacking vitamin D, so try to get some sunshine on your skin, not too much, and or eat foods rich in vitamin D3. Milk, cheese, yoghurt, liver, salmon, canned fish.
Feeling the chills
You may be a very chilled person and that’s cool. See what I did there? But if you get colder than those around you sooner, you may need an iodine supplement.
Other food sources of iodine are edible seaweed, sushi rolls, egg, tuna, yoghurt, shrimp, tuna, and dairy products.
Yawning and lacking energy
If you are yawning and feeling tired, you may be deficient in iron. Remember that vitamin C helps with iron absorption.
Food sources of Vitamin C:
broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, oranges, kiwi fruit, lemons, lychees, yellow peppers, back currants, kale, and spinach.
Recap
Perhaps not functioning at your best or feeling energized is because of a lack of certain nutrients. It is always best to get some blood tests done, as life is in the blood as we all know.
A blood test can reveal if you have any major nutritional deficiencies, and then consult a dietitian or a nutritionist.
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, I am merely sharing knowledge from the research I do working in food and nutritional companies as well as pharmaceutical companies throughout my career in product development. Consult your doctor or nutritionist prior to trying any supplements or foods if you are unsure.
