Feeling run down and haggard? You’re possibly part of the population experiencing nutrient deficiencies. Find out the common nutrient deficiencies and how you can avoid them!
Being optimally nourished by our food can be a real challenge. Even if a person is eating perfectly, including an abundance of fresh veggies, fruits, proteins & healthy fats, it can still be difficult. Nutrient-depleted soils, water contamination, air pollution, and modern harvesting techniques impede our ability to get the same degree of vitamins, minerals & other nutrients from our food as our ancestors received. The situation compounds when you factor in that most Americans don’t eat perfectly.
The average American’s diet consists of highly processed & refined foods that are not whole or fresh and that are very low or completely lacking in life-sustaining nutrients. So, not only is the average American not getting the nourishment they need from their food, the modern processing techniques cause these dead foods to actually leach additional nutrients from the body, such as minerals from the bones, just so that the body can digest and assimilate the food that was eaten.
The result: nutrient deficiencies that lead to a huge number of symptoms and diseases. If you wish to experience optimal health, wellness, and energy, it’s time to focus on the number of nutrients you’re getting on a daily basis. Below are the most common nutrient deficiencies in America and some top foods to eat to prevent deficiency!
Magnesium
Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is required for as much as 300 chemical processes in the body! As important as this mineral is, most Americans are deficient! Low magnesium levels can result in, and contribute to, a large number of symptoms, such as headaches and migraines, cardiovascular problems, body toxicity, the buildup of heavy metals, and diabetes. Magnesium truly is the master mineral. Without it, our bodies simply wouldn’t be able to function.
Magnesium is actually easy to find in natural food.
- Dark leafy greens
- Soaked and sprouted grains
- Seaweed
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Beans
- Avocado
Vitamin D
Many people, especially those who are elderly or who are highly active, are at a greater risk for vitamin D deficiency. Additionally, those who don’t get much sun exposure can also become deficient. Surprisingly, a major factor leading to vitamin D deficiency is a lack of essential fatty acids. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that even if you’re getting enough vitamin D, if the body is deficient in the fat it needs, the vitamin D will be flushed out of the body.
There are few foods that contain naturally-occurring vitamin D. The best way of getting vitamin D is through sun exposure.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
A lack of this essential fat not only can lead to a deficiency in vitamin D as we just discussed but can have a host of other problems as well. A deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids can lead to a great deal of inflammation in the body. When the body has too much chronic inflammation, a huge number of issues can arise, such as poor digestion, headaches, diabetes, cholesterol & cardiovascular problems, cancer, arthritis, depression, pain & injury, and much more.
- Some top food sources of omega-3 fats include:
- Freshly ground flaxseed
- Raw walnuts
Vitamin B12
Especially those who are vegan or vegetarian have a harder time preventing deficiency of this vitamin, as it’s predominantly found in animal-based foods. Vitamin B12 is responsible for energy production, blood formation, DNA creation, and the building of the myelin sheaths that cover our nerves. Vitamin B12 deficiency can be hard to detect, so once a person experiences symptoms of deficiency, they’re already very deficient. Supplements like Sunwarrior’s Vitamin Mineral Rush are a good idea.
A natural food source of vitamin B12 is:
- Kombucha
Vitamin K2
This vitamin is less commonly talked about. It’s a vitamin that’s essential for proper bone health, the health of blood vessels and arteries, and cell growth. It’s important to know that when you’re deficient in vitamin D, vitamin K2 cannot function optimally, or when deficient in vitamin K2, vitamin D cannot function optimally. These two vitamins work together so a deficiency in one can lead to two deficiencies! Vitamin K2 is essentially only found in fermented foods, which is why present-day Americans tend to be deficient, as very few Americans eat enough, if any, fermented foods. Some top fermented foods include those below:
- Natto
- Unsweetened kombucha
- Traditional sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Fermented vegetables
This is not an all-inclusive list of common deficiencies; however, these are some of the very top deficiencies seen in the American population. The best way to combat deficiencies is to eat a variety of whole, real foods prepared traditionally.
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