Problems that Stem from Nutrient Deficiencies

Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet each day? How about protein, vitamins and minerals? A healthy diet is one that is low on sugar and processed foods, and one that fulfills the requirements of all the essential nutrients. Diets that lack essential nutrients can cause many health problems. Luckily, a poor diet is easy to fix if you have the right help!

What Are the Essential Nutrients?

Does your health seem off lately? Listen to what your body is telling you. You could be missing one of the essential nutrients such as:

• Protein: Protein is vital for structuring the cells of the body. It helps determine how a fetus develops and how your brain functions throughout life. In order to build and structure the cells, a person needs protein because it contains “amino acids” which are the building blocks. Those amino acids are components that the body can’t make on its own, meaning you have to have this nutrient in your diet for the body to work right.
• Carbohydrates: Don’t cut out all carbs when dieting. Carbohydrates are your main energy sources for the body. They help keep your blood sugar levels even and help you to have energy between meals.
• Fats: Fat is another main energy source for the body. You need healthy fat to absorb vitamins and minerals.
• Vitamins: Your body can’t synthesize certain nutrients. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, folate and more are all vital for the body to function. You build and maintain cells with vitamins, prevent birth defects, maintain homeostasis in the body and more with vitamins.
• Minerals: Components from the earth that work like vitamins in your body, but they perform different functions. They build your body stronger and help you avoid chronic health conditions.
• Water: Nutrients don’t magically move through your body; they need a medium and that medium is water. Most of your organs and tissues are made of water and water is the transport system for nutrients to and from cells. It removes waste, keeps your body systems moving and does countless other jobs.

Problems Caused by Nutrient Deficiencies

Even lacking just one essential nutrient can cause major health problems, especially if you don’t discovery nutrient deficiencies and fix them in a timely manner. Problems caused by nutrient deficiencies include:

• Ongoing fatigue that keeps you from feeling rested
• Blood sugar levels that fluctuate throughout the day
• Low-grade aches and pains with no other cause
• Poor immune system that increases your likelihood of frequent illnesses
• Excess weight, obesity, or weight gain without a cause
• Headaches and migraines, sometimes daily
• Brain fog and dizziness
• Daily heartburn and digestive issues without a known cause
• Constipation or recurring diarrhea
• Irritability, depression and other mood issues

If you already know you eat poor, and you also have many health problems, consider the possibility that some of those health problems are a direct result of your eating habits. Even if you only have one symptom on this list, it could still indicate nutrient deficiencies. Check this list for nutrient deficiencies and what you can expect.  It all depends on your genetics and how your body works. Getting testing is the only way to know for sure what nutrients you lack and how to change your diet.

Getting Tested for Nutrient Deficiencies

Only specific professionals are trained to help patients treat nutrient deficiencies to help with weight and overall health problems. Testing for nutrient deficiencies is generally done through a nutritional assessment. When a patient meets with a nutrition specialist, the specialist gets a full medical history and list of symptoms from a patient. They record what a typical day of eating looks like and the specialist draws blood to test it directly.

Nutrients in foods and drinks are absorbed by the body and carried through the bloodstream to the specific areas of the body that need the nutrients the most. Testing the blood for traces of nutrients and the lack of nutrients is the best way to know what you need and what you have. We can do full blood testing to help explain why you experience the symptoms that you do. Patients also have the option to use gentle electrical tests that paint a picture of the fat deposits in the body. We use both these nutritional assessments and electrical tests to make a customized diet plan for patients to help them lose weight while receiving all the essential nutrients. This is the best and quickest way to stop nutrient deficiencies in their tracks.

Changing Your Diet and Health

Finding nutrient deficiencies will do wonders for your weight and your health if you take the actions needed to stop the deficiencies. Some deficiencies over time can damage the tissues in your body. However, proper nutrition will help improve all the functions of the body. Problems that were previously caused by nutrient deficiencies will go away. Weight that is sticking around will be easier to lose. You will feel better, look better and you can even live longer because your body is receiving proper fuel to work right. If you want to see if you have nutrient deficiencies, call Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center today at (512) 806-0015!