Why do I have a vitamin and mineral deficiency?
Malnutrition is prevalent in modern society even though we consume an abundance of food, variety of food, fortified food and supplements. Our soils are supplemented, our plants are supplemented, our animals are supplemented and we are supplemented yet we may still be deficient.
Many people have nutritional deficiencies and the reasons for this are manifold and often interrelated. A nutritionally aware and holistic doctor or naturopath will consider the following questions with you:
- Are you eating enough? Eating disorders and dieting is extensive in modern times. The desire to be thin outweighs health. In this state, the body cannot function optimally and is depleted of nutritional reserves required during times of increased requirements such as stress or injury. This state can also accelerate the ageing process and lead to infertility.
- Are you eating foods but still deficient? Poorly sourced food that has been produced via industrial farming practices is devoid of nutrition. We are what we eat as is the soil, plants and animals. Nutritionally rich soil feeds our plants and animals and we eat them.
- Are you eating poorly prepared or highly processed foods? Processing of foods such as high temperature cooking not only depletes nutrition and destroys the enzymes and cofactors that support digestion and assimilation but also creates toxic cooking by products (new ingredients) which are pro inflammatory.
Choose organic or biodynamic farming practices growing and raising animals as nature intended and producers, providores, chefs and cooks that support traditional preparation methods and recipes based on thousands of years of human evolution, trial and error and innate wisdom. Simply eat what your great grandmother would have eaten.
- What is binding to your nutrients? An example is phytates, which are found in the skin, hull or husk of raw nuts, seeds, grains and beans. They bind to important minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium. Our ancestors and traditional cultures prepared them by soaking and cooking, sprouting and fermenting to rid phytates. This also contributes to easier digestion.
- Can you digest your food properly and absorb nutrients from it? We eat on the run, don’t chew our food and eat in a stressed out state. This impacts how we extract nutrients from our food. Eat in a relaxed state and chew, chew and chew until liquid. If you suffer from chronic digestive disorders seek expert advice. Your health depends on it.
- Are you exposed to heavy metals or other toxins which compete with or displace important minerals eg Copper is inversely related to Zinc. Copper is found in copper water pipes, copper cooking utensils and an abundance of chocolate.
- Are your genes affecting the way your body processes nutrients? Pyrroluria is one such genetic condition. This doesn’t allow for optimal Zinc and B6. Read on here
How to find out if you have a vitamin and mineral deficiency
A thorough consult by your heath care practitioner and further investigation via a blood test or hair mineral analysis will confirm this.
Try to eat as much whole foods for optimal nutrition and if you do need to supplement, choose those that are well sourced and prepared and in the form that are most highly absorbable. For instance in the case of Zinc, Piccolinate forms are far more absorbable.
Read more about Zinc Deficiency:
For more on my thoughts about supplements read on here
Iodine Deficiency:
Top Causes
Best sources of Iodine in Food
Vitamin C Deficiency
Iron Deficiency:
Anaemia symptoms testing
iron deficiency/ anaemia treatment
iron deficiency/ anaemia recipes