At certain times in our lives our nutrition may not be as good as we’d like it to be.
We take on more and more commitments and don’t take the steps necessary to maintaining ourselves.
What are the signs that we can all spot, so we can make simple changes to make the most of our health.
Body Cue No. 1: Cracks at the corners of your mouth.
The Deficiency: Iron, zinc, and B vitamins like niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2), and B12.
The Fix: Eat more poultry, salmon, tuna, eggs, oysters, clams, sun-dried tomatoes, Swiss chard, tahini, peanuts, and legumes like lentils. Iron absorption is enhanced by vitamin C, which also helps fight infection, so combine these foods with vegetables like broccoli, red bell peppers, kale, and cauliflower.
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Body Cue No. 2: A red, scaly rash on your face (and sometimes elsewhere) and hair loss.
The Deficiency: Biotin (B7), known as the hair vitamin.
While your body stores fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), it doesn’t store most B vitamins, which are water-soluble. Body builders take note: Eating raw eggs makes you vulnerable, because a protein in raw eggs called avidin inhibits the body’s ability to absorb biotin.
The Fix: Reach for more cooked eggs (cooking deactivates avidin), salmon, avocados, mushrooms, cauliflower, soya beans, nuts, raspberries, and bananas.
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Body Cue No. 3: Red or white acne-like bumps, typically on the cheeks, arms, thighs, and buttocks.
The Deficiency: Essential fatty acids and vitamin A and vitamin D.
The Fix: Skimp on saturated fat and trans fats, which you should be doing anyway, and increase healthy fats. Focus on adding more salmon and sardines, nuts like walnuts and almonds, and seeds like ground flax, hemp and chia. For vitamin A, pile on leafy greens and colourful veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and red peppers.
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Body Cue No. 4: Tingling, prickling, and numbness in hands, feet, or elsewhere.
The Deficiency: B vitamins like folate (B9), B6, and B12.
The Fix: Seek out spinach, asparagus, beets, beans (pinto, black, kidney, lima), eggs, octopus, mussels, clams, oysters, and poultry.
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Body Cue No. 5: Unusual muscle cramps in the form of stabbing pains in toes, calves, arches of feet, and backs of legs.
The Deficiency: Magnesium, calcium, and potassium.
The Fix: Eat more bananas, almonds, hazelnuts, squash, cherries, apples, grapefruit, broccoli, bok choy, and dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and dandelion.
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