It’s difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle with the pace you move on everyday with your life. More often, you’re not getting enough proteins and vitamins from your diet. Here are some nutrients you must be missing out from your diet
1. Calcium
Calcium is important for your strong bones and teeth. This important nutrient also facilitates the transport of electrical signals throughout the nervous system. It helps in contraction of muscles and blood clotting. Calcium is also responsible for maintaining hormone balance, kidney and liver health. Being low on calcium can damage your bones, as your body borrows from the reserves of the skeletal system to run other important functions of the body. These is how bone density drops down.
2. Iron
Iron has many important functions in a human body. It is necessary for production of hemoglobin, the protein in RBC which carries oxygen through the circulatory system. Iron is also required for the growth of new cells in your body and is important for hormone synthesis. If you’re low in iron, you will notice fatigue, muscle cramps, mood swings, and insomnia. These are symptoms which are easily misdiagnosed.
3. Magnesium
Did you know that magnesium is the most important nutrient for the human body. It plays an important role in regulation of several minerals which also includes calcium, sodium, and chloride. Your body needs magnesium for around 300 enzymatic processes including the one for cellular regeneration, muscle function, and immune response. You will notice frequent illness, blood sugar imbalance, hypertension, anxiety, migraines, abnormal heart rhythm, and muscle spasms.
4. Potassium
Another very important mineral which conducts electrical signals throughout the body and contraction of smooth muscles (the ones found in hollow organs like heart, lungs, bladder, stomach, and intestines). It also helps in maintaining strong and healthy bones. Signs of potassium deficiency are fatigue, frequent muscle cramps, weakness, poor digestion, loose stool, irregular heartbeat, and high blood pressure.
5. Zinc
Zinc is the most common trace mineral found in your body. It’s found in every cell and plays a wide variety of roles, which includes wound-healing, blood clotting, DNA replication, immune response, and proper functioning of your thyroid gland. Common symptoms are missed or irregular periods, night blindness, mood swings, impotence, or depression.
6. Vitamin B12
Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 is the largest and most complex vitamin which is known to us. It maintains a healthy nervous system, and assures normal replication of DNA and RNA. The signs of its deficiency are fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, irregular digestion, and excessive gas. Depression, nervousness, and poor circulation are other symptoms too.
7. Vitamin D
This vitamin is most widely known for the dual role that it plays with calcium. It helps in strengthening the skeletal system in developing children, and helps us adults in retaining the bone-density. Without enough vitamin D, we can’t absorb calcium from our food. A deficiency in vitamin D many cause depression, weakened immune system, numbness in the extremities, muscle cramps, lack of energy, poor appetite, and abnormal heart rhythms.
8. Vitamin A
Also known as retinol, vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient, which promotes strong and healthy vision. It also plays an important role in supporting the immune system by fortifying mucous membranes in the mouth, nose, and sinuses. It helps in wound-healing, growth and development, bone formation, and many other vital bodily processes. A deficiency of vitamin A makes your night vision poor, and could cause many skin problems, frequent respiratory infections, digestive issues, and causes slow wound-healing.
9. Vitamin E
Another fat soluble nutrient with antioxidant properties and functions similar to vitamin A, our body needs vitamin E to maintain healthy cholesterol levels for immune support and for proper functioning of muscle tissues. This vitamin is specifically related to vision and eye health. It also helps in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Deficiency of this vitamin causes frequent muscle cramps and twitching – especially around the eyes. Lack of vitamin E can also lead to diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration, and certain forms of heart diseases.
