With so many people living mostly on processed foods nowadays, it is actually pretty easy to become vitamin deficient. Skipping the fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes that should make up a large part of the healthy diet can mean that you are not getting certain essential nutrients. When this happens, your body can send you signals that something is wrong – sometimes in ways you don’t expect. Below is more information about five strange signs that let you know you are vitamin deficient.
Cracks at the corners of your Mouth
This sign can signal a deficiency in zinc, iron or B vitamins and if you are a vegetarian or dieting, you might be more at risk for these particular deficiencies. To help remedy this, it is a good idea to add more fish (like salmon or tuna), poultry, eggs, and seafood to your diet; if you are vegetarian, then consider sun-dried tomatoes, lentils and other legumes, peanuts and tahini.
Red, scaly skin rash and hair loss
These two symptoms together can signal that you are low in biotin, part of the B vitamin complex. Your body cannot store this because it is water-soluble vitamin so it needs to be constantly replaced and body builders who eat raw eggs are at particular risk, since the avidin in the eggs blocks the body from biotin absorption. Dietary therapy for this includes increased consumption of cooked eggs, fish like salmon, vegetables such as cauliflower, nuts and fruits including avocadoes, bananas and raspberries.
Red or white bumps on face, arms, legs or buttocks
This sign can indicate a deficiency in Vitamins A and D as well as essential fatty acids. The trick to increasing fatty acids in your diet is to avoid trans and saturated fats and include more fish like sardines or salmon, nuts like almonds or walnuts and seeds like chia or flax. For vitamin A, sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, carrots and leafy greens are a great choice and for vitamin D, a supplement of around 2,000 IU’s daily is recommended.
Numbness, tingling or prickling in the hands and feet
This can indicate a deficiency in the B vitamin complex, which can affect the peripheral nervous system and cause the symptoms mentioned above. The best way to manage this deficiency naturally is to include the following foods in your diet: vegetables like asparagus, spinach and beets, legumes such as black, pinto or lima beans, eggs, seafood including clams, mussels and oysters and poultry.
Cramping or stabbing pain in toes, legs, feet or calves
Symptoms like this can mean that you are deficient in calcium, magnesium or potassium, especially if it happens frequently. Athletes who are training hard are at higher risk for this, as you can lose water-soluble vitamins and some minerals through sweat. Dietary therapy for this includes fruits like bananas, cherries, apples, grapefruit, nuts like almonds and vegetables such as kale, spinach and squash.
So if you have some of these strange signs and symptoms, don’t ignore them. It is your body trying to tell you that you are deficient in something. Fortunately, dietary therapy is usually the best way to restore these imbalances naturally and get you back to optimal health.
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