Signs You May Be Deficient in Important Nutrients

Do you have trouble sleeping or painful muscle cramps and spasms? Are you concerned about osteoporosis and keeping your bones strong?  Do you have acne or rosacea, or frequently catch the cold or flu virus? Do you struggle with stress, anxiety, or low energy? If so, you may be deficient in minerals and some key vitamins. Minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and zinc, are vital for many bodily functions. Vitamins, like all the Bs, are especially beneficial for mood and energy. Let’s take a look at each of these important nutrients:

Magnesium

Magnesium is the mineral that helps our muscles relax, which helps to prevent leg cramps and muscle spasms. It also promotes deeper sleep and normal blood pressure. Magnesium is critical for the absorption of calcium for strong bones. Also, if chocolate is calling your name, you may be deficient in magnesium. Even your brain needs magnesium for memory and good moods. You can see why many people refer to magnesium as “the miracle supplement” because it helps so many different areas of the body.

When choosing a magnesium supplement, be sure to take note of the form! We recommend magnesium glycinate as the best absorbed form to help with sleep and muscle relaxation. For constipation relief, we recommend magnesium citrate. To get the best of both worlds, try a combined magnesium glycinate plus citrate in our Mixed Magnesium.

We recommend taking 200-800 mg per day, especially if you are having trouble sleeping. Your nutritionist can help you determine the amount that’s right for your symptoms.

Calcium

Most of us have heard the benefits of calcium since childhood to keep our bones strong. In addition to helping your bones, calcium contributes to better sleep and even helps protect against colon cancer according to The Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

If you are having difficulty sleeping, Teresa Wagner, a registered and licensed dietitian at our parent company Nutritional Weight and Wellness, recommends adding a calcium supplement to help you sleep through the night. “Calcium is important for deep sleep cycles and is used by the brain to create melatonin. For a recent client, after trying every sleep option we could think of, it turned out calcium was the missing piece of the puzzle.”

If you’re concerned about bone health, we recommend taking three capsules of an Activated Calcium daily. It’s best to take it at night with magnesium, which helps with the absorption of calcium in your body. Our Activated Calcium contains multiple forms of easily-absorbable calcium plus a digestive aid to improve absorption even further. Many other calcium products on the market contain calcium carbonate, which isn’t well absorbed and can even be harmful when taken long term.

Zinc

Do you always feel like you need a sweet after a meal? Do you still get the dreaded acne? Do you feel like you are sick all the time? If you answered yes to one or all of these questions, you may be zinc deficient.

Zinc boosts our i­mmunity to help fight viral and bacterial infections and supports good skin, hair, and even wound healing by supporting the mucosal membranes. Often when zinc levels decrease, acne severity increases. We recommend zinc to support immune health, skin issues (like acne or rosacea), appetite and taste, and thyroid health.

Zinc is a mineral that our bodies can’t store, so we need a constant supply in our diets. Check with your nutritionist to determine how much zinc you may need. For most people, around 50mg a day is sufficient and make sure to eat it with food.

As with our other mineral supplements, our NutriKey Zinc is chelated, which makes it easier for the body to utilize.

B Vitamins

If you’re someone who always feels fatigued, low energy, anxiety, or has a lot of stress, Twice-Per-Day or Liquid Multi (both 15% off this month!) might be the perfect multivitamin to give you the vitamins and minerals you need to feel your best. They help combat those issues while providing optimal amounts of nutrients not easily obtained in most diets. They are designed with an emphasis on B vitamins which are especially beneficial for women and are known to help quell anxiety and increase energy by supporting neurotransmitter production.

If you are currently taking other vitamin and mineral supplements and/or can relate to any of the above mentioned stresses, or you need more B vitamins, we strongly recommend adding in a high quality multivitamin. When choosing a multivitamin or B-complex supplement it’s important that the B vitamins are methylated, meaning they’re readily-absorbable. This is especially important when it comes to vitamin B9, or folate. Folic acid is a synthetic form which needs to be converted to folate by the body in order to be utilized. Some of the population is genetically unable to make this conversion, leaving them at a higher risk for deficiency. Some symptoms of folate deficiency include fatigue, depression, poor digestion, and even put developing fetuses at higher rate for birth defects.

Twice-Per-Day is a bottle of 120 easy-to-digest capsules, which is a two-month supply. We recommend taking one with breakfast and one with lunch. Liquid Multi is a great option for those who want a once-a-day approach and prefer liquid over capsules. One tablespoon a day will give you what you need. Both of these products are 15% off this month, so it’s a great time to give them a try!

If you’re not sure what deficiencies you might be experiencing or if the list of symptoms you’re feeling is overwhelming, we encourage you to make a virtual appointment with one of the nutritionists or dietitians at our parent company Nutritional Weight & Wellness. It often takes some detective work to figure out the right combination of food and supplements for your unique biochemistry.