The Ripple Effect of Vitamin Deficiency

Vitamin deficiencies don't limit themselves to just one area of your body. They can affect various systems within your body, causing a domino effect on your overall well-being. If you haven’t read my blog on vitamins, read that here.

In this blog, you’re about to learn about the connection between vitamin deficiencies and other key areas of your body. If you’re struggling with gut issues, brain fog, hormonal imbalances or even a weak immune system, you might find there to be a connection between these symptoms and the lack of vitamins in your body.

Here are other areas of your body that might be triggered by a vitamin deficiency:

Upper GI: Vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), and zinc are important for digestion in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Liver: Primary role is detoxification and it relies heavily on a plethora of nutrients to effectively eliminate toxins. Without these vital nutrients, toxins can accumulate, leading to brain fog, relentless fatigue, and pesky pathogen overgrowth. Keep an eye out for B vitamins 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, vitamin C, E, and essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and zinc.

Kidneys: These mighty organs have an impressive resume. From filtering blood to red blood cell production, detoxification, and maintaining mineral balance, they do it all. Let's focus on their role in red blood cell production, for example. We need vitamins B6, B9, B12, vitamin A, and critical minerals such as iron, copper, and zinc.

Adrenals: Your adrenal glands are the unsung heroes of stress management, and they have a special craving for vitamin A to keep them functioning optimally.

Female Hormones: Ah, the intricate dance of female hormones. They rely on a symphony of vitamins and minerals to maintain harmony. While the specific needs vary, ensuring an adequate intake of essential nutrients like vitamin A, D, E, K and B vitamins can help support the delicate balance of female hormones.

Immune System: Your immune system is your shield against invaders, and it needs proper nourishment to function at its best. Vitamins and minerals play a critical role in fortifying your immune defenses. Ensuring a well-rounded intake of essential nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, B vitamins, and key minerals like copper, and zinc can help support your immune system's resilience.

By understanding how each organ relies on specific vitamins and minerals, we gain insight into the intricate web of connections within our bodies. So, let's take a proactive approach to meet our unique vitamin needs and unleash the incredible potential of our health!

What is the root cause?

It's important to understand that nutrient deficiencies themselves are not the root cause but rather a symptom of underlying issues within our bodies. When I see this pop up for a client I always like to get specific with functional testing to find out exactly what nutrients are missing and what functions of the body are feeling it the most.

To get to the root cause, I look at possibilities like: 

• Are these nutrients lacking in the diet?
• Are there gut issues going on? Malabsorption, poor digestion or low beneficial bacteria. 
• Are there pathogens competing for nutrients, like B vitamins?
• Or could the body be hiding iron, for example, because it’s a major food source for invaders. 
• Are there toxins and/or medications blocking absorption? 

Did you know that the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA/RDI) are merely designed to prevent severe deficiencies like scurvy or vitamin C deficiency, not to optimize our nutritional well-being? For instance, the RDA doesn't account for a high-fat diet, which doubles the need for riboflavin, while weight loss increases the requirement for thiamin. Keep in mind that these recommendations are based on a 150 lb male, while women have slightly different micronutrient needs.

Your Path to Lasting Relief: Taking the Next Steps

Now picture a life where fatigue is replaced with boundless energy, and you no longer rely on caffeine or naps to make it through the day. Your skin radiates a natural, youthful glow, surpassing any lotion's promise. The breakouts that once plagued you begin to heal, and you regain confidence in your skin's appearance. And as you comb your fingers through your hair, you notice new growth and strength, bidding farewell to the days of worrying about thinning hair and bald patches.

It's so important to take a holistic approach to restoring vitamins. Simply addressing the deficiencies without identifying and addressing the underlying causes is like treating the symptom rather than the source of the problem.

Here are some of my best recommendations for improving your nutrient status: 

Optimize Nutrition with Animal-Based Foods

If you're not actively seeking out nutrient-dense foods like organ meats or shellfish, it's highly likely that you have at least one nutrient deficiency. To ensure you're getting the most out of your nutrition, prioritize animal-based foods that are rich in essential nutrients.

Balance Minerals 

Minerals are the spark-plug for every single cell of the body and are especially important for digestion and energy production. Start by working on optimizing your sodium and potassium intake as these are the real super heroes of minerals!

Address Gut Health for Effective Nutrient Absorption 

It's important to ensure that you're actually absorbing these nutrients –– hello gut health! Consider factors such as lacking nutrients in your diet, malabsorption due to poor digestion or gut issues, low beneficial bacteria, pathogens competing for nutrients, and the potential impact of toxins and medications blocking nutrient absorption. This would be great opportunity to work with professional trained to address these exact things. Lucky for you this is my jam :) See our services here. 

To kickstart your journey, I've whipped up a super handy free Gut Glow Up guide with a 3-day recipe plan to make it effortlessly easy!

Get your free Gut Glow Up guide HERE :)