Eating a well balanced, healthy diet is vital to your wellbeing and ensures that your body gets sufficient vitamins and minerals. Certain factors however, such as an unbalanced diet, age, medication and certain health conditions such as digestive issues, can impede the absorption of nutrients in your body. Older adults who are less active require fewer calories, and getting enough nutrients can therefore be trickier. Unfortunately nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition can persist for a long time before any signs or symptoms appear, and can lead you to believe that your body is getting the nutrition it needs.
Vitamins are important for as they are co-factors for all bio-chemical reactions and in order for the body to function properly. There are a number of signs to look out for that suggest you are nutrient deficient.
- Fatigue: Do you feel like you are tired all the time? Tiredness can be a sign of iron deficiency, which can result in anemia. Iron helps your body make red blood cells which carries oxygen around the body. A pale complexion, dull, thin hair and excessive fatigue are signs of anemia. Iron supplements can be taken to boost iron levels, as well as iron-fortified cereal, beans such as chickpeas, white and kidney beans, lentils and spinach.
- Muscle Cramps or numbness in the limbs: