5 NUTRIENTS YOU MAY BE LACKING

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Vitamin B6

  • Your body needs vitamin B6 for more than 100 different enzyme reactions in the body, and it's needed during pregnancy for normal fetal brain development.
  • If you are low on vitamin B6, you may have a higher risk of colon and other cancer, notice itchy rashes or cracks at the corners of your mouth, or feel depressed.
  • Try getting essential nutrients from food before you take supplements.
  • B6 is found in tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, and ground beef

Iron

  • Iron is crucial for growth and development, and helps your body make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of the body.
  • If you are lacking in iron, you usually won't notice symptoms right away, since your body will draw iron from stores in your body.
  • But when your iron level gets really low, iron deficiency anemia can set in, and you may feel tired or feel like you can't stay warm.
  • Iron is abundant in lean meat, seafood and poultry, as well as in fortified cereals, some beans, nuts, and some dried fruits.

Vitamin D

  • Vitamin D is crucial for muscles to move properly and nerves to carry messages from the brain to the body. It also helps the immune system fight off bugs.
  • If your vitamin D drops too low, you can develop fragile, achy bones, and be at risk of fractures.
  • Ask your doctor about how much D is best for you, and whether you need a supplement.
  • Exposure to sunlight produces D, but wearing sunscreen, which protects against skin cancer, blocks that production.

Vitamin C

  • Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, helps the body combat damaging substances known as free radicals. It also helps wounds heal and boosts the immune system.
  • Vitamin C deficiency is less common than other nutritional deficiencies, but if you have it, you may develop inflamed gums, have joint pain, or experience poor wound healing.
  • The vitamin is plentiful in orange juice, red peppers, kiwi, baked potatoes, and strawberries.

Vitamin B12

  • Vitamin B12 helps keep the nerves and blood cells healthy, among other roles.
  • If you're low on B12, you may feel tired or weak, experience numbness, and have a tingling in your hands and feet.
  • You can get vitamin B12 from animal foods, such as beef liver, clams, and poultry, and from fortified cereal and other foods.