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Could you be deficient in any of the B Vitamins?
Many of our clients and ourselves, have struggled with unexplainable health issues or metabolism issues. You seem to do everything as good as you can, but still have symptoms you did not have before, symptoms that medicine is not correcting or maybe you're having a very tough time maintaining/losing weight. Many times we look at the symptoms and try to treat them with quick fixes. If we have migraines all of a sudden, we take a pill, if we have skin issues, we buy a cream, if we have stomach problems, we have IBS. All of these symptoms are actually warning signs or should we say your body's built in "Check Engine Light" signaling to you that there is an underlying problem.
A great way to proactively take control of your health, is to ask yourself what have I changed or not changed that may be causing this new symptom. Am I eating more for convenience versus health? Am I skipping meals or am I under more stress? Each of these things can be changes we have made or have continued for a long period of time and is now taking a toll on our health. A common problem in our new way of life is a vitamin deficiency. We ask our bodies to do much more than ever before or much less, with very little nutrients. We are one of the most prosperous countries when it comes to food availability, yet we are becoming one of the most malnourished because we tend to grab quick easy foods which have little nutritional value to support our busy or emotionally stressful lives. Herson and I would like to share small bits of information with you every few weeks to help each of you with making small lifestyle changes which may improve your overall health and lessen symptoms you may be dealing with. There's really so much to learn in this area. We do not want to overwhelm you, but we are hoping to help give you additional knowledge to improve your quality of life. Enjoy the information. It's going to be good!
What is a Vitamin?
(from Wikipedia)
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Until the 1900s, vitamins were obtained solely through food intake, and
changes in diet (which, for example, could occur during a particular
growing season) can alter the types and amounts of vitamins ingested.
Vitamins have been produced as commodity chemicals and made widely available as inexpensive pills for several decades,[6] allowing supplementation of the dietary intake.
The value of eating a certain food to maintain health was recognized long before vitamins were identified. The ancient Egyptians knew that feeding liver to a patient would help cure night blindness, an illness now known to be caused by a vitamin A deficiency.[7] The advancement of ocean voyage during the Renaissance
resulted in prolonged periods without access to fresh fruits and
vegetables, and made illnesses from vitamin deficiency common among
ships' crews.[8]
In 1749, the Scottish surgeon James Lind discovered that citrus foods helped prevent scurvy, a particularly deadly disease in which collagen is not properly formed, causing poor wound healing, bleeding of the gums, severe pain, and death.[7]
Even though we have many of these foods available to us, many of us are lacking in some of the same nutrients due to our new lifestyles of convenience and/or dieting. Your body can heal itself in many cases if you let food and rest be thy medicine.
Week 1 Vitamin B Deficiencies
There are 8 B Vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12) which we obtain from our diet. The main function and need for the B Vitamins are to convert food such as proteins, carbs and fats into energy. We need an ample amount of B vitamins from our diet in order to maintain proper nerve function, metabolism, sex hormones, muscle tone, digestion and much more.
Here are the common symptoms you will feel if you are deficient in one or some of these vitamins....
Heart problems, fatigue, Anemia, poor thyroid function, cracking, scaling skin, digestive problems, anxiety, depression, confusion, sleep and skin problems, poor wound healing, loss of appetite and weight, poor memory, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, oral soreness
All vitamins tend to work together in some way and the B Vitamins especially. If you are deficient in one, you tend to be deficient in another. To find out specifically which B vitamin causes most of the symptoms you may be having, pick up a college nutrition book or do a quick search under google. For example a search of "Vitamin B 3 deficiency" will tell you in more detail how this vitamin works within your body.
How do you replenish these deficiencies?
The best source is whole foods. Since many foods have different nutrients that work together within the body, they are your best source. Especially organic sources. Great sources of the B Vitamins are as follows...
Lean red meat, whole eggs, dairy, poultry, tuna, organ meats, brown rice, fish, legumes, wheat germ, sweet potatoes and nuts.
"Quick Fact" Vitamin B 12 can only be found in meat, eggs or dairy. So it is very important to watch your levels if you are dieting or living a vegetarian lifestyle.
Many of you may be eating some of the above foods, but you may also be eating a lot of processed foods, caffeine or under a high amount of stress, all in which may inhibit your absorption of these vitamins or increase your usage of them. Many people who eat small amounts of calories to lose weight, do not realize how little nutrients they are taking in. This is why it is recommended to never dip below 1200, but even then it is hard to keep your nutrient levels high if you are asking a lot of your body and eating too little.
It is possible to lose weight or maintain proper health, without cutting out tons of calories or whole foods such as eggs and red meat. It's all about balance.
How do you know what you're deficient in?
The best test I have found is through a company called SpectraCell. I actually had a blood test done through them which showed I had a B3 and B6 deficiency. Funny thing is that I had been to my doctor and the ER early last year for vague symptoms that were unable to be diagnosed. Guess what, the symptoms under a B3 and B6 deficiency matched up to my symptoms perfectly. I am now working to ensure I am getting more sleep and reducing my caffiene intake. We eat balanced diets, but we still ask a lot of our body, so for me, it was about finding balance.
We are now working with Spring Hill Regional Hospital and are authorized to order the Micronutrient Testing through SpectraCell. If any of you are interested, it is well worth the investment. The test is $295, but definitely a valueable tool. The results are very self explanatory and the test gives you specifically which vitamins and/or foods are best to replenish yourself with. Ask your doctor also. They may be able to work with SpectraCell or another company that may allow your insurance to cover some of the cost.
Even with blood work, there is always room for error. To be on the safe side, I recommend just working to ensure you are eating a varied diet of whole foods and eating for health not just for convenience. Many ailments go away, when we stop stressing, move a little and fuel our bodies.
Feel free to email us or stop in if you need help balancing your lifestyle or suggestions on what to do. Always work to help yourself naturally and allow your doctor to be a support system to your healthy lifestyle.
Feel free to join us this Saturday night for FOOD Inc! 7pm at the studio. Please email or call if you would like to attend. We look forward to providing you with more valuable information!
Sincerely,
Kim Garcia
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Kim2bfit, LLC
3031 Landover Blvd.
Spring Hill, Fl 34608
352-428-6368
kim@kim2bfit.com
herson@kim2bfit.com
www.kim2bfit.com
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