What is Your Body Trying to Tell You About Your Nutrition?

We Need to Add Supplements To Our Nutrition Plan?

The human body is truly amazing and if we pay attention to the finer details of what makes it run efficiently, we will see that we may be deficient in one or more nutrients. It is not possible to get everything we need from food alone, and we do need to supplement our nutrition with good quality supplements. Lets look at a few examples of how the body may be trying to communicate with us and what we need to do to fix it.

How Our Body Tells Us When Our Nutrition is Lacking

1) Ridges on the Nails and White Spots

Raised ridges and white spots on your nails is a sign of a deficiency in iron and zinc. If, however you have brittle nails, this may be a sign of a magnesium deficiency.

2) Muscle Cramps

Often when you think of muscle cramps, especially if you are follow an intense strength and conditioning session with your personal trainer, most people think of over-training or potassium as the deficiency. But often overlooked is the mineral magnesium. This is such an important mineral with many key functions and when it is missing from your daily routine it can lead to fatigue, numbness, tingling and in some cases heart rhythm abnormalities.

3)Hair loss

Although hair loss can be associated with aging, it could also be a sign of low folic acid, iron, B vitamin levels and omega-3. As well, hair loss is  a symptom of low thyroid hormones; so it is always best to speak with your physician and have the issue assessed professionally.

4)Small Red Bumps on the Back of Your Arms

For some, this is a very common problem and may not be limited to just the arms but may also include the thighs, buttocks and even your cheeks. This is a hereditary condition named keratosis pilaris and affects about 50% of the population. The condition can be reduced by supplementing with essential fatty acids, vitamins A, E, D and zinc.

5) Tingling and Numbness in Hands and Feet

This can be a symptom of a more serious condition such as pinched nerves or a herniated disc and must be ruled out by your physician. If something more serious is not the cause of this, then it  can be your bodies way of letting you know you have a vitamin deficiency in Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and folic acid.

Nutrition Guidelines to Follow With Any of the Above Supplements

As a certified Personal Trainer, educated in proper nutrition, if your client is concerned about any of these symptoms, the first thing you need to do is encourage them to  speak with their physician to rule out something more serious. Once that has been done, their doctor can give them nutrition guidelines to follow when supplementing their diet and nutrition with any of the above supplements.