Reboot Part 3 – Balance Your Nutrient and Mineral Intake In a Few Simple Ways.

Simply stated, there are numerous consequences when you're not balancing your diet and nutrient intake.  Some of the statistics and symptoms will come as a shock to you.  Thankfully there are simple ways to remedy these deficiencies that collectively affect over 90% of us to some degree.

Pay close attention to the symptoms of each deficiency and you'll realize quickly that there is likely more than one reason why you feel the way that you do.   Sleep, hydration, exercise and nutrition can ALL play a role in just one unwanted health or lifestyle situation.  That's why we produced this program to cover them all.  By process of elimination we'll eventually be able to weed out the contributing causes or aggravations behind your issues.

Did you know that some nutrients are stored in your body and require an ongoing supply to maintain?   You can't take a vitamin or eat a healthy meal every now and then and expect any long term effect.  Some nutrients are stored for long periods of time and others deplete quickly.

Vitamins & Fiber

Potassium: Increasing potassium consumption has been linked to lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of osteoporosis, as well as decreasing the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724413

Potassium Deficiency: Leads to as muscle cramps, constipation, and fatigue.

The recommended intake of potassium for adults is 4,700mg per day as adults, but currently only about 56 percent of American adults reach this goal!

Some potassium-rich foods: apricots, bananas, carrots cod peas, salmon and whole grains.

Dietary Fiber

Why You Need Fiber-rich Foods

• Enhances intestinal tract regularity
• Helps elimination of body waste products

The recommended daily intake of dietary fiber is 25g (women) and 38g (men). But according to a 2010 report, only 40 percent of Americans reach the recommended intake (more recent estimates decreases those reported numbers dramatically).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22649260

 Common symptoms you get with insufficient dietary fiber

• Constipation
• Fluctuations in blood sugar & energy levels
• Nausea
• Stomach cramping
• Fatigue

To prevent/reduce constipation

• Eat more fresh fruits, green vegetables, whole grains, sprouted seeds
• Reduce stress levels as excessive stress affects food digestion
• Increase your water and fluid intake
• Increase your exercise

Vitamin D

Referred to as “the sunshine vitamin”, recommended daily amount of Vitamin D for men and women is 18mcg, but only 28 percent of Americans meet this goal.

Virtually all major organs are affected when you are Vitamin D deficient, including your brain, blood pressure, heart, bones, muscles and bowels.

YOU ARE AT RISK OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IF YOU BELONG TO THE GROUPS BELOW

• African/dark-skinned
• Pregnant women
• Elderly
• Growing children
• Women
• Bed-bound persons
• People Who don't get enough sunshine.

RECOMMENDED BY HEALTH AUTHORITIES TO TAKE VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS

If you belong to any of the groups above
If you take medicines that affect Vitamin D absorption.

Best form to take Vitamin D is as Vitamin D3.

Surprisingly, natural food sources alone cannot provide all the Vitamin D we need.  These should be supplemented with an over the counter vitamin supplement.

Iron

We need  iron for life. It’s needed for complex and essential processes in the body, including:

• Transportation of oxygen throughout your body
• Production of red blood cells
• Conversion of your blood sugar to the energy you need
• An element of haemoglobin (the pigment that gives your red blood cells the red colour)
• Involved in enzymes production (so your body can produce new cells, hormones, amino acids and neurotransmitters).
• Important for efficient functioning of immune system

Signs & Symptoms of Iron Deficiency

Not getting enough of this element can lead to the following problems as your body’s ability to transport oxygen around reduces:

• Weakness
• Lethargy
• Impaired exercise tolerance
• Shortness of breath
• Lowered immunity
• Dizziness
• Painful red tongue
• Sores on the corner of the mouth
• Unusual food cravings

The recommended daily intake of iron for adult women is 18mg daily and 8mg for men.

What You Can Do

Eat These Best Sources of Iron To Prevent Iron Deficiency

• Dried beans
• Dried fruits
• Eggs (particularly egg yolks)
• Iron-fortified cereals
• Liver
• Lean red meat (particularly beef)
• Oysters
• Poultry (dark red part)
• Salmon
• Tuna
• Whole grains
• Vegetables like, broccoli, spinach and kale
• Seeds like almonds and brazil nuts

It’s more difficult for the body to absorb iron from vegetables, grains, fruits and supplements.

However, you can improve iron absorption with these techniques: 

1. By mixing the lean meat, fish or poultry with dark, leafy vegetables, your body is able to absorb up to 3x the iron content of the vegetables.
2. Having foods rich in vitamin C, for example tomatoes, citrus fruits and strawberries with your meals.
3. Cooking foods in cast-iron skillet
4. You may consider not drinking commercial black or pekoe teas with

Iron-rich meals as they have some substances that make it more difficult for your body to absorb the iron. (www.nlm.nih.gov)

People At Risk Of Iron Deficiency:

• Women of menstruating age, especially with heavy periods
• Pregnant & lactating mothers
• Marathon runners
• People with bleeding conditions like ulcers
• Some chronic gastro-intestinal conditions that make iron absorption problematic
• Particular diets like vegans and vegetarians. (www.nlm.nih.gov)

Vitamin B-12

What you need it for

Vitamin B12 is not made by your body. Working together with folate it’s needed in DNA production.

If there is insufficient Vitamin B12 & folate in your diet this can result in problems with your bone marrow producing enough red blood cells.

In severe cases, this may result in reduced production of white blood cell & platelets (responsible for immune system).

(Disease Management ISBN 0 85369523 7)

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Leads to serious problems as you may become anaemic.

Likely Causes

• Conditions involving small intestine, like Crohn’s disease, parasitic or bacterial growth
• If you have your small intestine or part of the stomach removed, as well as weight reduction surgery
• If you are a heavy drinker
• Thinned stomach lining
• Some immune system disorders, including Graves’ disease or lupus

Likely Signs & Symptoms of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

• Lack of energy
• Problems emptying the bowel, diarrhea, gas or lack of appetite
• Anxiety
• Nerve problems like numbness
• Mental problems like memory loss and depression
• Paleness
• Difficulty in concentration or a combination of the above, you might want to consider increasing your vitamin B12 intake
• Loss of vision
• Dementia

Good dietary sources of vitamin B12

• Eggs
• Beef
• Fish
• All-bran cereals
• Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt and fortified soy products.

Vitamin B₁₂ is really rare in plants, so vegetarians will be the most vulnerable to a B12 deficiency.

If you suffer from a shortage of vitamin B12 in your system, you are likely to notice a difference within 24 hours of increasing your intake to normal levels.

We urge you to take this section Very Seriously.  There are nutrients that aren't mentioned in this segment because there are dozens of nutrients that are critical to maintaining an optimally functioning body.  We've covered the most common deficiencies here.   We recommend following the Pondera Meal Plan as closely as you can, plan healthy meals and also to take an appropriate multi-vitamin for your age and sex.  Some multi-vitamins still don't provide enough so if you're not eating to support your diet you may also need to supplement the big ones like Vitamin B and D.