Essential nutrients you're probably not getting enough of

Close to two years since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, the world continues to live with the virus. For some, the ongoing restrictions and threats of new variants have been a motivating factor to adopt a more active outdoor-based lifestyle and eat more healthily to boost our immune system.

Still, what we choose to consume, or think is a balanced diet, can be unknowingly lacking in vital nutrients. Over-reliance on processed foods, convenience foods, gluten and refined grains hinders our micronutrient absorption and reduces our intake of important vitamins like A, K, D, and B.

“We wish we could rely on food alone but unfortunately, over-farming has led to our food having fewer nutrients. Hectic lifestyles and stress also mean we need more support in supplement form from time to time,” says Pooja Vig, clinic director and co-founder of The Nutrition Clinic. “She shares some base supplements that are good to take:

• Good-quality omega oil
• Good-quality magnesium
• Good-quality probiotic on rotation (to expose your gut flora to different microorganisms)
• Good-quality vitamin C

With Covid-19 variants still developing, boosting one’s immunity has also become a concern for many. Pooja points to specific nutrients like vitamins C and D, zinc, and selenium.

Before you go on to purchase the above-mentioned supplements, it is advisable to consult a professional to delve deeper into what your body specifically needs.

“We take a food- and lifestyle-first philosophy with testing for nutrition deficiencies and gut bacterial imbalances. That should be combined with a supplement strategy that’s focused on practitioner-grade, quality-tested and efficacy-tested supplements in a targeted manner to heal and support,” shares Pooja. 

And if a supplement seems too good to be true, Pooja recommends giving it a miss. “Regulations for off-the-shelf supplements are not as regulated as people may believe. While some products may appear cheaper, it’s usually because they don’t have a high dose of the active ingredients.

Most are not tested for efficacy and contain synthetic dyes, artificial sweeteners, and additives. A high percentage of supplements don’t even test positive for the ingredients they claim to contain!”

So, how can we address those nutrient deficiencies in our daily lifestyle? Here are some recommendations to consider.

Get enough vitamin D

With remote work and ongoing restrictions affecting our daily movements, many of us are not getting enough of the sunshine vitamin, and this can affect everything from our sleep, gut health, to overall immune health.

“Our bodies are set up to the rhythm of light in the day and dark and night. Getting morning light onto your skin and eyes every day is important in switching on vital functions of the body. For example, morning light helps switch off melatonin, switch on cortisol, and readies itself for digestion.

It’s an important part of the circadian rhythm and helps you maintain a consistent sleeping pattern,” shares The Nutrition Clinic’s functional medicine coach Bonnie Rodgers. “Free-range eggs and organic oily fish are not only high in omega 3, but vitamin D as well – one serving of fatty fish can get you close to hitting your daily vitamin D needs.”

How to supplement: If getting outdoors in the morning for 15 minutes regularly is a challenge, look at adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, ​​adults up to 70 years should take no more than 600 IU (15 mcg) daily.

Pooja recommends “supplementing with vitamin D in liquid or tablet form – they both produce the same health benefits – but the liquid/drop form is more bioavailable to the body, meaning it does not need to be broken down and digested, making it easily absorbed by the body.”

Beef up your protein intake

Most diets are fastidious about calorie intake, but they often overlook protein factors. An essential macronutrient that acts as fuel to make, create and maintain every cell in our body, protein is a crucial element of any healthy diet. “From what we’ve observed, a lot of women don’t get enough protein, which may cause deficiencies in iron and zinc,” shares Pooja.

“Eat foods high in protein such as organic red meat, fatty fish, and eggs as well as easily absorbable collagen-rich foods such as bone broth. If you don’t have time to prepare bone broth at home, try adding a high-quality collagen supplement powder that is well absorbed by the body.”

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So you can see why it’s important to top this up, especially since we rarely consume enough collagen in food sources.

How to supplement: The Nutrition Clinic carries Complete Collagen, a supplement that according to Pooja, is “a great way to get more protein” through its three types of peptides (fortigel, verisol and fortibone).

It also boosts collagen production to help alleviate digestive issues and joint pain, support muscle growth, and plump up aging skin. If you prefer to get your protein directly from food, WedMD recommends women over the age of 14 get at least 46 grams of protein daily, from food sources like lean meats, dairy, tofu, legumes, and fish.

Improve your sleep health through supplementation

As boundaries between work and home remain blurred, one’s sleep health is often compromised. Pooja points to good-quality sleep as “an ultimate game-changer that often gets overlooked”.

We could all work on sleeping better and some quick fixes to our sleeping environment (think black-out curtains, soothing scents and white noise machine). Being disciplined about a sleep schedule and caffeine curfew will improve sleep permanently in the long run.

While Pooja advises clients to create a sleep-friendly environment and rituals, supplementation can also play a part in optimising one’s sleep.

How to supplement: “You can also supplement with Deep Sleep (with melatonin, 5-HTP, Vitamin B6, inositol, and L-theanine), as it helps rebalance the circadian rhythm – easing you into relaxation and helps you fall and stay asleep throughout the night.

Neurocalm (a liquid supplement containing GABA and L-theanine) also helps regulate your nervous system during the day and keeps you from feeling burnt out.”

Top up magnesium levels

Many individuals don’t realise they’re lacking magnesium in their diets. An essential mineral that plays a crucial role in supporting muscle and nerve function, magnesium also helps keep blood pressure normal, and a steady heart rhythm.

How to supplement: Magnesium is available in a supplement form, and in specific foods like leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and milk, beans, leafy vegetables, and yogurt. Just 30 grams of almonds contains 20 per cent of the recommended daily magnesium intake.

Keep your gut in check

There is a lot of truth to the old saying “you are what you eat”, but according to functional medicine coach Bonnie, an additional area to pay attention to is your digestion.

“Another area of work that we do is the HPA Axis regulation [the interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands which plays an important role in stress response],” says Bonnie.

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“A mismatch between our modern environment, nervous system response, and diet is often the cause of HPA Axis dysfunction, and when the HPA Axis is being suppressed, the body is not able to properly regulate energy levels properly. This limits our body’s long-term metabolic capacity to respond to changes.”

How to supplement: Start a healthier diet by reducing your intake of unhealthy, gut-disrupting and inflammatory foods like sugar, processed meat, and refined carbohydrates. This will help balance blood sugar levels and reduce cravings.

Invest in a good-quality pre- and probiotics

Optimising gut health resolves numerous chronic issues such as inflammation, hormone imbalances and cognitive dysfunctions, yet this area is often ignored.

Pooja shares: “Every client we work with gets a gut health assessment as we believe it is at the core of our health. Specifically, we look at food sensitivities, which can affect gut health, and the levels of pre-and probiotics in the diet as a start.”

How to supplement: Watching what you eat daily and getting regular exercise helps improve your gut health. Start including fermented foods like kefir, tempeh and kimchi in your diet.

When it comes to choosing a probiotic, Harvard Health Publishing recommends looking for the words Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium and ensuring the dose for adults “ranges from five billion to 10 billion colony-forming units per day”. Pooja also recommends looking for “practitioner-grade [probiotics], so you know the strains are effective”.

Have zinc on standby

Another overlooked nutrient is zinc which, according to Healthline, “is required for the functions of over 300 enzymes, and involved in many important processes in your body.”

While most individuals are not in grave danger of a zinc deficiency, the Mayo Clinic has acknowledged zinc’s potential effectiveness to shorten the length of a cold, if taken soon after cold symptoms appear.

How to supplement: The amount of zinc needed varies according to the individual and age. As meat and seafood like crab and lobsters are a good source of zinc, vegetarians may want to look into supplementing accordingly, such as having more zinc-rich foods like beans, nuts, and whole grains.

Zinc is present in almost all multivitamins, but can be taken as a standalone supplement. The National Institutes of Health recommends 8mg for an adult woman and 11mg for a pregnant woman.

Other tips to boost your nutrient intake

Order healthier takeaway meals

Sometimes it’s just easier and more affordable to order takeout than to cook for one or two. While opting for healthier take-out meals (boiled, grilled, soup, and stir-fries) is a start, Bonnie also cautions to look beyond the preparation method, and at one’s nutrient intake.

“From what we’ve observed at the clinic, many clients come in with nutritional deficiencies and many are not consuming the recommended amount of green leafy vegetables of six cups a day.

''So I would say start from where you are instead — if you are eating just half a cup of veggies every day, work up to having two cups every day, and subsequently increase it from there.”

What to do: Look into ordering more nutritious meals like a tingkat service or more specialised delivery plans like Prepbox, Nutrify Meals, Keto Eato and Insane Meals.

Choose snacks with nutritional value

Now that you’re home more, the snack situation has likely gotten out of control. The reality is you’re not going to stop snacking, so it’s better to form healthier snacking habits.

“Constant snacking, especially on high-sugar treats, creates unstable blood sugar levels, can cause fatigue, mood swings, hormone disruption, food cravings, weight gain, adrenal fatigue and sleep disturbances and inflammation.

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''In the long term, this can lead to greater health issues. Learn about hidden sugars in bread, noodles, and even “health foods” — for example, açai bowls with various toppings can have up to 60g of sugar in a single bowl!” says Bonnie.

What to do: Try a spoon of natural nut butter such as peanut or almond butter. When in doubt about the nutritional value of a snack, she recommends looking at the ingredient label: “If the list has more than five ingredients, it’s better to skip it!”

This article was first published in Her World Online.