Dr. Ryan J Mayeda DC RD

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Are you Nutrient Deficient?

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What is nutrient deficiency?

Your body relies on nutrients of all forms to provide the necessary reactions inside your body that provide you with energy to do every bodily function from breathing to running a marathon. The food that you eat is full of macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, water, etc. These components break down and are distributed throughout your body to help you grow and give you energy. Each reaction that takes place in your body requires specific “ingredients” that come from your food or your body produces them. If we are lacking those “ingredients” then those reactions cannot take place and we begin to see problems pop up such as fatigue, rashes, muscle cramps, and even disease.

Even if you eat a well-balanced diet, you could still be nutrient deficient! This is due to outside factors including your age and health conditions (especially digestive issues which are becoming extremely common) which can impact your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your food. The quality of the food you ingest is also a potential cause for nutrient deficiency. Soil quality, processing, and storage times can all affect how many nutrients are available in the food we eat. 

So, how do I know if I am nutrient deficient?

Chances are if you eat a traditional western diet and do not supplement required nutrients, you are probably nutrient deficient. Even if you eat a less processed, more whole foods diet, you may still be deficient despite any symptoms you may or may not have. This is simply due to outside factors as stated above. Farming just isn’t the same anymore! If you take prescription drugs, you are likely deficient in some nutrients as many drugs actually deplete your system of certain nutrients. Here is a list of common symptoms associated with nutrient deficiencies:

  • Cracks at the corners of your mouth – This can be a sign of iron, zinc, and B-vitamin (niacin, riboflavin, and B12) deficiency, or that you’re not getting enough protein
  • Hair loss and red scaly rash (especially on face) – This can be a sign of biotin (vitamin-B7) deficiency.
  • Red or white acne-like bumps – This can be a sign of deficiency in essential fatty acids like omega-3s, as well as vitamin A or vitamin D deficiency.
  • Tingling, prickling, and numbness in your hands and feet – This can also be a sign of B-vitamin deficiency (particularly folate, B6, and B12).
  • Muscle cramps – Muscle cramps may be a sign of deficiencies in magnesium, calcium, and potassium, especially if it happens frequently.

Treating or Preventing Deficiency

One of the best methods for treating a deficiency and preventing deficiencies is to eat foods full of nutrients. Here is a chart that will help you determine what foods you need to increase your intake of if you know what nutrients you are deficient of. If you are unsure what you may be deficient of or want to prevent deficiencies, a balanced, whole food diet consisting of a variety of foods will help. 

In addition to increasing your intake of nutrient-rich foods, be aware of their processing. Try to fill your plate with whole foods (fresh is best) and limit cooking and processing times. Of course, it is nearly impossible to monitor and maintain a completely balanced diet and the soil composition of the produce we eat may be nutrient/mineral deficient in a variety of ways. Supplementation can help prevent and treat any deficiencies you may have.

High quality, pure supplements are best to achieve maximum absorption and benefit. If you take supplements that are not high quality, they could contain excess “fillers” (nonessential non-nutrient ingredients) or are created in a way that the body cannot fully utilize so the supplement is essentially wasted by the body. We typically recommend in general that the average person take a high quality multi-vitamin, vitamin D, and probiotics as a base to prevent nutrient deficiency and to best support your body. Probiotics are the “good bugs” that live in your digestive system and a balanced flora is completely necessary for a properly functioning immune system. Our bodies are often not balanced with the correct flora due to various reasons including probiotics lacking in our food, unbalanced diet, antibiotics, and other prescription drugs. 

How we can help!

If this information seems overwhelming, Dr. Ryan is available to consult you for proper nutrition and supplementation to best suit your individual body. We offer high quality supplements in our office as well. Feel free to ask questions when you come in and if needed, Dr. Ryan offers nutritional consults!

 

References

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/11/03/nutrient-deficiency-signs-symptoms.aspx

Fall Into Clean Eating

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Fall is in the air! The crisp morning air and chilly weather is fast approaching and with most seasons, people tend to lean towards a positive change. If you are looking for a way to improve this fall, consider making a few changes to your diet to eat cleaner and healthier. Your body will thank you!

  • Focus on Whole Foods. Eat whole versions of foods instead of processed forms (juice, sauces, powders, chips, cereals, etc.)
  • Reduce Sugar Intake and Added Sugars. Reducing processed foods is a great step, but if that is a struggle, try to avoid added sugars. Do your research as these sugars come in many forms! Try making your own sweet treats with healthier sugar substitutes such as stevia, maple syrup, or xylitol. 
  • Stay Hydrated! Keeping up on your water intake will help your body flush out any toxins you may have as well as improve digestion, mood, and overall health.
  • Focus on Nutrients rather than Calories. Ensure your meals are high in nutrient count rather than counting calories. Fresh and whole foods will provide the most nutrients and leave you with stable blood sugar and energy.
  • Limit toxin exposure. This means buying organic produce, meats, and eggs whenever feasible. Research the dirty dozen and clean fifteen for 2017 in order to learn which fruits and vegetables have the highest toxin load; try to buy these foods organic at all times.
  • Start Reducing Processed Foods. Where possible, reduce processed and refined foods. This includes pastas, breads, sugars, chips, etc. Yes even gluten free! Focus on whole foods as much as possible for maximum nutrient intake.
  • Completely avoid preservatives, color additives, and toxic binders, stabilizers, emulsifiers and fat replacers.

Need a quick and easy fall inspired recipe to start you off on clean eating? Try this!

Roasted Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • ½ yellow onion, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
  • 2-3 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts
  • ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred with a fork.
  4. Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onions quarters into the blender. Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.
  5. Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot.
  6. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Healthy Aging Month

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 What is your destination? Where are you going? Where do you want your destination to be?

Progress is defined as a forward or onward movement toward a destination. No matter how great or minor your goal or destination, it takes progress to get there. Even the smallest steps help us to reach our goals. Each day we have a choice to move forward and make progress. Big leaps or small steps – we have a choice!

September is Healthy Aging Month

Most people have a desire to be healthy, get healthy, and remain healthy. We want to age slowly, stay young longer, and avoid stress and ailments that could impact our lives negatively. We are all aging – it is part of life and something none of us can avoid. So, here are some tips for healthy aging!

  • Age is just a number – it does not need to define you. You don’t need to put yourself in a box and act or be a certain way based on your age. Stay positive and think positive and embrace your life.
  • Surround yourself with postive people, speak and think positively. Stress or negative thinking can significantly affect the aging process!
  • Walk vibrant, healthy, and stand up with confidence. Own the day.
  • SMILE! Research shows people who smile more are happier.
  • If you’re feeling lonely, take the steps to meet people or interact with people. Volunteer, call a friend, take a class, or invite someone to lunch.
  • Find your inner artist. Paint a picture, color a coloring book, play an instrument. It’s never too late to learn something new. 
  • Be Still! Find time to just rest and just be. Settle your mind, and just be.

Back to School! Stress Reliever or Stress Producer..?

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It’s August already! That means the kids are headed back to school. Depending on your lifestyle, this can mean stress will start to go down or increase if you have a busy family! Sports, extra-curricular activites, parent-teacher conferences, and performaces on top of everything else going on in life can be stressful. Even if you are not affected by “Back To School” stress, all stress impacts your health. Too much of it can have damaging effects:

  • ADRENALS churn out hormones, such as cortisol, which raise blood pressure and blood sugar (among other things) that can be harmful if sustained too long
  • INCREASED RISK for heart attack, stroke, and frequent illness 
  • MEMORY can be effected by lessening your ability to retrieve memories or make new ones
  • BLOOD SUGAR & PRESSURE increases with stress and can have long term effects if they spike too often
  • DIGESTION can be effected by increasing or causes diarrhea, stomach cramping, or heart burn
  • SKIN tends to break out with acne or psoriasis with continuous stress
  • RELATIONSHIPS may be effected due to lack of hormone control, mood swings, and irritiability caused by stress

So, if you are in any situation that is causing continual stress, take some time to relax and breathe! Here are some tips to de-stress:

  • Listen to good music! Tunes that improve your mood and make you relax (may hold off on the heavy metal when you’re stressed 🙂
  • Pay attention to your posture! This improves your well being and health. Be sure to get adjusted consistently as well to help with this!
  • Get a plant. Taking care of something like a plant can be rewarding and calming.
  • Try Yoga! Yoga helps you meditate, relax, stretch, and help you develop an inner peace. Get the whole family involved!
  • Hang out with good company. Be with people that encourage you, help you, and generally make you feel good.
  • Get up and GO! Exercise releases endorphins that help you feel good and recover from stress.
  • Sleep it off. That’s right, stress can interfere with sleep, so take some time to turn off your mind and focus on getting good, quality sleep.

Let’s Avoid This 🙂 

 

Ditch the Sugary Drinks

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Summer, Summer, Summertime!

The sun, the heat, the pool, the fun, and the sugary drinks…wait, what? If you are like many other people, water is not the first drink that you reach for during the day. Unfortunately, it’s the sugary drinks that get the first grab and unfortunately it’s these drinks that can often put people at a higher risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

But, water is SO GOOD for us! Here are 10 reasons why we should ALWAYS choose water:

  1. Increases energy and will relieve fatique
  2. Promotes weight loss
  3. Flushes out toxins
  4. Improves skin compexion
  5. Maintains regularity
  6. Boosts immune system
  7. Natural eadache remedy
  8. Prevents cramps and sprains
  9. Puts you in a good mood
  10. Saves you $$

Water doesn’t have to be boring either! Add fruit to spruce it up a bit! Strawberries, lemons, oranges, and raspberries are just a few fruits that will add yummy flavor to your water! If you’re feeling adventurous, add sliced cucumber or even a sprig of basil. You’d be surprised at the flavor these will bring! Start making those healthy decisions today!