Vitamins are organic compounds crucial for proper body function. They must be obtained through diet when the body cannot synthesize them properly, and lack of certain vitamins can have serious consequences. Here are some symptoms of certain vitamin deficiencies:
Cracks on your lips
This is a symptom of iron, zinc and vitamin B deficiency. It’s common among vegetarians due to their diet. In order to eliminate the symptom, you need to eat more Swiss chard, peanuts, legumes, lentils, poultry, salmon, tuna, eggs and shellfish. Vitamin C improves iron absorption and helps your body fight off infections, meaning that you need to eat more kale, broccoli, red peppers and cauliflower.
Red rashes on your face and hair loss
This is a symptom of vitamin B7 deficiency. Eating fresh eggs in this case makes you more vulnerable because the protein is present in eggs and avidin prevents the body from absorbing biotin.
To relieve the symptom, eat boiled eggs, salmon, avocado, mushrooms, soybeans, walnuts, raspberries and bananas.
Red and white spots similar to acne present on the face, arms, thighs and back
This kind of symptom indicates that you’re are lacking fatty acids as well as vitamins A and E.
In this case, you need to avoid saturated fat, and eliminate the trans fats such as margarine from your diet. You should eat healthy fats found in salmon, sardines, walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds and hemp. In order to increase your vitamin A intake, eat vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and red peppers. These vegetables are rich in beta carotene, a substance which the body uses to obtain vitamins. You can replenish your vitamin D levels by simply sunbathing for at least 10 minutes daily.
Numbness and tingling in your hands and feet
This is a symptom of vitamin B6, B9 and B12 deficiency. Lack of this vitamin is directly related to the peripheral nerves, and the symptoms are often experienced along depression, anemia, fatigue and hormonal imbalance.
In order to relieve the symptom, you should eat more spinach, asparagus, beets, eggs, shellfish, crabs and chicken.
Muscle cramps and pain in the fingers, wrists, feet, legs and back
This is a sign of calcium and potassium deficiency. If you exercise regularly, you lose more vitamins due to sweating. In order to relieve the symptom, eat more bananas, almonds, hazelnuts, zucchini, cherries, apples, grapefruit, broccoli and dark leaves vegetables such as kale.