Doctor shares the five signs your body needs more nutrients – Health

A medical professional has explained the five signs that could indicate that your body needs more nutrients.

In and amongst the hustle and bustle of every day life, it can be hard to properly take care of yourself, whether that be doing the right amount of exercise, or crucially, eating right.

Getting the right amount of food and drink in you is essential to keeping healthy, as they provide both macronutrients and micronutrients, which are essential to function.

But it’s often the latter that’s neglected, with the likes of calcium, iron, and vitamins C and D lacking among people.

California-based gastroenterologist Saurabh Sethi has recently taken to TikTok to share the five signs that your body probably needs more nutrition.

Are you getting enough nutrients in your diet? (Getty Stock Image)

Brittle Nails

In the viral video, Sethi explained: “This indicates a deficiency of protein and iron in the diet.”

Nails are made up the protein keratin, so getting the right amount of protein in your diet is crucial, with the average 68kg person requiring about 54g of protein each day to remain healthy, according to Harvard Medical School.

It is more common in women, as it can also be caused by nail polish remover, living in cold or dry weather or even aging.

Food to target to avoid this include red meat, poultry, fish, beans, spinch and eggs.

Twitching eyelids

The doctor revealed: “Twitching in the eyelids or the limbs indicates magnesium deficiency, which is critical for transmitting nerve impulses.”

The scientific term behind this occurrence is Myokymia, which is when the muscle around the eye closes the eyelids involuntarily.

This has been linked to stress, tiredness or caffeine consumption in some cases, while nowadays, staring at screens for too long can also be a cause.

However, this condition can be caused by a lack in magnesium, which is crucial to muscle function – supplements can be picked up but it is advised to see a doctor first.

If your eyes twitch regularly, you may be low in magnesium (Getty Stock Photo)

Joints clicking

If you’re someone that has clicking knees or ankles, this may be a sign of low nutrition, which can become more obvious as you age.

Sethi explained that it ‘could be a warning sign of vitamin D3 or calcium deficiency.’

We’ve all heard while growing up that calcium is key to making your bones strong, while vitamin D helps to absorb calcium from certain foods as well.

Prematurely greying hair

Nobody wants to go through this, but if your hair greys before 20 in white people and 30 in people of African descent, you are prematurely greying, sadly.

Scientists don’t have an exact explanation as to why this happens, though Sethi explained: “This could indicate a deficiency of vitamin B12, which is crucial for [red blood cell] production and oxygen transport at the hair follicles,

“This could also be a sign of copper deficiency, which is responsible for melanin production, imparting colour to your hair,” he added.

This could be a sign of a Vitamin C deficiency (Getty Stock Photo)

Bruising easily

This could be because of old age as your skin thins over time, your genetics, or a medical condition, but it could also be due to vitamin deficiencies, according to the doc.

He says that if you bruise easily, then ‘this could mean that you’re running short of vitamin C, which is responsible for collagen formation,’ and that it could also ‘mean a deficiency of vitamin K1, which helps in blood clotting.’

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