Dietary Supplements: 3 Most Common Vitamin Deficiencies for Beginners

I’ve got one question for you: Do you know which Vitamins you need to increase your daily intake of? We know that we need to eat healthily, including getting more Vitamins in ourselves, and how generally improving our diet can help boost our bodies’ immunity. But have you ever wondered what are the most common Vitamin deficiencies around today (and their Recommend Daily Amounts)? Here’s everything you need to know.

The Case for Vitamins: Why They Are Needed

Vitamins are a type of micronutrient (“small” nutrient) your body needs for growth and maintaining good health. Did you know that there are thirteen types? I’ve mentioned in the previous post how it can be slightly difficult to obtain some of these vitamins from diet alone, especially if you have a poor diet.

And weirdly:

By the time imported food gets into shop shelves, it would have lost some of its nutritious value

So e.g., you import an orange from Spain with x amount of Vitamin C. By the time it gets deep into the importing country, that x number would have decreased!

The beauty of using supplements is that it’s one of the easiest ways we can help ensure our bodies get these “missing” goodies.

The Most Common Vitamin Deficiencies Around Today

Vitamin B9 aka Folic Acid

Doctors often advise pregnant women to use Folic Acid

Folic Acid helps with normal blood cell formation. Currently, Doctors globally encourage pregnant women to use supplements containing Folic Acida. Too little Folic Acid for the growing baby can lead to Neural Tube Defects (conditions that affect a baby’s foetal neurological system) like Spina Bifida. For adults, a lack of Folic Acid can cause Anaemia (not Sickle Cell).

Your RDA of Folic Acid is 200 micrograms (μg) aka 0.2 milligrams and if you’re not a Broccoli/green vegetables lover, use this to supplement your body getting the 200 μg

Vitamin C aka Ascorbic Acid

Citrus fruits contain a lot of Vitamin C. Credits: Cathe (2nd pic), Clinique (3rd pic)

Vitamin C, otherwise known as Ascorbic Acid, helps with Collagen formation for the normal function of your skin, gums, blood vessels and many more things.

Some of the best places to get Vit. C are fruits, and your RDA of Vit C is 40 mg

If you hate fruit or hardly eat any, a Vitamin C supplement is your friend. A severe deficiency of Vitamin C can lead to Scurvy.

Vitamin D

Random fact: one of the reasons why the Inuits of the Artic still retain their medium-darker skin tones (apart from genetics of course) is their Vitamin D-rich food found in Seal meat, Fish and other meats etc.

The Inuits live in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Credit: Blogspot

Unfortunately, a standard, non-Mediterranean Western diet isn’t rich in Vitamin D- there aren’t many foods that are rich in Vitamin D (think oily fish, egg yolk). This is why we’re generally encouraged to go outside for some Sun and to use supplements in Autumn to Winter in order to get Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb Calcium and helps maintain bone health, muscle function and much more.

Your RDA of Vit. D’s 10 μg (0.01 mg)

A lack of Vitamin D can result in Rickets for children and painful bones from Osteomalaecia (softening bones) for adults.

Conclusion

So now you know 3 of the most common vitamin deficiencies affecting some people today. And the best thing is, it’s very easy and simple for you to do 😄.

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