Avitaminosis itself does not depend on the season, and a lack of vitamins and minerals is most often the result of improper diet. Sergey Chudakov, co-chairman of “Preventive Medicine” director of NTI HealthNet (HealthNet), candidate of medical sciences, family doctor told socialbites.ca about this.
The concept of “spring beriberi” has historical roots. In the spring, stocks of crops were depleted, so food became more scarce, resulting in poor well-being and weakening of immunity. Now the situation has changed and all the necessary products can be found in the store all year long.”
However, modern technologies for processing, storing, transporting products have led to the fact that the amount of nutrients in them has decreased by 50% compared to the middle of the 20th century.
“Now, unfortunately, people are deficient in vitamins, microelements, unsaturated fatty acids almost all year round. However, as we tend to bind our actions to certain dates, spring may be an opportunity to reflect on this issue,” he said.
The main symptoms of vitamin deficiency are decreased performance, both mental and physical, increased fatigue, deterioration in the quality of skin, nails, hair, poor stress tolerance, deterioration of the gastrointestinal tract, premature whitening, wrinkles and frequent exacerbations of respiratory diseases. more than twice a year). Chudakov emphasized that it is better to act as a preventative for beriberi – first of all, you need to monitor your diet, since a person receives vitamins and minerals from food.
“Many of the nutrients and vitamins are found in greens, vegetables, unrefined cold-pressed oils, and fruits. In addition, berries are a real storehouse of vitamins, especially black and red currants, sea buckthorn and cranberry. Additionally, you can eat foods fortified with phytonutrients. This is something that does not officially refer to vitamins or minerals, but is the result of plant activity that is beneficial to the human body. The use of dietary supplements is becoming more and more relevant, but before using them it is better to get tested and consult a doctor, ”she added.
To determine the lack of vitamins, you can pass the appropriate tests. Chudakov said it’s also important to monitor the level of folic acid, vitamins B12 and B6. In addition, it is worth remembering that even with a normal diet, there may be a lack of vitamins and trace elements due to stress and psycho-emotional stress.