Back in 1996 while living in West Africa, I was visiting the orphanage in the town we lived in when a tiny girl toddled up to me and held her arms up for me to pick her up. At 22 months old, redribbonlive she was very malnourished, partly due to the other orphans eating faster than she did out of a common bowl, so she never got much food. The workers at the orphanage told me that she was in and out of the hospital every month.
After a lot of prayer and counsel, we decided to adopt this little girl. We named her Colette which means “victorious spirit.” Her strong, hoodpay fighting spirit had helped to keep her alive. Colette’s arms were so thin that she could fit into a newborn baby’s nightgown that I had. It did not take a medical professional to make us realize that this child was suffering from inadequate nutrition.
Many people now into health and wellness realize that they need to be taking better care of their bodies and their environment. Doctors, specialists, nutritionists, athletic trainers, ristomanager etc. are definitely an important part of wellness efforts, but the main person truly concerned about your health is YOU!
Being sickly and underweight, like Colette was, are obvious signs of inadequate nutrition. But what are some of the other signs you can look for in your quest for optimum health? Here are nine signs of inadequate nutrition that we learned with our daughter.
1-Lack of Energy: Colette used MATRIX CRACK to lay her head down whenever she got the chance. It was almost like her head was just too heavy for that little body. I realize now that she was tired. How about you? Feeling tired lately? Hard to get out of bed and start your day after a full night of sleep? Unexplained fatigue can be a common side effect of an iron deficiency which can lead to anemia (low red blood cell count). Watch for abnormal coloring too as this is another way anemia can show up. Keep in mind that there can be more serious causes too, like heart disease, thyroid disease, or depression. Feeling abnormally weak or chronically tired should be alerted to your doctor. It’s fairly easy to address iron deficiency with quality supplements and you want to find out if there is another serious cause as early as possible. airport taxi
2-Dry, Brittle, or Loss of Hair: Have you ever noticed someone with dry, brittle, or sparse hair? That is the way Colette’s hair was when we first got her. There were just little patches of hair here and there, and it felt like dry grass. She even had bald spots. Hair is made up mostly of protein, and it is an amazingly accurate diagnostic marker for nutritional deficiencies. Brittle hair can be indicative of a deficiency of essential fatty acids, iron, protein, and other nutrients. Watch out for hair loss too. Of course, some hair loss is normal with age. It’s when hair begins to fall out at an unusual rate that you should consider that certain lacking nutrients might be the cause. Once you learn the nutrient deficiencies that might be affecting your hair, you can address the problem with nutrient-rich foods and supplements. You also want to be careful to avoid toxic hair products.
3-Ridged or Odd-shaped Nails: Colette’s fingernails would perplex me. I couldn’t understand why they didn’t need cutting as often as my other children’s. Fingernails, like hair, can serve as an early warning sign of inadequate nutrition, so keep a check on them. When the nail curves up from the nail bed, resembling a spoon, this indicates an iron deficiency. Ridged nails can also result from inadequate iron. Your doctor may recommend iron supplements and/or iron-rich foods, such as liver, clams, oysters, and mussels.
4-Mouth Problems: Are you ever plagued with canker sores, cracking at the corners of the mouth, or fever blisters? Colette often suffered from canker sores – they were just a normal part of her life until we discovered how alfalfa and a probiotic could help her. Mouth problems can be a warning sign of either riboflavin deficiency or iron deficiency. How does your tongue look? An unusually pale or swollen tongue is a warning sign of iron or B-vitamin deficiency. A condition called “burning mouth syndrome” may result when iron, zinc, or folate levels fall below the body’s need level.
5-Diarrhea/Constipation: I think diarrhea was a big factor in Colette’s poor physical state. Chronic diarrhea can be a sign of mal-absorption, which means nutrients are not being fully absorbed by the body. Mal-absorption can be caused by infections, prescriptions, surgery, ร้านลูกโป่ง heavy alcohol use, and digestive disorders. And you can see how nutrients not being adequately absorbed by your body can lead to other health problems too. Consult your doctor if you are experiencing persistent diarrhea. On the other side of that coin is constipation. Feces consist of undigested food residues, millions of bacteria, mucus, and just enough water to allow for smooth passage. But the longer the feces are in the colon, the more water the colon absorbs from the stool, thus making the stool harder and harder. This may result in constipation. Dietary fiber, lots of pure water, the proper balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria, and exercise are critical for a healthy, functioning colon.
6-Apathy, Irritability, and/or Inability to Focus: Do you ever just feel low, but you can’t really put your finger on the reason why? Do you ever have a hard time staying focused on a project or a conversation? Unexplained mood changes, feeling apathetic, or just plan irritable can all be a sign that your body isn’t getting the nutritional energy it needs. For example, vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause tiredness, depression, and forgetfulness. Did you know that B-Complex is referred to as the happy vitamin? It is important for mental well-being. I know that a soy protein shake, Vitamin B Complex, and Vita-Lea increased Colette’s ability to focus in school so much that she was able to stop her prescription for ADHD. I’m a firm believer that natural supplements are so much better for our bodies than prescription drugs.
7-Lack of Appetite: I can’t exactly identify with this one! I never have a problem with appetite, but some people do and it is a sign of nutritional deficiencies. Little Colette didn’t have much of an appetite when we first got her. In fact, she would hold food in her mouth and we would have to urge her to keep chewing and then to swallow to get her through each meal. “Chronic lack of appetite is a serious warning sign that you may be at risk of nutritional deficiencies,” says Nancy Wellman, RD, past president of the American Dietetic Association. If you are skipping meals because you’re not hungry, talk to your doctor or nutritionist.
8 – Poor skin integrity: How is your skin looking these days? Rashes, itching, soreness, and cracking of the skin may be a sign of a number of vitamin deficiencies. Colette’s skin was very tight and thin when she first came to us. It was as if her body was struggling hard to keep all her insides covered over completely with the miracle of skin. Skin is our protective layer and the largest organ of our body. Sweat glands found in the skin help to regulate our body’s temperature. The skin actually synthesizes and stores Vitamin D from the sun. It is an important detoxification system organ. The skin also has the ability to absorb nutrients. Did you know that soaking in a bath of Epsom salts helps your body to absorb magnesium? In the same vein, the skin also absorbs toxins. We really need to be careful to the type of personal care products, laundry products, cleaning products, etc. that we use because the poisons in them can enter our bodies through our skin.
9- Headaches: I don’t know if Colette suffered from headaches as a little one, but she sure had a lot of headaches when she was on her prescription for ADHD. The headaches were very debilitating for her. Probably one of the most common symptoms for us today that indicate we are in need of better nutrition is that of headaches. Of course, headaches can be the result of our lifestyle too, with things like stress, overwork, not enough sleep, hours in front of a computer screen, etc. But you also might want to consider improving your nutrition to rid yourself of those chronic headaches. The best approach is a comprehensive, natural, high-quality multi-vitamin/mineral so that you are giving your body the whole matrix of needed vitamins where they can work together. But your nutritionist or doctor might also steer you toward specific needs like Calcium/magnesium, B-Complex, or others. Blood tests can indicate if you’re deficient in specific nutrients.
Conclusion: Inadequate nutrition can be reversed and even its effects can be negated! We saw this happen in our precious Colette. She grew 8 inches in her first year with us. At age 6, she was diagnosed with chronic, active Hepatitis B that she probably got from her birth mother who died when Colette was one week old. We tried Interferon for six months but it didn’t work; her Hepatitis B count skyrocketed when we discontinued the injections. We continued under the watchful care of her pediatric gastroenterologist and she had three liver biopsies to watch how deteriorated her liver had become. Then at age 8, Colette was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and went on medication for that. Our amazing God healed Colette of her Hepatitis B January 2008. The doctor and nurses were astonished. And she has been off of all ADHD medication for more than year – thanks to the quality supplements she is now on. That little 14 lb, 22 month old is now a picture of how God has made the human body to heal itself when given the right nutrients. I think God used a loving, nurturing home to help her too! So that brings me to the point that good health is far more than just physical – it is mental, emotional, and most important of all, spiritual too! In the Bible, III John 2 says “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”
