Cut calories. Cut calories. Cut calories.
I’m always harping on it. Cut calories and you’ll lose weight.
But cutting calories can also lead to cutting other important nutrients.
And nutritionists, in general, tend to push it to the side. The reality is that when people drop body weight, regardless of nutrient deficiency, they probably feel better.
It’s why people that are on super strict, hardcore diets feel so much better.
Seriously, I once had a dude that literally only ate fruit for over a year.
Don’t do that.
The reality is that being strict with any meal plan that calls for cutting out specific food groups will lead to some sort of deficiency.
Whether it’s fiber, iron, protein, healthy fats, or even water, most people are deficient in something.
If you’re feeling sluggish, tired, or just off, it might be what you are not putting in your body versus what you are.
Here’s 4 common deficiencies and what you might want to focus on to bring it up:
Water
3 out of 4 Americans are operating on some sort of dehydration in their day to day. We’re just awesome at adapting and compensating, so you might not even realize it. Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, poor digestion, even joint discomfort!
Don’t wait to be thirsty to start drinking water. Try starting your day by downing a glass to replenish the water you lose while sleeping. This one’s for my mouth breathers/snorers out there.
We actually get a ton of our daily hyrdation through food! Try focusing on fruits and veggies to help stay hydrated. You can probably guess the ones: cucumbers, watermelon, leady greens.
Micronutrients
This just covers all the vitamins and minerals we should be getting every day and there’s a bunch. How to beat it? Well, eat more whole unprocessed foods… Blah Blah Blah; maybe just start with a multivitamin and some sunlight.
Protein
Protein awareness is on the rise! The problem is that it’s being misrepresented in fatty snacks and carby bars.
Damn billion dollar food marketing.
For macronutrient purposes, to be considered a protein we want 1 gram of protein per 10 calories. So if you favorite protein bar has 16 grams of protein but drags 220 calories with it, you’re might as well get the Snickers bar you really want anyway. Most protein bars prioritize taste over protein supplementation.
Healthy Fats
DHA, EPA, Omega-6, nearly 9 out of 10 Americans are deficient in healthy fats.
This again would be most resolving by focusing on a diet of diverse whole unprocessed foods. Try adding more fish and walnuts to your diet and if you’re in the give me the damn multivitamin camp, a high quality fish oil or algae oil will suffice.
Nutrient Deficiency Take Aways
You don’t need to blow up the Amazon cart with One A Days, fish oils, and a Stanley mug. Just try focusing on one at a time, when you feel like you’ve got it, roll to the next one.
There’s water in Monster energy right?
Asking for a friend,
Jesse
P.S.
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