5 Warning signs that happen when you lack the essential vitamins

Needless to say, a well-balanced and nutritious diet offers heaps of benefits.

On the flip side, a diet that lacks essential vitamins may result in various unpleasant symptoms.

These symptoms are the body’s way of telling you that it badly needs more vitamins.

By recognizing these red flags, you can make the necessary changes to your diet accordingly.

Some of these signs may (or not) have happened already to you, such as brittle nails and hair, bleeding gums, and dandruff.

Those and many others that we will be talking about in a short while, so continue watching.

1. Poor night vision
Insufficient intake of vitamin A is often associated with night blindness, a condition that reduces a person’s ability to see in low light or darkness.

Vitamin A is required to produce rhodopsin, which is a pigment in the retinas that helps you see at night.

What’s even worse is that night-blindness can progress to xerophthalmia, which can damage the cornea and ultimately result in blindness.

Eating more vitamin A-rich foods can help alleviate or avoid these symptoms.

2. Scaly patches and dandruff
Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis are under the same group of skin disorders that affect the areas of the body that produce oil.

Whereas dandruff is mostly just limited to the scalp, seborrheic dermatitis can occur in other places like armpits, upper chest, and face.

While these skin conditions can be due to many factors, a nutrient-deficient diet is one of them.

For example, low blood levels of vitamin B2, B3, and B6 may be contributing factors.

Some foods that can help you combat these conditions are seafood, dairy, meat, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

3. Bleeding gums
Bleeding gums is commonly caused by a harsh tooth brushing method. But sometimes, a diet that lacks vitamin C can also be the culprit.

Vitamin C is essential in immunity and wound healing.

In fact, it also functions as an antioxidant, which helps prevent cell damage.

Luckily, eating enough fresh veggies and fruits is usually enough to ensure that your body gets enough vitamin C.

4. Brittle nails and hair
One of the factors that cause brittle nails and hair is the insufficient levels of biotin or vitamin B7.

This essential vitamin helps your body turn food into energy.

While a deficiency in vitamin B7 is unusual, when it does happen, thinning, brittle, or splitting nails and hair are some of the most evident signs.

If you think you have this symptom, incorporate more biotin-rich foods in your diets such as egg yolks, fish, nuts, broccoli, sweet potatoes, whole grains, and bananas.

5. Canker sores
Do you have lesions in and around your month?

One possible reason for this could be the insufficient intake of certain minerals or vitamins.

Mouth ulcers, otherwise known as canker sores are typically due to deficiencies in B vitamins and iron.

Good sources of iron are dark leafy greens, poultry, fish, meat, seeds, and whole grains.

Adding them to your diet can help ease this particular symptom.

If you experience any of these symptoms, try changing your diet first before going to a doctor.

Let us know your progress by sharing them in the comment section below.