Cure Tiredness by Addressing Six Simple Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies aren't unique to third world countries. Right here in the United States most Americans are missing large quantities of important nutrients in their daily diets. The result is an overwhelming range of symptoms from fatigue to mood swings to obesity. But you can cure tiredness, stabilize your emotional roller coaster, and get on the right track toward living a physically fit life, just by adding these six nutrients to your daily diet.

Nutritional Deficiency 1: Zinc

Zinc is a very important nutrient in your body, yet as many as half of American's lack enough in their diets. Some of the problems you might see if you aren't getting and storing zinc in your body are: loss of appetite, lethargy, low immune system, higher cholesterol, loss of hair, acne, poor wound healing, body odor and excessive fatigue.

Foods high in zinc: beef, lamb, pork, crabmeat, turkey, chicken, lobster, clams salmon, milk and cheese, yeast, peanuts, beans, wholegrain cereals, brown rice, whole wheat bread, potato, yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

Nutritional Deficiency 2: Magnesium

Often packaged with Zinc in vitamins, magnesium is also a very common nutritional deficiency. The average American diet contains barely over half the recommended daily allowance of magnesium. People suffering from low magnesium can have high blood pressure, diabetes, fibromyalgia, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, twitches, headaches and heart problems.

Foods high in magnesium: nearly all kinds of beans, barely, oat bran, brown rice, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, fish such as halibut and tuna, artichokes, banana, figs, peas, pumpkin seeds, okra, lentils, parsnips, broccoli, sweet potatoes and summer squash.

Nutritional Deficiency 3: Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to auto immune diseases, cancer, diarrhea, insomnia, fatigue, nervousness, osteoporosis, an inability to fully utilize calcium, and weight gain. Taking all the calcium in the world may not help you if you're vitamin D deficient.

Foods high in vitamin D: fish oil, cod liver oil, herring, catfish, mollusks, salmon, halibut, certain trout, soymilk, milk, mushrooms, certain dry cereals (look at high bran cereals), yogurt, orange juice fortified with vitamin D, eggs and cheese.

Nutritional Deficiency 4: Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3 Fatty Acids have been making the news quite frequently lately, as Americans are waking up to the importance of this vital nutrient. Without Omega 3 Fatty Acids you can experience diarrhea, dry skin and hair, fatigue, depression, acne and eczema on the minor end of the scale. More majorly you can see poor wound healing, infertility, poor immune systems, gall stones, liver degeneration and in women, premenstrual syndrome.

Foods high in Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Flax seed oil, flaxseeds, walnuts, wild caught salmon, cooked soybeans, halibut, shrimp, tofu, snapper, scallops and winter squash.

Nutritional Deficiency 5: Vitamin E

Vitamin E deficiency is slightly less common than the previous deficiencies, but not to be ignored. Without sufficient vitamin E you can expose yourself to neurological disturbances such as poor reflexes and loss of vibration sense as well as shortened red blood cell life, digestive problems, gallbladder problems, prostate cancer, Alzheimer's disease, fatigue and lethargy. Plus, vitamin E is an important nutrient to aid in the healing and elasticity of the skin. Those who lack vitamin E may be more likely to scar after acne, surgery or other wound.

Foods high in vitamin E: Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, almonds, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, peanut butter, oils such as vegetable, almond oil, and sunflower oil, hazelnuts or filberts and olives.

Deficiency 6: Antioxidants

Antioxidants aren't actually a nutritional deficiency, because your body can produce them. When your body doesn't produce enough, you become deficient and nutritional changes can supplement where your body is lacking. Antioxidants have been the center of conversation in healthy circles for a few years now, which increase the amount of oxygen in the blood. But there is more that antioxidants can do for you, including reducing the free radicals in the body and by doing so, addressing one of the primary causes of fatigue. Antioxidants can be found in certain foods as well as nutritional supplements. It's the job of antioxidants to neutralize free radicals that can harm our cells. Poor diet, smoking and pollution can all reduce the amount of antioxidants your body can produce.

Foods that contain antioxidants: blueberries, pomegranates, black and green teas, citrus fruits, carrots and tomatoes oregano, grapefruit seed extract and nutritional supplements such as Protandim.

Adding these six simple items to your diet will make a huge dent to cure tiredness. You also may have noticed that a lot of recommended foots were on more than one list. That should make it easier to add some of those foods to your diet.