Western nutrient deficiency: Can we fix it?
We’ve all heard of the standard Western diet haven’t we? It’s basically a better way of saying “worst diet in the world”. Now with that in mind, I think we need to address Western nutrient deficiency.
Being the worst diet in the world is obviously going to throw up some negative effects, chiefly nutrient deficiency in basically 100% of its followers.
This article aims to educate you on what exactly nutrient deficiency is, why it’s so important and why the Western diet is such a big bloody bugger when it comes to it.
Oh – and how you can fix it lol.
NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY
Our bodies require a host of vitamins and minerals to simply live day-to-day. They need a whole lot more if they are to flourish and perform at the highest level possible.
Nutrient deficiency basically comes about because we are either not giving our body enough food (thus not enough nutrients) or our body has trouble absorbing nutrients, which is a topic for a whole other article.
WESTERN NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY
How many times have you heard Standard Western Diet, Standard American Diet or Western Pattern Diet? My guess is a lot – usually accompanied by ’cause of X, Y or Z disease’.
They are all the same thing, but just under different names, don’t be fooled into thinking they’re any different.
Anyway, Western nutrient deficiency is a different kettle of fish to your standard nutrient deficiencies brought about by lack of available foods or poor food selection.
You see, we literally have access to any food we want in the West. We are the luckiest humans to have ever existed and yet we choose to stuff our bodies full of garbage. I’m not here to preach though, I’ve been guilty of that late night Ben & Jerry’s splurge – 3 times a week – for the past year.
But I am here to enlighten my fellow shite-eaters. We can improve ourselves – and it all starts with addressing our deficiencies.
Western nutrient deficiencies come about not because we aren’t eating sufficient calories, but because the quality of those calories is equivalent to stuffing a deep fried pile of cow pat in our mouths.
Highly refined, processed food is killing us. It may be tasty (so, so tasty) but it’s depriving our hot sexy bods of what they really need – nutrients.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
So, what exactly can we do about this lack of nutrient(s) in our diets then?
FOOD
Let’s keep this one simple. If you want to address nutrient deficiency then your food intake is the biggest thing you need to address. Here’s a simple list of food-related things you can do;
Cut out overly-processed foods (ice cream, sweets, ready meals, etc).
Add in more fruits and veggies (packs of frozen veg are really easy to throw in with meals).
Cook at least one meal a day.
Prep your meals in advance.
That was easy wasn’t it? It really is as simple as that. Just add in more quality and subtract more processed stuff.
DRINK
This is another easy one. You want to be drinking only water, coffee or tea – mostly water. Smoothies and juices are okay in moderation but I tend to avoid them nowadays unless it’s right before or after a workout.
Anyway, here’s a quick list to make your life a whole lot easier.
Cut out sugary drinks (Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull, etc).
Limit caffeine (Coffee & tea).
Drink at least 2 litres of water a day.
Literally those 3 things will help you immeasurably in your quest to become a less nutrient deficient zombie so make sure you do ’em!
LIFESTYLE
Your lifestyle is such an important factor too, those who lead sedentary lifestyles and are alway indoors tend to get sick more often and develop nutrient deficiencies on the reg.
Here’s another lovely list.
Get 10,000+ steps every day.
Get out in the fresh air for at least an hour per day.
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day (weights, running, walking, sports – anything…)
Sleep at the very least, 7 hour per day. 8 or 9 is optimal.
Try to de-stress (meditation is your best option).
Those lifestyle factors will help you so much when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and bust those deficiencies. They’re all pretty easy to do too so it shouldn’t take long to implement these habits.
SUPPLEMENTS
Now, the supplements.
As we all know, the clue is in the name…supplements should be there to supplement your diet. But let’s be honest, none of us are these perfect machines that can eat the perfect diet day in day out are we.
That is why a good old multivitamin is perfect for the majority of people.
Most multis however, are a load of excrement. They are packed with fillers and subpar dosages, leading to basically no results.
There is one brand that I swear by when it comes to multivitamins though and that is Vitabiotics. Their Wellman range is off the charts effective and always gives me loads of energy. It’s also packed with nutrients that help to fight deficiencies, fatigue and basically anything else that’s related to vitamins and minerals.
They sent me over some of their Wellman Max again but this time, I’ve paired it with their Neurozan brain multivitamin, Ultra Ginkgo & Ginseng and their Wellman energy tablets for the ultimate nutrient boost.
Obviously you don’t have to go as ham as I have but if you really want to boost your performance both physically and mentally then this is the way to go.
Using adaptogenic herbs such as Ginkgo and Ginseng can be very beneficial for nutrient retention and energy levels and is something I’ve actually talked about in great depth in my book – link here if you fancy a gander.
Anyway, if your food, drink and lifestyle factors are all dialled in and you want to take things up a notch then invest in some top quality multivitamins. It won’t break the bank but it may just give you the boost you’re after. You can check out the entire wellman range here.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO FIX?
This is kinda complex but I’ll make it as simple as poss for you.
Depending on how bad your deficiency was and how solid your new approach is, you’re looking at something between 2-12 weeks.
If you completely overhaul your diet, take the best supplements money can buy and cut out 90% of the processed garbage you were consuming beforehand, you’re likely going to be looking at closer to a fortnight but if you want to take a less drastic approach and focus on improving one thing at a time then you’re gonna be closer to 12 weeks.
This is how happy you can be if you sort your nutrient deficiencies. Foliage is not optional…
Simple that wasn’t it?
But remember, this change is for life, so 10 weeks difference in the grand scheme of things isn’t a big deal. If you find it easier to do it in bite sized chunks then you do you – you’ll get there eventually and you will have formed a strong, healthy habit that’ll help you live a long, long time.
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