Could that lingering tiredness and those frequent headaches be due to a dietary deficiency?
Nel Staveley booked in for a test - and the results were surprising
Some vitamin deficiencies that, for want of a better word, are more 'popular' than others.
Take, say, vitamin D deficiency; the celebrity of vitamin deficiencies, the one we all know about after a range of alarmist headlines about falling levels of outdoor activity and rising levels of rickets.
But that doesn't mean it, and similarly well-known deficiencies like low iron (anaemia), are the only ones we should know about.
"There's a big trend showing some nutrient intakes are getting worse," explains Keri Filtness, a nutritionist from Nature's Best (www.naturesbest.co.uk).
Yes, there's the "resurgence of vitamin D deficiency", but there's also "a particularly marked rise in magnesium and omega-3 deficiencies - the new vitamin D, really", Filtness notes.
So even if you've never heard of these possible nutritional shortfalls before, you soon will - just like I did, when I found myself talking to Filtness about the results of a vitamin-deficiency test I'd had done, at Harley Street's Biolab.
It was a simple enough process, just like a normal blood test, and a couple of weeks later, your analysis is ready. To be honest, I expected the results to be equally as simple, and my reasoning went something like: I eat a generally healthy diet, but I am often tired and could add in bit more red meat, so I'm probably anaemic. It's winter too, not much sun, so let's throw in vitamin D too.
But actually, my iron levels were fine. So is my vitamin D.
"It's your omega-3 fatty acid levels that are very low," says Filtness. "And your magnesium."
So the good news is, I'm forward-thinking and embracing this brand new deficiency trend. But the bad news is, with low omega 3, I could potentially be putting myself at increased risk of heart disease... "Omega 3 is crucial in keeping your heart health," explains Filtness. "There needs to be a ratio with omega 6 - omega 3 needs to be at 4% to be cardio protected. Yours is 3%."
And the low magnesium levels leave me vulnerable to (among other things) depression, insomnia, nausea and muscle spasms.
Whichever way you look at it, it's not a great list (especially when you add on that I'm also low in vitamin B2, upping my chances of lethargy and migraines).
So the only thing to do is look at it as a to-do list that needs to be ticked off.
"You can get your omega 3 levels up by eating more oily fish. Without a doubt, that's the best way, but many people aren't meeting their quota of one to two portions a week."
As for magnesium, I need to up my intake of green leafy veg and wholegrains, and for vitamin B2 it's more wholegrain cereals, cottage cheese and yoghurts.
Other minor deficiencies are relatively easy to fix with a better diet too - for low vitamin D, it'd be more dairy, mushrooms and eggs on the menu, while for low iron, more spinach and red meat, and for omega 6; nuts, seeds and ever more oily fish.
But of course, it's not just about 'curing' them once the deficiency is there - what about good old-fashioned prevention? Is there anything we can do to stop getting so low in the first place?
"The trouble is, there is a lot of conflicting advice," says Filtness. "Say with vitamin D, there's a lot written about it and a lot of advice about how long you should spend out in the sun without SPF cream."
There's also, conversely, a danger that a lot of vitamin deficiencies are caused by us thinking we're making them better.
"There's a danger of relying on a supplement, instead of improving your diet," says Filtness. "I often get emails saying, 'I know my diet is bad, so what supplement can I take to balance it out?'
"The answer is, you should always change your diet first, as a long-term solution, and not assume vitamin supplements are a licence to eat how you want. There will be important nutritional compounds in food that haven't even been discovered yet, and you won't get those just from supplements."
Other things Filtness stresses are crucial to help prevent dietary deficiencies is the well-worn shout of 'more fruit and veg'.
"People need to meet the target of at least five a day, if not seven. If it's five, two should be fruit, and three veg. Plants contain endless vitamins and minerals, plus the crucial antioxidants," she says.
And if in doubt, or if you're experiencing ongoing symptoms that don't seem to have any other explanation, you might want to consider getting a test done, or speaking with your GP or nurse as a starting point - advice is out there if you're unsure.
A full blood test at Biolab (www.biolab.co.uk) checking fatty acid, B vitamins, magnesium, iron, vitamin D costs £227. Individual tests from £15.
Nature's Best is one of the UK's leading direct suppliers of top quality nutritional supplements. They offer free expert nutritional advice on 01892 552 175 or visit www.naturesbest.co.uk.
TRIED AND TESTED
3 of the best - new trainers for 2015
Give those fitness efforts a step in the right direction and treat your feet to a new pair of workout shoes. Here are our three top picks of the newest releases.
Saucony Triumph ISO, £125 (www.saucony.co.uk)
Promising 20% more cushioning than previous versions and a 'sock-like' feel, thanks to the ISOFIT uppers which morph to the shape of your feet, these Sauconys certainly sound comfortable - and they definitely feel it too. They're supremely soft, and really do rapidly mould to my feet so there's barely any rubbing, and trainer and foot move as one. At 225g, they're super-lightweight and possibly the most cushioned trainer I've tried; like trotting through cloud. Suitable for road and track surfaces and not waterproof. (Review by Abi Jackson)
Asics GEL-Sonoma Women's Trail Running Shoes, £68 (www.gooutdoors.co.uk)
There isn't anything quite as mundane as plodding along the pavement but you can easily liven things up by going off-road. You just need to make sure your shoes provide the right support and traction and you can't go wrong with these. The team at Asics has come up with a trainer that cushions against shock so they feel snug, supportive and soft beneath the entire foot. The high abrasion resistant rubber makes it hardwearing so you can run over rough terrain without fear of wear and tear. And the purple and yellow design looks great too. (Review by Susan Griffin)
Adidas Ultra BOOST trainer, £130, (www.adidas.co.uk) (available from February 11)
Promising to be 'the greatest running shoe ever' is quite a big claim, but, actually, it's quite a well-founded one. The new Adidas Ultra Boost has 100% of its midsole made from the brand's 'revolutionary BOOST foam' (its earlier version, the Energy BOOST was made of 80%), which means greater 'energy return' (or the ability to plod on a bit longer, to you and I). And incredibly, it works: my normal run instantly feels easier, quicker and less tiring (I even went an extra couple of km without even thinking about it), with the added bonus of no awkward 'wearing in' that you often get with new trainers - these are brilliantly comfortable and I was quite reluctant to take them off. A seriously good pair of running shoes.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article