How Do I Know If I’m Deficient In Vitamins And Minerals?
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How Do You Find Out Which Nutrients Your Body Is Lacking?
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m answering the question, how do i know if I’m deficient in vitamins and minerals?
As a 41 year old dad of two kids, my fitness goals are not just about maintaining a lean physique, 365 days a year.
Let’s be real, even if you are lean and muscular, your key health biomarkers may be telling you a different story, than your physique is.
So in addition to maintaining a lean and muscular physique, all year round, my main focus is ensuring my diet, supplements, and workouts are optimizing my immune system, hormones, and overall health.
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Let’s be real, with everything that is going on in the world today, it is more important now than ever, to ensure you take personal responsibility for your own health.
This includes doing what is necessary to boost and strengthen your immune system, with an optimized diet, supplementation, and workouts.
But here’s the deal.
Are You Wasting Money On Unnecessary Supplements?
Why waste money on vitamin and mineral supplements, if you are actually getting all the necessary nutrients from your diet.
Plus, in some cases, if you’re supplementing too much, it can actually do more harm to your health, than good.
I’ve been supplementing with a greens powder filled with vitamins and minerals every day for over 2 years.
So how do I know that this is worth it and helping me optimize my micronutrient consumption?
How Do I Know If I’m Deficient In Vitamins And Minerals?
Well, the answer is you need a blood test.
But fortunately, this doesn’t mean you have to book a doctors appointment, then wait 30-60 minutes in the doctor’s office with other potentially sick people.
You can now take a micronutrient test in the comfort of your own home.
If you’ve been following my journey over the last couple years, I’ve taken a more data driven approach to my diet and supplementation routine.
I’ve been doing this with the help from today’s video sponsor, LetsGetChecked.
LetsGetChecked is the leader in at-home testing.
As a LetsGetChecked affiliate, we may receive compensation from LetsGetChecked if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
If you’ve seen my recent video post on the best exercises to boost testosterone naturally for men, you saw how I’ve been using LetsGetChecked’s at-home testing service multiple times over the past year.
I use it to continue to test and monitor my testosterone and other key hormones, such as cortisol, from the comfort of my own home.
How To Test For Nutrient Deficiencies At Home
In addition to these hormone tests, I’ve also been using LetsGetChecked’s home micronutrient test to measure my vital nutrient levels and identify any key imbalances with my diet and supplement routine.
I simply order the home test online (use 30% off coupon code: LEAN30), then it literally arrives on my doorstep 2-3 days later in a small discrete package.
Then all you have to do is make a small prick in your finger to collect a small blood sample, then mail it back in the enclosed pre-paid shipping label package to be tested in their lab.
In 2-5 days, you’ll receive a text message and email to login to the LetsGetChecked app, or on their website, to quickly get your micronutrient test results.
If necessary, a nurse can also be available to contact you with a consultation and explain your results over the phone.
To get your own micronutrient test, you can get 30% off your entire order here, using code LEAN30.
What Are Micronutrients?
You may be familiar with the term macronutrients, which simply means protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
The term micronutrients refers to vitamins and minerals, which are the building blocks for good health.
Even if you’re hitting your calorie and macronutrient goals, you could still be malnourished if your diet and supplement routine is deficient in the key essential micronutrients.
This is especially true for people following the SAD, standard American diet, of processed foods, and even people following popular diets that restrict certain foods.
The results from this micronutrient test provides you with specific insights into your diet and supplement routine, and identifies any deficiencies that are essential for your overall health and wellbeing.
Now that you know how it works, let me show you my micronutrient test results.
My 8 Key Micronutrient Test Results
Here were my results from my most recent home micronutrient test.
As you can see, this micronutrient test measures the following 8 key biomarkers:
#1. Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral important for:
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- the functioning of the muscles and nerves
- helping develop a strong heart, bones, and teeth.
Foods high in magnesium include:
- almonds
- spinach
- cashews
- My Magnesium Results: 24.71 ug/ml
- Normal range: 16.0-26.0 ug/ml
#2. Copper
Copper is a mineral that helps:
- maintain a strong immune system
- make connective tissues
- contribute towards brain health
Foods high in copper include:
- My Copper Results: 0.83 ug/ml
- Normal range: 0.64-1.24 ug/ml
#3. Zinc
Zinc is a mineral that helps:
- maintain a strong immune system
- metabolism health
- boost testosterone
Foods high in zinc include:
- My Zinc Results: 1.24 ug/ml
- High range: 0.6-1.2 ug/ml
- Not concerned as I’d rather be just 0.04 ug/ml on the high range rather than being closer to the low “normal” range.
#4. Selenium
Selenium is a mineral important for:
- reproduction
- thyroid gland function
- DNA production
- protecting the body from infection
Foods high in selenium include:
- My Selenium Results: 136.51 ng/ml
- Normal range: 70.0-139 ng/ml
#5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a vitamin important for:
- bone health
- supporting a strong immune system
- overall well-being
Vitamin D comes in two forms:
- Vitamin D2
- supplements derived from plant sources
- fortified food
- Vitamin D3
- supplements derived from animal sources
- made by your skin in response from sunlight
- My Vitamin D Results: 54.5 ng/ml
- Normal range: 30.0-80.0 ng/ml
#6. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is a vitamin important for:
- metabolism in all your cells
- the maintenance of a healthy immune system and nervous system
Foods high in vitamin B12 include:
- clams
- fish
- meat
- poultry
- My Vitamin B12 Results: 641 pg/ml
- Normal range: 232.0-1245.0 pg/ml
#7. Vitamin E (Alpha-Tocopherol)
Vitamin E is a vitamin important for:
- antioxidants which helps protect the cells in your body
- boosting your immune system
- helping to widen blood vessels and prevent clotting
Foods high in vitamin E include:
- sunflower seeds
- almonds and almond butter
- hazelnuts
- pine nuts
- My Vitamin E Results: 18161 ng/ml
- Normal range: 5642.0-19830.0 ng/ml
#8. Vitamin E (Gamma-Tocopherol)
Vitamin E is a vitamin important for:
- antioxidants which helps protect the cells in your body
- boosting your immune system
- helping to widen blood vessels and prevent clotting
Foods high in vitamin E include:
- walnuts
- sesame seeds
- pecans
- pistachios
- pumpkin seeds
- My Vitamin E Results: 744 ng/ml
- Normal range: 0-6000.0 ng/ml
Let’s Be Real
Even though you may think you are following the necessary steps to improve your health, I believe it’s important to get tested.
This helps ensure your body and immune system is actually getting the proper micronutrients to protect your body from illness.
This is why I believe you should consider getting LetsGetChecked’s home micronutrient test.
Now is the time, more than the ever, that you need to start taking personal responsibility for your health and immune system.
Getting a micronutrient test is a great way to get a baseline for where you are today, so you can then follow a plan to get you where you need to go.
You can get 30% off your entire order here, using code LEAN30.
The labs have the highest levels of accreditation and the entire process is HIPAA compliant, meaning your data never shared with anyone.
As always, we appreciate your ongoing support.
Keep Living Lean.
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Question Of The Day:
- Have you ever had a micronutrient test?
- Do you current supplement with a greens powder or multivitamin?
Share your experiences in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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