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Your body may not get all the nutrients it needs, especially if your gut isn’t in its best state. New York-based registered dietitian Tamara Duker Freuman shares that a common nutrition concern among many Americans is that their bodies are not absorbing nutrients properly. Freuman explains that nutrient malabsorption is common among people with inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac diseases, pancreatic insufficiency, and gastrointestinal conditions.
But even if you don’t have these conditions, your lifestyle habits and dietary practices can also affect how your body absorbs nutrients. To improve your gut health and which also affects your brain health and immunity (ability to fight chronic and acute inflammation and infection), you need to watch out for these five common mistakes that can affect your ability to absorb nutrients:
Low fiber intake
Fiber is one of the most important macronutrients for optimal gut health. Unfortunately, many people fail to incorporate this macronutrient into their meals because they’re cutting down their carbohydrate intake.
Our article on the ‘8 Tips to Improve and Maintain Your Gut Health’ stresses that people must consume this non-digestible product of carbohydrates to be able to absorb nutrients properly. Fiber plays a significant role in supporting better digestion, which is why you need to eat healthy sources of carbohydrates and fiber, like bananas, sweet potatoes, and lentils.
Unbalanced vegan diets
Vegan diets are quite trendy, especially among women. Many people have made the switch to fully plant-based meals to improve their health, lose excess weight, and protect the planet.
Though plant-based diets have many benefits, ScienceAlert warns that around 28% of vegans have one or more nutrient deficiencies. Most plant-based diets don’t have high levels of essential nutrients, thus affecting vegans’ ability to absorb nutrients. To boost your health, you can pair certain nutrients to increase their absorption in your body. For instance, vitamin C can increase your absorption of iron, while vitamin B12 can be better absorbed if it’s taken during meals.
Restrictive eating habits
Many people who try to lose weight fall into the trap of restrictive diets. These food plans often omit fat and other substances, not knowing that these restrictions can negatively impact one’s nutrient absorption.
The good news is that you don’t have to stop eating fats and other types of food to lose weight. The science-based weight loss plans for men on WeightWatchers demonstrate how people can hit their health goals by balancing their favorite food with healthy food choices. Unlike fad diets, nutritionist-designed meal plans give you total freedom in what you eat to ensure you don’t miss out on nutrients your body may need.
High alcohol consumption
Excess consumption of food and drinks can also be bad for your health. This is especially true when it comes to high alcohol consumption because it can interfere with the nutrition process.
Verywell Mind shares that alcohol inhibits the breakdown of nutrients by altering the transport, storage, and excretion of nutrients within your body. Alcohol also damages the cell lining in your stomach and intestines. Over time, excess alcohol consumption can experience nutritional deficiencies due to the altered cell lining in the small intestine.
Chronic stress
Stress may seem unrelated to your gut health. However, chronic stress can take a toll on your body and alter its ability to take in nutrients.
Chronic stress signals your body to raise its metabolic needs and speed up the use and secretion of nutrients. This effect is due to the heightened adrenal gland function, which causes your body to consume more magnesium, B vitamins, and vitamin C over time. So apart from paying attention to your food, it’s critical to practice stress management techniques like meditation and exercise on a daily basis.
Are you guilty of making these mistakes? Now that you know their negative effects, you need to boost your health by eating a well-balanced diet and practicing better self-care.
Article contributed by Regina Jordan
Exclusively for
