Nutrient Check
- If possible, get blood tests to see where your vitamins/minerals stand.
- If blood tests are too pricy → use a symptom-based checklist to decide which nutrients to focus on.
🧾 Symptom-Based Nutrient Checklist
Step 1: Read through the symptoms. If you recognize several under one nutrient, it may be worth testing.
Step 2: If symptoms overlap across nutrients → test both. (Many deficiencies interact.)
🔹 Iron
- Fatigue, weakness, dizziness
- Pale skin, brittle nails
- Shortness of breath
- Craving ice or non-food items (pica)
- Restless legs, headaches
🔹 Vitamin B12
- Tingling/numbness in hands or feet
- Fatigue, weakness
- Memory issues, poor focus
- Mood changes (irritability, depression)
- Smooth, sore tongue
🔹 Folate (B9)
- Fatigue, low mood
- Mouth sores, swollen tongue
- Irritability
- Poor appetite
- Slow wound healing
🔹 Vitamin D
- Frequent colds or infections
- Muscle weakness, bone pain
- Low mood (especially winter blues)
- Poor healing after injury
- Hair loss
🔹 Calcium / Magnesium
- Muscle cramps or spasms
- Numbness/tingling
- Sleep difficulties
- Anxiety, restlessness
- Weak/brittle nails
🔹 Zinc
- Poor wound healing
- Frequent colds
- Loss of taste or smell
- Hair thinning
- White spots on nails
🔹 Iodine
- Feeling cold often
- Fatigue, sluggishness
- Dry skin, thinning hair
- Swelling in neck (goiter)
- Unexplained weight gain or difficulty losing weight
🔹 Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Dry skin, brittle nails, dry hair
- Joint stiffness or pain
- Low mood or brain fog
- Poor memory or concentration
- Eye dryness
🔹 Potassium
- Muscle weakness or cramps
- Constipation
- Irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
- Fatigue
- Tingling or numbness
🔹 Protein
- Loss of muscle tone, weakness
- Slow recovery after exercise
- Hair thinning
- Swelling in ankles or feet
- Frequent cravings
✅ What to do next
- If you notice several symptoms under one nutrient → consider testing that nutrient.
- If tests aren’t possible → focus on naturally boosting that nutrient with whole foods or get a good plant-based supplement, then reassess symptoms.
I will also create a food sources cheat sheet (best plant-based foods for each nutrient) so you immediately know where to start if you find red flags.