Common Nutritional Deficiencies in Vegetarians

While vegetarians benefit from eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, there are some common nutritional deficiencies that they may need to watch out to keep the diet balanced:

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12 is essential for healthy red blood cell formation and nerve function. Deficiencies can cause fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, neurological changes and poor memory, among other symptoms.

Since the only natural sources of vitamin B-12 are animal products, including meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and milk products, vegetarians can be at a higher risk of becoming deficient in vitamin B-12.

However, they can supplement the vegetarian diet with vitamin B-12 fortified breakfast cereals and some nutritional yeasts.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiencies are more of a concern for vegetarians because many of the foods that are higher in vitamin D are animal products. Luckily, we get most of our vitamin D from the sun. Thus we need to expose more to the sunshine.

Iron

There are two types of iron – the kind we get from eating meat called heme iron and the kind we
get from plant-based sources called non-heme iron. Since vegetarians cannot get any heme iron, while this type of iron is absorbed much more efficiently than non-heme iron, recommendations for vegetarians are 1.8 times more than iron recommendations for non-vegetarians.

Vegetarian-friendly iron sources include some vegetables, nuts, beans, and fortified grain products like breads and cereals.

How to protect our eyes from blue light of smart phones and tablet computers?

When we are in front of computers, tablet devices, phone screens and televisions for a long time, we would be exposed to harmful blue light that can damage to our eyes.

Studies have shown that too much blue light exposure can disrupt our circadian rhythm (our sleep and wake patterns) especially if we are exposed to blue light sources at night, because blue light suppresses melatonin.

Blue light exposure can also cause digital eye strain and eye fatigue, which can lead to blurry vision, difficulty focusing, dry and irritated eyes, headaches, fatigue, neck and back pain because blue light is one of the shortest, most energetic wavelengths of all visible light, so it is more likely to damage our retina.

Here are some tips for blue light protection:

• Limit screen time when not working — grab a book, take a walk, choose device-less activities to limit blue light eye strain.
• Remember to blink when using electronics.
• Set a time for "lights out" for the devices in the evenings.
• Charge the devices in another room — not in the bedroom.
• Limit our screen time before bed.
• Use night-time settings to minimize blue light exposure.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Shift our eyes to look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
• Consider adding supplements with lutein and zeaxanthin to our daily routine.

One of the most effective ways to protect yourself against the damage blue light exposure can cause is to enrich our diet with lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are the only two carotenoids our body selects for protection in the eyes, but our body does not make them naturally. These two carotenoids are in the same family of nutrients as beta-carotene, but they are specifically referred to as macular carotenoids because they are deposited in the retina when consumed.

Lutein and zeaxanthin carry with them a yellow-orange pigmentation, which absorbs blue light. Lutein and zeaxanthin also have potent antioxidant benefits and play a role in protecting your retina from the cumulative damage and oxidative stress that leads to age-related eye concerns.

Cooked spinach is one of the best natural food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, in addition to being found in many green leafy plants and colorful fruits and vegetables.   

Blood pressure of 130 is ‘high,’ - the new guideline

The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and nine other groups redefined high blood pressure as a reading of 130 over 80, down from 140 over 90.

In addition to tightening the definition of high blood pressure, they do away with the old category of “pre-hypertension,” which was defined as a top (systolic) reading of 120 to 139 or a bottom (diastolic) number between 80 and 89.

The new guidelines create categories including “elevated,” “Stage 1 and 2 hypertension,” and “hypertensive crisis”. Normal blood pressure still will be considered 120 over 80.

"We are recognizing that blood pressures that we in the past thought were normal or so-called pre-hypertensive actually placed the patient at significant risk for heart disease and death and disability,” said Robert M. Carey, co-chairman of the group.

“The risk has not changed. What's changed is our recognition of the risk.”

They hope that many found with the early stages of the condition will be able to address it through lifestyle changes such as losing weight, improving their diet, getting more exercise, consuming less alcohol and sodium and lowering stress.

High blood pressure is the leading cause of death worldwide and the second-leading cause of preventable death in the United States, after cigarette smoking. Hypertension leads to cardiovascular disease, strokes, severe kidney disease and other maladies that kill millions every year.

Blood pressure is affected by a wide variety of factors including genetics, age, diet, exercise, stress and other diseases such as diabetes. Men are more likely to have high blood pressure than women and blacks are more likely than whites.

Many people are unaware that they have the condition because there are no symptoms.

BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORY	SYSTOLIC mm Hg (upper number)		DIASTOLIC mm Hg (lower number)
NORMAL	LESS THAN 120	and	LESS THAN 80
ELEVATED	120 – 129	and	LESS THAN 80
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 1	130 – 139	or	80 – 89
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE (HYPERTENSION) STAGE 2	140 OR HIGHER	or	90 OR HIGHER
HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS (consult your doctor immediately)	HIGHER THAN 180	and/or	HIGHER THAN 12

Source: American Heart Association 

The systolic reading refers to the pressure when the heart contracts and sends blood through the arteries. Diastolic pressure is measured when the heart relaxes between beats