It may surprise you to learn that half of all Americans are deficient in Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, beef liver, and some mushrooms, and is essential for healthy bones, immunity, and fighting depression. Reports show that along with a high deficiency in Vitamin D, many Americans tend to be deficient in Vitamin E, B Vitamins, and iron.
Vitamins and minerals are responsible for thousands of metabolic processes in the body and are essential for maintaining good health. Deficiencies show up first as muscle aches, fatigue, low energy levels, and dry skin. However, if left unaddressed, they can eventually lead to deficiency-related diseases and neurological issues.
Low levels of iron, iodine, and B vitamins in particular can leave you extremely fatigued, as they affect thyroid function and metabolism. This can lead to hyperthyroidism and weight gain. Women tend to be more deficient in these nutrients, which can be found in fish, seaweed, and liver.
You may be losing vital nutrients if you wear your body down day in and day out in the gym. Strenuous exercise causes oxidative stress and tissue damage on the body and nutrients are excreted through our sweat during grueling WODs. If you are in a caloric deficit, you may also be at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as your daily intake tends to contain less variety and less macronutrients and calories in general.
So, how can you ensure you are getting those daily recommended amounts consistently?
Vitamins and minerals are absorbed through the food we eat like nutrient rich fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, whole grains, nuts and free range meats. However, even when prioritizing whole foods, we still may not be consuming enough of our recommended amounts.
This is due to a few reasons.
Despite having an abundance of calorically dense food in America, our foods are often lacking in nutritional density. While we only need “trace” amounts of some minerals in our diets, you may be surprised to hear that most foods tend to be lacking in these micronutrients.
Over the years, overfarming of our topsoil has depleted the ground of essential nutrients we should be getting in our foods.
To add to this, our animal products are often being fed corn diets. When cows or chickens are raised range free, they’re able to consume a wide range of nutrients. When they’re fed corn, a less nutritionally dense food, we are in turn consuming less nutritionally dense meat from these animals.
Transport time also causes nutrient loss. Since it’s possible to find almost any fruit or vegetable year-round in the store, this requires picking prior to peak ripeness, cutting off its source of nutrients. This time spent in transport to get to your local grocery store causes fresh produce to not have the full amount of micronutrients they would have if picked at the proper time of ripeness. A simple solution is choosing frozen fruits and veggies. Not only are they convenient and oftentimes more cost effective, frozen fruit and veggies actually contain more nutrients as they have been allowed the time to fully ripen before being flash frozen.
It’s important to make the most informed dietary decisions to ensure you’re getting adequate vitamins and minerals, but the easiest way to fill the nutritional gaps is by supplementing with a quality trace mineral complex. Mastering your micronutrient not only supports basic metabolic function and wellbeing, but it allows you to better digest and absorb anything else you consume, whether food or supplements.
Not all multivitamins are the same, however. It’s important to inspect labels and ensure they come from a third-party test source and provide close to 100% of daily values of essential vitamins.
We’ve packed HIS/HERS with essential nutrients, tailored to optimize performance, support muscle growth, and enhance your overall well-being. Driven’s Full Spectrum Multivitamins have been specifically crafted for active men and women.
Our HERS blend has been crafted to boost female vitality with metabolic and mood support. Green tea extract and lemon balm were added to ensure stable mood and energy levels, along with bioperine and cranberry extract to regulate blood sugars and inflammation.
Our HIS blend has been crafted to support prostate health, metabolism, and vitality. Pygeum extract, silica, and boron were added to promote healthy bones, metabolism, and testosterone production, along with bioperine and nettle powder for inflammation.
Our immunity complex of Vitamins D3, K2, C, and zinc contains a whopping 2500 IUs of Vitamin D, compared to the usual 400-800 IUs in most box brands, and includes Vitamin K2 to enhance the absorption of Vitamin D3.
Protect yourself against fatigue, illnesses, and vitamin deficiencies all year round with Driven’s Full Spectrum Multivitamins.
Blumberg, Jeffrey B et al. “Impact of Frequency of Multi-Vitamin/Multi-Mineral Supplement Intake on Nutritional Adequacy and Nutrient Deficiencies in U.S. Adults.” Nutrients vol. 9,8 849. 9 Aug. 2017, doi:10.3390/nu9080849
Luo, Juhua et al. “Association of Iodine and Iron with Thyroid Function.” Biological trace element research vol. 179,1 (2017): 38-44. doi:10.1007/s12011-017-0954-x
Davis, Donald R et al. “Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition vol. 23,6 (2004): 669-82. doi:10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409
