Dietitian Andy De Santis
Today, we have something a little extra for you. We've got Andy De Santis who has not only been featured in places such as Fashion, The dietitian connection, and CTVS talk show "the Social", he has 11 different books focusing on things such as type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.
In our interview, we spoke about how we can utilize nutrition to help you promote healthier joints, reduce the likelihood of cognitive decline later in life, and how you can filter through the noise you see on social media which has made it more confusing than ever for people like you to know what to eat, and when. All of this and more in this episode of the aging grace.
Vitamin Deficiency Versus Inadequacy
Nutrition can play a large role when it comes to how we age. In fact, there was a stat that said "92% of individuals have some sort of vitamin or mineral inadequacy". First of all though, we need to know what the difference between vitamin inadequacy versus vitamin deficiency actually is.
A vitamin deficiency is when you're so low in a particular vitamin, that you're experiencing clinical symptoms.
A vitamin inadequacy on the other hand is when you're consumption of a particular vitamin is lower than the recommended amounts.
Being inadequate in a certain vitamin or mineral may not seem like a big deal now, but down the road it can have large implications in your health.
Andy says "it is a big deal, but the statistic is a little misleader. Vitamin D is one of the most common deficiencies because it's really only found in things like fish or trace amounts in other foods. It's a little misleading because so many people are deficient in vitamin d but may otherwise, have a great diet. I'm not saying that's the case, but it's something that could skew that statistic a bit".
Vitamin D In Your Diet
"If you're short in a particular nutrient, that's a very good sign that there's a lack of balance in your diet" Says Andy. There's costs to that over time. While being inadequate in a certain nutrient may not be crucial in the moment, over time it can have a large effect and it tells us the overall quality of your diet.
With such a large percentage of the population being low in vitamin D, let's talk about what Vitamin D actually does.
Andy: Vitamin D is a big one. We're learning almost weekly or daily about the roles it has in the body. For sure we know that it has implications with bone health, muscle health, immune health. A lot of studies show that those who have sufficient vitamin D have healthier gut microbiomes, inflammation. The list goes on and on.
Andy: If someone is low in vitamin D, when they improve that - they may find it improves conditions such as fatty liver disease, eczema, and so on. So yeah, it matters. Vitamin D is also a funny one because it's mostly found in fatty fish such as sardines, salmon, trout, mackerel - which people don't eat all that often. Overall it's very hard to get enough vitamin D through your diet.
Vitamin D And The Sun
When it comes to getting vitamin D from the sun, it's tricky because there are so many layers there. Andy says "people may synthesis Vitamin D in different ways" but it's a tricky question because there's so many different aspects to consider and think about. Going outside for 20-30 minutes in sunlight without sunscreen is one way but then you have to take into considered the UV rays and that adds a whole different component to think about. That's what makes getting sufficient Vitamin D a tough topic without talking supplementation.
Common Vitamin Inadequacies For Individuals Over 40
Some of the more common inadequacies include things such as magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin d. Andy mentioned that "if I were to pluck the average person off the street, these would be the nutrients that are most likely to be under consumed". Some things such as magnesium are found in certain founds, and vitamin A or D may be found in different foods. But the good thing about nutrition is that there is often some overlap. For example, dark leafy greens are high in both magnesium and vitamin A. It makes it very difficult for the average person though because they need to be proactive in learning these things in order to really allow themselves the best chance at creating a well rounded diet.
Why Are So Many Suffering From Nutrient Inadequacy?
Andy: It's a couple things. First, to be adequate in every vitamin and mineral you need to have balance and a robust diet combined with a decent understanding about what you're doing. It's not easy. Just like it's not easy to perform at a high level in athletics, it's not easy to perform at a high level with someones nutrition. It takes time:
Andy: The second thing is that there's a lot of confusion, in part to social media about the role certain foods should be playing. I'll use magnesium as an example. It's found mostly in fish, dark chocolate, whole grains, nuts and sees, and legumes. You can find some influential person on social media who says something bad about one or more of those foods. They all have room for controversy in modern nutrition (not in my approach) but you will find someone who says something bad about these foods. If you get too caught up in the negative messaging on social media about certain foods, it could cause you to think that you shouldn't eat these foods and you would be missing out on entire groups of nutrients that we need to function healthily, as well as opening your risk to be short in certain nutrients.
Conclusion
While this is just a tiny tidbit from the 30 minute conversation we had with registered dietitian, Andy De Santis; If you'd like to listen to the entire episode, click here!
