Laurann O'Reilly: How to improve your absorption of vitamins and minerals

Many of us make a huge effort to eat well and fit nutritious and healthy foods into our diets, but did you know that there are certain things that may impair and others that may enhance the absorption of our very important vitamins and minerals.

Here, nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of nutrition by Laurann, guides us through how to get the best out of our diets and improve our absorption and regulation of these important nutrients.

What Can Impair Our Absorption

Caffeine: Can impair the absorption of nutrients in your body such as calcium, iron and zinc. A recent report published in April by the FSAI, which looks at the nutrition recommendations for individuals over the age of 65 recommends that “strong tea should only be consumed between meals and not during meals” as it interferes with the absorption of the above nutrients.

Tips: 1) Avoid having caffeinated products close to meals, 2) If you drink coffee and take nutrition supplements such as multivitamins, it may be worth taking them in the evening instead.

Alcohol: Research has found that alcohol not only impairs nutrient absorption by damaging the cell lining of the stomach and intestines but can also impair the transport of some nutrients into the blood, such as Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B12, folic acid, and zinc.

-Stress: Stress can have a huge impact on our digestion, such as affecting our hormone production, changing blood flow to our digestive tract, as well as interfering with our hunger and cravings. Tip: Find the stress relieving technique that suits you whether it’s gentle exercise such as walking/yoga, cardio exercise, breathing techniques or whatever suits you.

Signs Of Nutrient Malabsorption

Brittle Hair and Nails: Your hair and nails can often provide signs that your body isn’t getting adequate nutrition and may indicate nutrient deficiency such as iron, selenium, zinc, Vitamins A, D, E, B3 (niacin), B7 (biotin), folic acid, fatty acids and protein.

-Low Energy/Fatigue: Feeling tired even after many nights of full sleep, can often indicate poor absorption of several nutrients for example low iron, Vitamin B12 and magnesium. It can even be as a result not getting enough energy in your diet. Please note energy related issues may also have other causes and if you are concerned you can speak with your local pharmacist or GP.

Rapid Weight Loss: Whilst many of us are often trying to achieve weight loss, losing weight too quickly, or unexplained weight loss may be a symptom of nutrient deficiency. This may often be accompanied with fatigue. Please note if this persists, contact your GP immediately.

Changes in Menstrual Cycle: For ladies unexpected changes in periods can be caused by malabsorption and by inadequate calorie intake. Whilst changes, such as flow strength, length, or even missed periods may be linked to natural female processes it may be worth contacting your GP who can provide you with advice and support.

-Bloating, Gas & Digestive Issues: Poor digestion can happen for a number of reasons such as stress and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food intolerances.

Bloating, gas, tummy pain and loose stools can often be a sign of poor nutrient intake. Please note should these symptoms persist please contact your GP or feel free to contact me for information (see contact details below).

Stool Consistency: Many may not be comfortable discussing this, but your bowel movements and stool consistency (as mentioned above) can be important indicators of your nutrient absorption.

Diarrohea in particular may indicate a deficiency, but also be aware of stools that are unusual in odour and light in colour. If you have experienced any of the above symptoms for a prolonged period, please contact your GP.

What Can Improve Our Absorption

Vitamin C & Iron Absorption: Not only is Vitamin C a powerful anti-oxidant (protecting our cells against damage), it also plays an important role in aiding the absorption of iron in our bodies (which is needed for us to transport oxygen around our cells).

Sources: Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits (such as oranges, lime and lemons), strawberry, papaya, mango, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, peppers, strawberries and broccoli. Whilst food should always be your preferred source of Vitamin C, it’s also available in supplement form in your local pharmacy or health store.

Vitamin D & Calcium Absorption: Vitamin D is an essential nutrient and critical for the development and normal functioning of many organs in the body. Whilst it has multiple roles, Vitamin D very importantly is required for the absorption of Calcium in our bodies.

Sources: Include Sunshine) Known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’ we traditionally make Vitamin D by exposing our skin to sunlight, however as our quality of sunshine varies throughout the year and many of us spend a lot of time indoors this may not be adequate.

Food Sources) It can also be found in small amounts of food products with Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) found in some plant based products and Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) found in some animal based products. However, the richest dietary sources are found in fortified foods such as milk and cereals.

Remember that Vitamin D is also fat-soluble, meaning when taken through the diet, it needs to be consumed with an oil in order to be absorbed in the body. Supplement Form) Our current recommendation in Ireland is that the entire Irish Adult population should take a supplement of 20-25 ug/day or 800-1000 IU/day, whilst children should take 10μg or 400IU/day

Magnesium & Calcium Regulation: Both magnesium and calcium play an important role in our bone health. Magnesium plays an important role in maintaining our bone density, whilst calcium is required for building and maintaining strong bones.

However, in the gut, calcium and magnesium intakes influence each other's absorption. Essentially, a high calcium intake may decrease magnesium absorption, and a low magnesium intake may increase calcium absorption so it’s important to get an adequate intake of both.

Calcium Requirement: 11-18 years = 1200 mg per day, Pregnant/or Breastfeeding = 1200 mg per day, Women & men 19-64 years = 800 mg per day, Women & men 65+ = 800 mg per day.

Calcium Sources: Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese), salmon, broccoli, almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts and chia seeds as well as in supplement form.

Magnesium Requirement: Adults aged 19-64 years = 270mg/day for women and 300mg/day for men.

Magnesium Sources: Mackerel, salmon, almonds, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, avocado, quinoa and black bean as well as in supplement form.

Oils & Fat Soluble Vitamins: Many people think all fats are bad, but It’s important to include ‘healthy fats’ in our diet for the absorption of our fat soluble vitamins A,D,E & K. These healthy fats can include oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring and tuna, walnuts, flaxseed, hemp seeds, chia seeds.

- Try Eating More Slowly: Many of us have busy lives which can lead to us eating really quickly, this can however have a huge impact on our digestion. Tip: Give yourself time to eat slowly and to chew your food adequately as this helps to release enzymes that are an essential part of digestion.

Mindful Eating: Many of us are guilty of eating on the go, whilst at our desks, watching tv or on our phones, but eating should be a sensory experience. It should include our senses such as smell, taste, touch and texture. When we’re distracted our senses may not get stimulated, which in turn can affect our digestive system from working effectively.

Avoid Overcooking Your Food: Whilst it’s important to ensure that our foods are adequately cooked from a food safety perspective, overcooking our foods such as our vegetables can result in loss of important vitamins and minerals. Tip: Why not cook your veggies to just a bite or ‘al dente’ and if boiling you can recycle the water into a gravy or into a juice.

Try Drinking More Water: Drinking water with a meal aids digestion by helping to break down our foods. Adequate fluid levels are needed to move nutrients through the body as well as playing a role in the absorption of your water-soluble vitamins which are Vitamin C and the B Vitamins.

Up The Sleep: Evidence has emerged suggesting a link between dietary/circulating micronutrients and sleep. For example, research has found micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) status to be linked to sleep duration (or how much sleep we get) and our levels of iron, zinc and magnesium.

-Turmeric & Black Pepper: Turmeric contains the active ingredient ‘curcumin’, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Black pepper has been proven to improve the absorption of curcumin in our bodies. Tip: Why not add turmeric and black pepper to your curries or into a smoothie for a real health boost. Curcumin is also available in supplement form.

Prebiotics & Probiotics: Sometimes our tummy bacteria (gut flora) can become imbalanced due to reasons such as stress, illness, antibiotics or dietary changes. This can sometimes result in excess gas and bloating and can have an impact on our nutrient absorption.

Tips:

1) Balance your good gut bacteria with a probiotic supplement, particularly if you have been on antibiotics, I prefer the Udos and OptiBac range, however you can consult with your pharmacist as to the most suitable one for you (doing this for 3 months sufficient),

2) Nourish your body with a daily probiotic foods such as yogurt or sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha 3) Include prebiotic foods (they feed your good gut bacteria) such as wholegrains, bananas, onions, garlic and soybeans

Eat a Variety of Foods: As we can see, by combining the right types of foods, we can help to improve our nutrient absorption, therefore every meal and snack should include a range of different food types.

For further information contact Laurann at info@nutritionbylaurann.ie or see www.nutritionbylaurann.ieLaurann O’Reilly is a qualified and experienced nutritionist with a BSc. Degree in Human Nutrition from University of Nottingham and a Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from University College Dublin.