Are you eating healthy and still suffering from deficiencies?

Nowadays, people are becoming obsessive about losing weight and switching to healthy eating. But most people don’t know what they are eating can become a common problem too. For instance, a study has found that the obsession with eating vegetarian food may be endangering lives.

Nutritionist Patrick Denoux believes that a purely vegetarian diet can at times lead to B12 deficiency which can cause various health problems. B12 isn’t produce by the body and most people get the required nutrient from animal products like eggs, dairy products, meat or fish. However, vegetarian alternatives such as yoghurt, cheese and soy milk can be consumed. If untreated, a vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to vision loss, weakness and heart palpitation. Earlier studies suggested that children who lacked this vitamin perform poorly in cognitive tests. The other issue with healthy eating is that it could be leading to orthorexia nervosa — excessive preoccupation with eating healthy food. Someone suffering from this is chained by a range of rules that they impose on themselves. Experts say sufferers cab be treated with cognitive behavioural therapy that may involve learning how to deal with situations.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK Do not jump into the bandwagon of eating healthy unnecessarily