Your Nutrition Physical Exam
What can your body tell you about your health?
Your pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and body composition are foundational ways to assess your health status. Your sense of smell and taste, oral health (tongue, lips, teeth, cheeks), and your nails can provide further insight into your nutritional status.
In what ways can you improve your health? Try out this quick, self-assessment and find out what your body is trying to tell you.
How well can you smell?
To test your sense of smell you will need to hold a tape measure extended to 40cm from under the nose. Close your eyes and cover one nostril. Have a partner hold ¼ of an alcohol swab at the 40cm line. Every second or two you will inhale and your partner will move the alcohol forward along the ruler until you can smell the alcohol. Record your result and repeat for a total of 3 times each nostril. If you cannot smell the alcohol pad until it is 17cm from your nose or closer, you may have a reduced sense of smell in that nostril and should consult a medical professional.
Look at your eyes, pull down on your lower eye lid and look at the color of the inside of your eye lid (the conjunctiva). Is it reddish pink? Or does it have a pale tint? If it’s pale, this may indicate that you have low iron, an important mineral required for the sense of smell.
Nutrients needed for the sense of smell:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Copper
- Vitamin A
- Thiamine
- B12
- Niacin
- Riboflavin
- Pantothenic acid
- Vitamin E
- Iodine
- Pyridoxine
- Folic acid
Mouth:
Look in your mouth: do you have dryness, dental disease, infections, a red shiny tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, or white patches on tongue or cheeks? How about recurrent canker sores or cuts on the edges of your mouth? These may indicate nutritional deficiencies.
| Tongue feature | Nutrient Deficiency/Condition |
| Glossitis (Red tongue) | Riboflavin, niacin, b6, folate, B12, iron, protein |
| Decreased taste/smell | Vitamin C, zinc |
| Tongue fissuring | Niacin, gut-immune issues |
| Taste bud atrophy/loss of taste | Riboflavin, niacin, b12, iron, zinc |
| Leukoplakia (white patches) | Vitamin A, riboflavin, Niacin, B6, folate, B12 |
| Geographic (2+ types of tongue appearance) | Iron, folic acid, B12, B2, Niacin |
| Tooth decay | Poor mineral absorption, boron, silica, calcium. Vitamin B6 |
| Peridontal disease | Calcium, coq10, vitamin B6, quercitin, antioxidants, vitamin c, folate, zinc |
| Bleeding gums | Vitamin C, bioflavonoids, lack of flossing, too hard of a tooth brush |
| Cracking at edges of mouth (cheilosis or angular stomatitits) | B complex, iron |
Nails:
Your nails grow about 1.mm/day and they can inform you about your nutritional status for the past 6 months. The shape, color, pattern, texture, strength, growth rate, and health of the surrounding tissue are all factors that go into evaluating yourself for possible nutritional deficiencies.
| Nail Characteristic | Nutrient Deficiency/Condition |
| Pale nail beds | Iron |
| White pits, lines, dots | Zinc, selenium |
| Koilonychia (horizontal indentation) | Iron, copper, zinc, protein |
| Transverse pigmentation | protein |
| Splinter hemorrhages | Vitamin C |
| Psoriatic (extensive pitting) | Vitamin D |
| Beau’s lines | Zinc |
| Whitening of the nail bed (onycholysis) | Iron, niacin |
| Red lunula | CoQ10, ribose, Mg |
| Brittle nails | Protein, calcium |
| Diffuse milky white nails | Niacin (pellagra), zinc |
| Hang nails, cuticle inflammation | Zinc, vitamin C, folate, protein |
| Thin nails | Silicon or boron |
| Horizontal and vertical lines | B vitamins |
| Ridging | Minerals (due to weak absorption) |
Skin:
Look at your skin over your entire body. What a larger organ that seems so often neglected! The health of your skin can give you some insight into your liver and digestive functioning, as well as your immune system! Do you have bruises, bumps, skin tags, flaky skin, rashes? Any other out of the ordinary moles? If you do have a lot of moles, or notice any changes to your skin, consult a dermatologist to rule out skin cancer.
| Skin Feature | Nutrient deficiency/Condition |
| Dry skin | Dehydration, essential fatty acids, cholesterol, thyroid hormones |
| Red bumps on back of upper arm | Vitamin A, essential fatty acids, zinc, hypothyroidism |
| Skin tags | Blood sugar abnormalities |
| Eczema or seborrheic dermatitis | Zinc, essential fatty acids, digestive enzymes, b vitamins. Consider candida infection |
| Red bumps on elbow | Essential fatty acids |
| Psoriasis | Essential fatty acids and antioxidants |
| Slow wound healing | Diabetes, vitamin A, C, Zinc, essential fatty acids |
| Easy bruising | Vitamin C, bioflavonoids |
Hair:
Next feel your hair. Is it soft, course? Thick or thin? Do you have any gray hairs? How is the health of your scalp? Any dandruff? Your hair is primarily made out of a protein called keratin. There are many nutrients involved in hair growth so if your digestion is weak or your diet is not rich in nutrients, your hair may show it! Supplementing with a high quality vitamin is a great first step towards improving the health of your hair. Consult your health professional to ensure your health and safety are being addressed.
| Hair Feature | Nutrient Deficiency/Condition |
| Dry hair | hypothyroidism, essential fatty acids |
| Premature greying | PABA |
| Generalized hair loss | Parasites, heavy metal toxicity. Essential fatty acids, b-complex |
| Dandruff | Hypochlorhydria, high intake of refined sugars, essential fatty acid deficiency. Consider antioxidants, selenium, b vitamins |
Eyes:
And finally, take a look at your eyes! This region of your face is very sensitive and can provide insight into your body’s health.
| Eye Feature | Nutrient Deficiency/Condition |
| Dark circles under eyes | Allergic shiners |
| Pale conjunctiva | Anemia (b12, folate, iron) |
| Scaling around eye | Essential fatty acids |
| Cataracts | Quercetin, antioxidants, bioflavonoids |
| Glaucoma | Vitamin C, vitamin B5 |
If you are positive for any of these signs, visit your nutritionist or health care professional to address the root cause of your health concerns. Whether it is a mere vitamin deficiency, or a chronic condition, it is best to work with a health professional to ensure you are comprehensively addressing your health concerns.
Tags: healthy hair, high quality supplements, minerals, nails, nutrient deficiencies, nutrition physical exam, skin, vitamins
