You eat a balanced diet, fill your plate with vegetables, choose high-quality proteins, and even sometimes skip dessert – and yet something still feels off. Maybe it’s recurring fatigue, a drop in concentration around lunchtime, a low mood for no apparent reason, or just a general feeling of heaviness.
If this sounds familiar, the problem may not be on the plate – but rather in what's not on it. A balanced diet is certainly a good foundation, but even a healthy and meticulous diet can hide nutritional deficiencies – especially those that appear slowly, quietly, and sometimes even without obvious signs.
You don't have to change everything to eat healthy and balanced. It's enough to recognize the things we might miss – and make small adjustments, out of listening to our body and not out of pressure.
Even "right" food needs to be personalized.
A menu based on vegetables, whole grains, good fats, legumes, or high-quality protein certainly sounds like a recipe for a healthy lifestyle – but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that all of the body's requirements will be met.
Each person comes with a different health background, habits, hours of activity, stress, and daily routine – and therefore the nutritional composition that suits one person will not always be sufficient for another.
Even when you eat well, there are environmental limitations that have an impact, such as processed food that is easier to obtain, many hours of sitting, little exposure to the sun, and habits such as veganism or vegetarianism that are not always properly compensated for.
Common deficiencies – not always immediately noticeable
There are some components that the body may be lacking, even when there are no obvious symptoms. This is especially true for iron, vitamin B12, magnesium – and sometimes also for vitamin d, especially when there is no daily exposure to the sun or when there is a preference for plant-based foods only.
The problem is that you don't always feel this deficiency right away. Sometimes it builds up into a feeling of chronic fatigue, decreased cognitive function, or even reduced resistance to disease – and at this point it's hard to link it to something that started much earlier.
You don't need to become a nutritionist – just be aware.
The first step is awareness. That’s why it’s important to listen to your body, pay attention to recurring patterns, and be open to testing when necessary. Periodic blood tests are a simple way to identify common deficiencies, and sometimes conversations with a doctor or dietitian are enough to understand what’s missing—and what needs to be added.
Sometimes the solution does not lie in a specific supplement, but in the right combination of foods that contain these components. And when the need to take a supplement arises – it is important to do so with professional guidance and not independently. Every small change made out of understanding and listening to the body is worth much more than a rash decision not based on a real need.
Proper nutrition also needs to fit the realities of life.
Nutrition is not a fixed equation, but a flexible and dynamic system that must adapt to the realities of life and daily routine. Various situations that lead to workload, training, age, or mood can also change the body's nutritional requirements.
Therefore, even if your menu seems "healthy" according to all the recommendations and books, it's worth stopping every now and then and understanding whether it's really right for you at this stage of life. Dietary flexibility does not indicate giving up – but rather the ability to adapt, update, and make new choices according to what the body is telling us.
In conclusion, Maintaining a balanced diet is certainly an important step, but it is not enough if you don't listen to what your body really needs. Our body knows how to talk – you just need to know how to listen to it. Even if you eat great, it doesn't mean you aren't missing something.
Sometimes it's the small attention to detail that can bring energy, concentration, and the overall feeling back into balance.