Are the winter blues affecting you? It could be brutal, and the dark, cold days aren’t the best.
However, it could also be a vitamin deficiency. Winter often causes lower vitamin d levels, and we spend less time in the sun.
Many vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause adverse health problems.
A blood test was the only way to assess vitamin deficiencies in the past.
However, there are now at-home vitamin deficiency tests that can determine any issues you might have.
We’ll help you decide what at-home test is best and how they work. If you’re not feeling great and can’t figure out why, you want to keep reading.
We might have a solution for you.
When to Buy a Vitamin Deficiency Home Test Kit
Before you rush out and buy a vitamin deficiency test kit, let’s focus on when you might need one.
Different vitamins aid us for various reasons. When you have specific nutritional deficiencies, it can lead to any of the symptoms below:
- Brittle hair and nails due to lack of biotin or B7
- Cracks or ulcers in the mouth caused by low levels of B vitamins or low iron levels
- Bleeding gums as a result of low vitamin C
- Dandruff or rough patches on the skin due to low zinc or vitamin B levels
- Losing hair caused by low levels of B vitamins, zinc, or iron
- Bumps on the skin related to low levels of vitamin A or C
- Losing the ability to see at night is related to a Vitamin A deficiency
If any of these symptoms sound familiar, it might be time to take a test to see if you have a vitamin deficiency.
If blood tests aren’t your favorite thing, that’s where these awesome home test kits come into play.
Choosing an At-Home Test
Home test kits can be highly accurate, but it depends on several factors. It’s vital to get the proper test for you.
If you suspect a vitamin d deficiency, buy a test that tests for low vitamin d levels. If you’re unsure about what test to buy based on your symptoms, don’t hesitate to check with a medical professional to seek advice.
Not all test kits are created equal, so following the exact instructions is imperative.
Like anything else, if you don’t follow the instructions, the test results won’t be accurate. It could tell you have a particular vitamin deficiency when you don’t or vice versa. Read the manual, people!
Ensure you pick a trusted brand. Keep in mind that vitamin deficiencies are found via a blood test. That said, you don’t want to go cheap on this test.
The good news for you is we researched the best home kits, and we’ll give you all of the details.
Look for laboratories performing the tests. It should be a professional, licensed laboratory. Don’t hesitate to check those credentials. If it’s hard to find, look for another product. That type of information on testing should be easy to find.
Finally, read the customer reviews and consider what they say with any product.
It might make or break a product for you based on what people thought of how the test kit worked and how accurate the test results were.
Are these Tests Effective?
The at-home vitamin deficiency test kits are effective, but following the instructions precisely is essential to assure accurate test results.
In general, tests that involve a finger prick for a blood sample are more error-free than the saliva samples. It’s better than a regular blood test, right?
Best Vitamin Deficiency Test Kits
Now that you understand more about what vitamin deficiencies are and their possible symptoms let’s look at some of the best products.
Baze
The Baze philosophy is that nutrition is more than just calories we consume.
For example, vitamin D helps us process calcium and phosphate in our bodies. Without the proper vitamin D levels, our bones and muscle can suffer.
Baze has published many scientific papers on nutritional deficiencies that showcase its professionalism and experience in testing.
This test is done with a finger prick, and the blood sample is sent to a lab for testing.
Baze offers you a complete guide to nutritional supplements and a food plan to get you back on track when the test results come back.
Since so many of our vitamins and minerals are obtained through good nutrition, it’s essential to look at eating habits to ensure you are getting your vitamins there.
Supplements will help for vitamin d deficiency, but to keep vitamin d levels up afterward, certain foods can help too.
Baze’s test is $199, including the first month’s supplements for free.
If you wish to keep using Baze after the first month, it’s additional for extra supplements. There is a money-back guarantee if none of the top 11 vitamin deficiencies are found.
Rootine
Rootine | Precision Nutrition
- Boost productivity, unlock fitness, optimize health & improve energy, stress, brain fog, and more.
- Rootine identifies and addresses your key nutritional weaknesses through advanced at-home testing completed in under 5 minutes.
Rootine is another excellent vitamin deficiency test kit company that focuses on nutrition down to the cellular level.
They work to ensure that the nutrients you get are helping you far below the surface.
Before you buy their at-home test, they offer a quiz that tells them more about you, your overall health, and what your lifestyle goals are. This information allows them to create a personalized formula based on your test results for what you need to add to your diet.
The Rootine kit is a simple finger prick, and the blood sample is sent off to the lab. They test for vitamin deficiencies, biomarkers, and genes at the lab.
Once your test results come back, you can download the app that gives you information on your nutrition and ways of correcting any deficiencies.
Rootine offers a range of tests, from vitamin deficiency only to DNA testing. For this article, the vitamin and mineral deficiencies tests range between $99 and $119.
Persona Nutrition
Backed by licensed medical professionals, Persona Nutrition provides testing kits for vitamin deficiencies and results based on a doctor’s recommendation.
It all starts with an assessment, and then you are off to explore any nutritional issues in your body. Nutritionists are available to help you decide what supplements you need.
Someone with a vitamin d deficiency vs. an iron deficiency (anemia) will need to source nutrients from different sources to correct the issue. The nutritionists are there to ensure that happens.
They offer vitamin supplements personalized for you and your results along with the testing.
Vitamin supplements are created for you to take daily in a pack. It keeps things simple and easy to be on your way to better health.
All of this is delivered right to your home, from the test kit to the vitamin packs.
Reviewing the Results
The companies that we recommend interpret your results for you. It helps you understand what vitamin or mineral you might be missing and how to get back on track.
They offer you professional medical advice on the key vitamins you need to look for in your food and how to get your vitamin and mineral levels adjusted, so you feel better overall.
In the end, an essential vitamin test is worth your time and money, especially if you are suffering from any of the symptoms we mentioned earlier.
Vitamin D deficiencies, iron issues, and vitamin B deficiencies can cause long-term health issues.
Anyone who follows a vegetarian or vegan diet needs to be especially careful to get the proper nutrients.
It’s wise for us to test ourselves and make sure that we are getting the right nutrients for our bodies to function correctly.
Kristen holds a bachelors in English from Louisianna university. With a longstanding passion for fitness, she owns and operate her own gym and is a certified jazzercise instructor.