Tired all the time? Nutritional deficiencies that impact your energy levels
Do you find yourself hitting a wall in the afternoon where you are all out of energy and the end of day demands like dinner and cleaning up afterwards are just an endless cycle of despair?
Perhaps you’re waking up as if you’ve hardly recovered at all from the day before and facing the day seems like a mission impossible that you just have to get yourself to survive?
I know I used to need to get home in time for an afternoon nap alongside my little kids, I resented trying to prepare a healthy dinner - it all just felt too hard and cleaning up afterwards didn’t happen I would leave it till the next morning but then wake up to a shit storm that started my new day off on the back foot and already grumpy.
Persistent fatigue can be a bitch that keeps you in cycles of feeling like shit.
It may be that your body is just pleading with you to stop and look deeper into your needs.
But who’s got time for that right??!
The thing is you don’t have a coffee deficiency… and the more we try to boost our energy with stimulants the harder our adrenals will work to keep up.
You deserve to get to the root cause of your fatigue so it can be healed and you can live your life with vitality!
Let’s start by looking into the nutrients that support energy levels, because I’m guessing that over the years of pregnancy and breastfeeding followed by poor sleep and eating habits out of survival - you may be a little depleted…
Then we can explore what else may be going on for you on an individualised level.
Iron deficiency
Iron is an essential element to producing haemoglobin, the protein within your red blood cells that carry oxygen to the tissues around your body. Without enough iron, your tissues struggle to get enough oxygen to give them energy and strength.
Iron deficiency can come from a number of factors, firstly are you getting enough iron in your nutritional intake and are you absorbing the iron you are receiving? Are you capable of transporting the iron around your tissues or are you losing iron through heavy menstrual bleeds or internal blood loss. It’s also important to consider if you are in a stage of increased need like pregnancy or breastfeeding?
Symptoms of Iron Deficiency
Fatigue
Pale skin or Dark circles under eyes
Shortness of breath
Heart palpitations
Brittle nails
Headaches
Weakness or lightheadedness
Craving Ice
Restless legs
Foods Sources of Iron
Red meat, Poultry & Fish
Eggs, organ meats, seaweed
Leafy greens, kale and spinach
Legumes, like lentils, chickpeas and beans.
Beets, broccoli, jerusalem artichokes, cashews
Molasses
Foods that help Iron Absorption
Foods high in Vitamin C help break down iron rich foods for easier absorption - broccoli, citrus, strawberries, kiwi, leafy greens etc
Heme-iron from animal proteins combined with non-heme (plant based sources) provides the most bioavailable iron.
Cooking your plant based iron sources ie cooked broccoli 30% more absorbable iron than raw broccoli.
Not peeling your vegetables i.e. potato skins have a good source of vitamin c supporting iron absorption.
Avoid tea, coffee and red wine alongside meals as the reduce iron absorption.
Calcium can also interfere with iron absorption so move calcium supplements or high diary foods away from iron intake.
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D is known as the Sunshine vitamin as the body produces the activated D3 from sunlight in the skin. It’s a fat soluble vitamin that regulates calcium and phosphorus within the body and although most know it for supporting our immune health it’s also vital for our bone health and our mood regulation.
Low vitamin D can leave you feeling sluggish and unmotivated, depressed, achy, weak and fatigued. You may also be interested in this article Are you sad or is it Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency
Poor Sleep
Bone pain or aches
Hair loss
Sadness or depression
Increased sickness
Muscle weakness
Dizziness and forgetfulness
Food Sources of Vitamin D
Oily fish
Eggs
Mushrooms, exposed to UV - yes you can sunbathe your mushrooms upside down to increase their Vitamin D stores!
Other ways to support Vitamin D stores
Regular exposure to sunlight for just a few minutes (10-15 mins for lighter skin, 25-40 mins for darker skin) each day
Protect your face with a wide brimmed hat and let the sun touch your thighs, belly and arms.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12, Cobalamin, is essential for the health of our blood cells, nervous system and brain. It plays an essential role in red blood cell formation, cell metabolism and nerve function. It can be synthesised in the gut by commensal (good guy) bacterias and hold influence over the balance of bacterial balance within the gut ecosystem.
Can be due to nutritional deficiency - especially with vegetarian or vegan diets, autoimmune conditions, family history and most commonly gut issues or having parts of stomach/intestines removed.
Symptoms of B12 deficiency
Anaemia symptoms - fatigue, weakness, paleness, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness.
Nerve tingling sensations, muscle twinges and tics
Brain fog, memory loss/forgetfulness, slowness, confusion
Depression or irritability
Gut problems, weight loss
Mouth ulcers, painful swollen tongue
Taste or vision problems
Foods sources of B12
Only naturally found in animal products - vegans need to seek fortified or supplemental sources.
Organ meats, liver and kidneys
Shellfish
Sardines, salmon, trout
Beef, eggs, dairy
Fortified cereals and non-dairy milks and nutritional yeast for vegan sources.
Magnesium
The miracle of magnesium is that it is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. It is crucial for energy production, converting food for usable energy sources and cellular metabolism. It is involved in over 80% of the body's metabolic reactions!
Magnesium regulates the function of muscle contraction and impacts nerve transmissions, it balances stress hormones and supports the breakdown of glucose. So it’s no wonder how much we are all needing magnesium in our daily lives!
Symptoms of Magnesium deficiency
Fatigue
Muscle cramps or twitching
Period pain
High blood pressure
Anxiety/depression
Headaches/migraines
Poor sleep
Weakness
Constipation
Insulin resistance
Food sources of Magnesium
Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, cashews
Dark leafy greens - Spinach
Dark chocolate - recommend the PICO brand for less heavy metals
Edamame
Kidney beans, Black beans, soy
Red meat, Chicken, Salmon
Oats
Avocado
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids
For mental and physical energy, Omega-3’s support brain function, reduce inflammation and help you to maintain stable energy levels. When we focus on reducing systemic inflammation we can reduce the feelings of exhaustion that often comes along with high inflammatory markers.
Omega-3s have been shown to improve cognitive function, memory and attention span supporting healthy brain cell function to alleviate that persistent brain fog.
Food sources of Omega-3 Essential fatty acids
Fish and seafood - mackerel, salmon, sardines, shrimp, oysters.
Seaweed & Algae, nori in sushi, spirulina or chlorella added to smoothies
Chia seeds, Hemp seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts
Edamame, kidney beans.
Hydration and electrolyte deficiency
Yes, our deficiency in hydration can be a huge contributor to fatigue and weigh down our energy levels. Are you getting enough water?? Even mild hydration can sap your energy as water is involved in nearly every bodily function and metabolic reaction.
Tips to stay hydrated
Drink 8-10 cups of water a day
Start the day with a tall glass of water
Try electrolyte rich coconut water or high hydration fruits like watermelon, cucumber.
Electrolyte rich foods like bananas
Include herbal teas for variety
The bigger picture
While reviewing and addressing nutrient deficiencies is an important first step for us to explore, it’s rarely the whole story. Other factors that may be contributing to your fatigue include:
Hormonal imbalances
Heavy menstruation leads do loss of iron
Thyroid dysfunction disrupts your metabolic speed
Insulin resistance contributes to a vicious cycle of fatigue.
Cortisol dysregulation impacts energy levels.
Gut Health
Poor digestion prevents availability of micronutrients for absorption
Dysbiosis or imbalance of gut bacteria affects enzymatic reactions in the gut
Loss of integrity of the gut wall (leaky gut) leads to poor immune health and fatigue
Inflammation within the gut impacts nutrient absorption
Burnout & Chronic Stress
Emotional and physical stress impacts quality of your sleep
Increased cortisol dysregulates your insulin and melatonin balance
Fight or flight mode disrupts digestion, sleep and inflammation levels
Underlying infections, inflammation or intolerances.
Persistent low grade infections or inflammation will be draining your reserves.
Undiagnosed intolerances can increase inflammation and fatigue over time.
Individualised support
Fatigue is a complex beast and no two cases of fatigue will have the same treatment plan, because everyone is experiencing and tolerating their challenges at different experiences.
We need to tailor the right testing and treatment plan individually for you.
As a Naturopath I can help you by:
Identifying the root cause
With a deep dive into your story, the emotional and energetic imprints as well as the physical tolls you have endured. we can navigate to the deeper story.
Knowing your medical history and family medical history helps us to uncover generational patterns.
With comprehensive testing, we can request pathology, to review iron, hormones, thyroid and liver health or other functional tests like hair tissue mineral analysis for a review of stores and gut tests to review the health of your gut ecosystem.
Create a personalised plan
Dietary alterations and recipes to support you
Lifestyle practices we can weave into your everyday rhythms
Clinical Herbal medicine to support your weakened systems
Clinical Nutritional supplementation plans to replenish depletions
Energetic flower essence therapy and guided meditation journeys to support you emotionally and energetically.
Build generational wellness
I’m not here for the quick fixes, I’m here to guide you to build generational wellness. What that means to me is that you learn to be intune with your body and what it’s asking of you, you have the skills and capacity to deliver your bodies needs in the most natural aligned form and this provides you well the foundational wellness to be the guide for your family and educate your children as a model and guide for them to grow in vitality.
Ready to restore your vitality?
If you’re tired of feeling tired, let’s work together to uncover the root cause to your fatigue and create a plan to restore your vitality.
Book your initial consultation with me today.