Feeling Tired? Here Are 6 Important Nutrients to Support Energy Production

Feeling run down and tired of pushing yourself to get through the day? Been told you have adrenal fatigue or want to learn more about what that means? Exhausted but can’t seem to get a good night's sleep and wake refreshed? Let’s find solutions to rejuvenate your energy and resiliency. You deserve to feel alive and energized.

Fatigue is a general symptom that can be caused by many different kinds of imbalances, so it can be challenging to narrow down the root cause. However, there are six nutrients that are vital to the body and are essential for energy, immune function, and overall feelings of vitality. These nutrients support functions like oxygen being carried throughout the body, healthy blood cell formation, even detoxification and hormone regulation. When you become deficient in one or more of these nutrients, fatigue is one of the major symptoms.

Your Naturopathic Doctor might suggest that you supplement one or more of these nutrients, especially if you have a deficiency, to help bring your body into balance and wellness. They can use functional lab tests to determine what your particular needs are and make a plan accordingly. If the deficiency in these nutrients goes too long in the body, it can lead to chronic illness. Even if you aren’t deficient, therapeutic doses can sometimes help with other chronic health issues.

We recommend every patient learn about these essential nutrients and know how to use diet and supplementation to support their bodies.

1. Vitamin B12

Without enough B12 in your diet, you might suffer from intense fatigue, depression, and anemia. This is because B12 is the nutrient that helps your body convert food into energy, supports DNA production, and helps with the formation of healthy blood cells. B12 is found in meats, eggs, and dairy. However, if you are avoiding any of these foods, you should talk with your Naturopathic Doctor about supplementation. Other factors that affect your ability to absorb Vitamin B12 are age, general health, and medications.

2. Glutathione

This powerful antioxidant protects the body from damage by toxins and supports the immune system. It is produced naturally in the liver but can become depleted over time due to stress, diet, and age. There are ways to increase levels by eating sulfur-rich foods, bone broth, and reducing stress. Research has shown that Glutathione can help prevent and repair oxidative stress, support liver function, and improve insulin resistance. Vitamin B12 is an important cofactor in the production of Glutathione.

3) Iron

Your body needs iron to create new blood cells and to carry oxygen throughout the body. Without this essential nutrient, you can become extremely fatigued and develop anemia. It has many other functions in the body such as supporting DNA production, hormone regulation, and the production of neurotransmitters. You might be at risk for an iron deficiency if you are avoiding meat, eggs, dairy, or if you have heavy periods or other health complications. There are two forms of iron that can be consumed in your diet. The most absorbable form is heme iron and it comes from meat sources. Prunes, dried peaches, and pumpkin seeds provide plant-based non-heme iron for those that are avoiding meats.

4) Vitamin D

Like the other nutrients on the list, a lack of Vitamin D can leave you feeling fatigued. That is because Vitamin D is needed for healthy bones, muscles, immunity and mood. Normally your body makes Vitamin D when sunlight hits your skin, or you consume it through food. But factors like age, diet, use of sunscreen, lack of sun exposure, and overall health can affect how much Vitamin D your body makes. A simple blood test can help your Naturopathic Doctor determine if you are deficient and need supplementation. Many research studies have also shown the significant role Vitamin D has in managing chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

5) Magnesium

Magnesium is a powerhouse nutrient with a critical role in 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Most importantly, it is essential for the production of energy, healthy bone formation, DNA replication, muscle tissue, and the nervous system. Without enough Magnesium, you can experience muscle cramps, fatigue, headaches, chronic pain, heart arrhythmias, numbness, tingling, or mood disorders. It is easy to increase your magnesium intake naturally by adding sunflower seeds, broccoli, bananas, and avocados to your diet.

6) Antioxidants

Our cells are under attack everyday by free radicals that originate from many sources like poor diets, environmental pollution, toxins, stress, chronic illness, and some medications. Antioxidants are the powerful first line of defense that fight back against free radical damage and help cells regenerate and repair themselves. They work by neutralizing free radicals through chemical reactions and can come in many different forms. It is important to get a variety of antioxidants into your diet so that they can work together to protect the body. The best way to increase your antioxidants is to eat fresh organic fruits and vegetables from all colors of the rainbow, as well as nuts, seeds and whole grains. Your Naturopathic Doctor can help you identify the best sources of antioxidants or supplementation according to your specific needs.

Food is Medicine: Supporting Your Adrenal Glands Through Diet

There are definite “dos and don’ts” when it comes to supporting your adrenals with food. Your adrenal glands are the central organ responsible for your response to stress. They were designed to give you everything you need to outrun a predator by releasing cortisol and adrenaline into your bloodstream to keep you alert, focused, and energized. Your adrenals act like the gas pedal in your car, whisking you away from danger, except that they weren’t designed to run at full speed all the time. Unfortunately, we run them on high speed more often than we think because our bodies can’t always distinguish between different kinds of stress. Being hunted by a tiger can spark the same response in your body as a stressful email from your employer, which means your adrenals are especially prone to burn out. Adrenal dysfunction happens when chronic stress disrupts the natural function and rhythm of your adrenal glands.

Adrenal Food Connection

Adrenals regulate your blood sugar, which is why you might have episodes of low blood sugar if you have adrenal dysfunction. Keeping your blood sugar stable will keep your adrenals from experiencing extra strain, and keeping your adrenals healthy will support your blood sugar levels. Learn to recognize the symptoms of low blood sugar so that you can eat something before it gets out of hand.

These symptoms include:

Feeling shaky and trembling

Being light headed and dizzy

Hot flashes or sudden chills

Foggy thinking and difficulty speaking

With adrenal dysfunction, it can be hard to predict when your blood sugar will be impacted. It doesn’t necessarily have to be triggered by lack of eating for long periods of time. It can also be triggered by stress or dehydration. Always carry something with you, such as a protein bar until you have both your adrenals and blood sugar stabilized. Adrenals also produce a hormone called aldosterone that plays a role in regulating your blood pressure. When aldosterone is low, your body will crave salt as a way of driving up low blood pressure. If you find that you crave salty foods and can’t seem to get enough, you might have some adrenal dysfunction. Temporarily adding a little salt to water is beneficial for people who have low blood pressure and low adrenal function.

It is ideal to eat a balance of protein, healthy fats, and nutritious carbs at every meal. This combination will support your energy and help keep your blood sugar stable.

Foods to Eat:

Healthy Protein

Organic protein that is easy to digest is the best protein source. For example, an organic protein shake will easily absorb into your system. Other sources are helpful too, especially when you eat a variety. Be sure to have protein at each meal of the day to help stabilize your blood sugar and your adrenals.

Carbohydrates

Many different kinds of foods fall into the carbs category; from fruits to pastas to vegetables. The best kind of carbohydrates to support adrenal glands are high in resistant fiber. Examples include unripe bananas, plantains, green banana flour, potatoes (boiled and refrigerated), and white beans. It is important to not cut out all carbohydrates, especially at night because this may cause a drop in blood sugar, which would then cause a rise in cortisol and a drop in melatonin. This could then result in insomnia or a lack of deep restorative sleep.

Vegetables

You want to target 6 - 8 servings of brightly colored organic vegetables from all the colors of the rainbow. This will provide your body with a variety of antioxidants and nutrients that support the adrenal glands.

Healthy Fats & Oils

Your adrenals need cholesterol to make steroid hormones. Like salt, your body may crave fats when your adrenal function is low or dysfunctional. You certainly don’t want to go overboard with the fats, just make sure you are getting enough. Good sources are coconut, sunflower, avocado, and olive oil. The most important thing to remember when using healthy fats is to limit their exposure to high heat and to watch for freshness. Once an oil turns rancid, it is not doing your health any favors.

Essential Fatty acids

Nuts are the perfect combo for supporting adrenals. Not only are they loaded with essential fatty acids like omega-3, they also contain protein and salt as a flavor enhancer. Eat a variety of the following kinds:

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Sunflower seeds

Flax seeds

Cashews

Almonds

Brazil Nuts

Pecans

Walnuts

Foods to Avoid:

You want to avoid any food that stimulates your adrenal glands or disrupts your blood sugar. Eating the wrong food can disrupt your balance for days and even disrupt your sleep. Because your adrenals secrete cortisol, they play a very significant role in your sleep/wake cycle. The higher your cortisol, the lower your natural melatonin production is which makes falling or staying asleep difficult.

Here are a few foods to avoid:

Caffeine

You might crave caffeine because it gives you a jolt when you need it most, but unfortunately it might be too much for your body to handle. Drinking a lot of caffeine is like driving on high speed with a low tank of gas. You may feel energized in the short term, but you will burn through your resources faster and then you will crash. If you are a heavy caffeine consumer, don’t stop suddenly. Caffeine is an addictive substance and your adrenals may have gotten used to a steady stream of this stimulant. Slowly taper off of the caffeine and replace it with something more nutritious.

Simple Carbs & Sugar

Simple carbs and sugar spike your insulin, and stimulate a cortisol response. When your body struggles to keep your blood sugar stable, it puts unnecessary stress on your adrenal glands in the process. Stay away from sweets, pastas, white rice, pancakes, white bread, and other refined carbs.

Food allergens

Eating foods you are allergic to will also put unnecessary stress on your adrenals. Inflammation will trigger your body to produce cortisol since it is a natural anti-inflammatory steroid. While this can help in the short term, eating food you are allergic to will catch up with you eventually when your adrenals are too “burned out” to respond.

If you suspect you may have adrenal dysfunction, contact your Naturopathic Doctor to get the proper testing and diagnosis.

Resources

Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Stress Syndrome

The Many Faces of Adrenal Dysfunction

Your adrenal glands are powerhouses that are involved in several critical body functions. They help your body regulate blood pressure by producing aldosterone, a hormone that regulates salt and water within the bloodstream. They produce cortisol as part of your stress response. Cortisol influences the body’s ability to convert food into energy by stimulating the body to raise blood sugar. Cortisol gives you energy, mental clarity and also plays a role in your immune system’s inflammatory response. Your adrenals also produce sex hormones (androgens), which both males and females need for muscle mass, sex drive and a sense of well-being. And finally, the adrenals produce two neurotransmitters called epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine, which give you the jolt of energy when you get a surge of “fight or flight” stress response. Like cortisol, they also increase blood sugar.

All of these functions are designed to help the body evade dangerous situations, like outrunning a predator. The body is very good at responding to immediate danger, but it is not very good at telling the difference between a predator that is hunting you and an upsetting work email. This means that modern stress and the lack of good coping skills can chronically activate your adrenals, wearing them out over time.

This leads to a condition called adrenal dysfunction, an imbalance of the adrenals that is considered a dysfunction rather than a disease. There are several adrenal diseases in which the glands have significantly high or low output of hormones. Adrenal dysfunction, on the other hand, is when the adrenal glands are performing, just not at optimal levels or not in an optimal rhythm throughout the day. Adrenal dysfunction happens when chronic stress disrupts the natural function and rhythm of your adrenal glands.

Learn more about the different diseases and dysfunctions of the adrenal glands:

Addison’s Disease

Addison’s Disease is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks the adrenal glands, causing it to slowly stop functioning and produce too little cortisol, and often, too little aldosterone. There are several tests that can confirm Addison’s, including tests for blood cortisol levels, sodium, and ACTH levels. Once the adrenals stop functioning all together, medication to replace the missing adrenal hormones will be needed.

Cushing’s Syndrome

Cushing’s Syndrome is caused when the body has an excessive amount of cortisol. This can be caused by the long-term use of corticosteroids for inflammation or excess production from an adrenal tumor, ectopic tumor or a pituitary tumor (Cushing’s disease). Usually blood tests are needed to confirm high cortisol levels as well as imaging of the pituitary and adrenal gland if a tumor is suspected. Treatment usually involves eliminating the cause of the overproduction.

Adrenal Dysfunction

Adrenal dysfunction is caused by long-term exposure to chronic mental, emotional, or physical stress. Because adrenal dysfunction is not a disease state, conventional medicine may not recognize it as an illness and may not treat or support your adrenals.

However, with the pace of modern lifestyle and constant demands, we find it essential to support adrenal health, especially to help people overcome fatigue, hormone or blood sugar imbalances, dizziness, insomnia or weight gain. Many people describe the sensation of adrenal dysfunction as feeling “burnt out.”

Cortisol is normally produced in a diurnal rhythm over the course of a day. It should be highest in the morning so that you wake feeling rested and energetic and then cortisol slowly lowers throughout the day and should be the lowest when you sleep. As cortisol levels lower, melatonin (your sleep hormone) levels rise, giving you a good night’s sleep.

However, if someone has adrenal dysfunction, their cortisol may be too high throughout the day, too low in the morning and too high at night (a reverse rhythm), too low throughout the day (adrenal fatigue), or some people have a “roller coaster” rhythm of ups and downs.

Thankfully, we can have great success with adrenal dysfunction by treating with diet, lifestyle, supplementation and a focus on getting back in rhythm by creating cortisol-building routines in the morning and cortisol-lowering routines in the evenings.