5 + 10 Successful Essential Supplements for Energy

Getting everything your body needs through food is the best way. Read my article about the food that gives you energy. Yet there can be all kinds of reasons why you need more energy than food can deliver. In that case, supplements are a practical and natural replacement for or an addition to food. What are the essential supplements for energy?

As with any advice – no matter in what area – for every wildly enthusiastic recommendation there are opinions that discourage or even deny it. I love coffee in the morning and had several warnings from friends that coffee is bad for me. And to some extent they were right. If I drink coffee after 1 pm, surely I will have problems getting to sleep that night.

Nowadays those same friends tell me coffee is good for ageing people. 🙂

My point always is: listen to your body carefully and you will know what product is best for you. What works for me might not have the same result for you. 

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Essential supplements for energy

Lots of supplements can boost our energy levels. For instance: Iron, Vitamin B12, Magnesium, Caffeine, Chocolate, Ginseng, Beetroot powder, and other Vitamins. Partly we can get that from food, and sometimes it is better to take a supplement.

Lacking energy

Signs you don’t have enough energy are:

• Feeling tired, even early in the morning when you wake up;
• Not sleeping well;
• Feeling and acting cranky;
• Pale face;
• Not being able to focus and to concentrate;
• Feeling restless.

When this happens for a day or a week, it’s not too bad and easily solved with the right foods and some supplements. But when you have been feeling like this for a longer period, it’s vital to do a blood test and find out the exact deficiencies you have.

5 Supplements I regularly use

1. Iron

When I was younger I had an iron deficiency all the time. A female problem clearly. Iron is a mineral and is important for the building of haemoglobin, necessary for the transport of oxygen in the blood. If you have anaemia it is no longer enough to eat iron-rich food like dried apricots or drink nettle tea, but you will have to take iron supplements.

Nowadays I don’t have anaemia anymore. I never stopped eating dried apricots and other iron-rich food. But once a month for a couple of days, I am still not my normal energetic self. Would that be usual for ageing women, I wonder? Anyway, that’s why I still have an iron supplement.

2. Vitamin B12

Especially if you are vegetarian, vegan or ageing, a vitamin B12 deficiency looms. Vitamin B12 is an important substance for the production of red blood cells and nerve cells in our body. If you feel weak, tired, have a woozy head or don’t feel like eating, chances are high you have a deficiency.

There is no risk of taking too much vitamin B12, so if you have a supplement with a recommended daily use and you still feel tired, increase the dose.

3. Magnesium

The mineral magnesium is essential for building bones and muscles, and for energy production in the cells.

It’s difficult to find a deficiency of magnesium as only 1% is found in the blood. Your bones and teeth contain around 50%. The rest is present in muscles, organs, cells and your nervous system.

Magnesium plays a role in the oxygen uptake of our muscles, which is crucial when you exercise, especially during aerobic activities. That’s why athletes love magnesium supplements, as it enhances their results.

You will know you have too much magnesium if you get bowel problems or diarrhoea, which can happen on rare occasions. It’s always wise to keep yourself to the recommended dose as found on the labels.

4. Caffeine

The best-known source for caffeine is coffee, but (black) tea, energy drinks and even some medicines contain caffeine as well.

Nowadays there are several health claims about caffeine. Coffee might lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular diseases. According to American research, there is a link between drinking coffee and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s.

On the downside, your blood pressure can arise from too much caffeine. It can be addictive, which shows if you diminish or stop your intake of coffee. Headaches and bad concentration will be the result.  

5. Chocolate powder

Most chocolate bars you can buy in the supermarket have a lot of added sugar. That’s why Tom, my husband, often makes a healthy brownie cake, that is gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free and lactose-free. And – the best part of course – this cake tastes delicious.

YourSuper has a mix of the best organic powder, containing Cacao, Chaga, Ashwagandha, Reishi, Lucuma, and Cinnamon, which is part of Tom’s cake nowadays.

More energy supplements

The 5 mentioned above are the ones I know most about because I use them myself. But I don’t want to leave out other good working supplements:

• Ginseng;
• Beetroot powder;
• CoQ10;
• Creatine;
• Glutamine;
• Matcha powder, I drank Matcha tea for a while and couldn’t get used to the taste. Nowadays I add matcha powder to my morning smoothies; 
• Vitamin B2;
• Vitamin B3;
• Vitamin B5;
• Vitamin C, as you can read in this article I have 3 gr of vitamin C to boost my immune system. That it also increases my energy is a nice side effect.

Why do you lack energy?

Taking supplements when having an energy deficiency is sometimes necessary, but only solves the current problem. Make sure you also find out about the cause.

• Do you exercise enough? Even when you don’t feel like it, do some light exercises half an hour a day. This can be walking, stretching, swimming. Download this free exercise guide for inspiration.
• Do you see enough other people? If you are feeling lonely and have no idea how to make new friends, read this article: How to make friends when you are older?
• Do you have a purpose in your life? Getting older doesn’t mean you’re over and done with. However, because the structure of a job lacks, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to take action.

Do you use supplements for energy? Tell us in the comment box.