#80: Tired All the Time? 3 Surprising Nutrient Deficiencies That Drain Energy

You wake up feeling shattered, drag yourself through the day, and crash into bed at night—only to wake up just as exhausted the next morning. No matter how early you turn in or how many cups of tea you drink, the tiredness never quite shifts. Sound familiar?

Fatigue isn’t just about getting too little sleep or juggling too much. There are many reasons why mums feel constantly drained—stress, hormonal imbalances, poor sleep quality, and yes, even hidden nutrient deficiencies. The reality is, many mums are running on empty without realising it. Your body isn’t failing you, and you’re not just “bad at coping.” It could be that you're missing essential nutrients that help you feel energised, focused, and resilient.

The good news? You don’t have to accept exhaustion as your norm. In this post, we’ll explore three surprising nutrient deficiencies that could be secretly draining your energy—and, most importantly, how you can start replenishing them through simple, practical changes that fit into your busy life.

Whether you're battling the afternoon slump, struggling with brain fog, or just feeling permanently worn out, these small shifts could make all the difference.

What Nutrients Help with Energy for Mums?

Your body is designed to keep up with your busy life, but when it’s running on empty, exhaustion becomes a daily struggle. The truth is, you can eat well and still be lacking in key nutrients—especially when stress, modern diets, and daily demands deplete your body faster than you can replenish it. Here are three of the biggest energy thieves mums don’t often realise they’re missing:

1. Magnesium: The Relaxation & Energy Mineral

Think of magnesium as your body’s natural recharge button. It helps your muscles relax, supports deep sleep, and plays a crucial role in creating ATP—the energy your cells need to function. Dr. Mark Hyman calls it “nature’s chill pill” for good reason! But modern life works against us—stress, caffeine, and even intense exercise can quickly drain magnesium stores, leaving you feeling restless at night and sluggish during the day.

Signs you might be low: Muscle cramps, poor sleep, constant exhaustion, irritability.

Best foods for magnesium: Dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, cacao, almonds, and mineral-rich water.

2. B Vitamins: The Metabolic Powerhouses

B vitamins—especially B12, B6, and folate—are your body’s spark plugs. They help convert food into usable energy, support adrenal function, and keep your nervous system in balance. If you find yourself feeling wired but exhausted, constantly foggy-headed, or emotionally up and down, a deficiency could be at play. The Weston A. Price Foundation highlights how crucial these vitamins are for metabolism, yet stress, birth control pills, and processed foods can burn through them fast.

Signs you might be low: Brain fog, mood swings, low motivation, feeling “flat.”

Best foods for B vitamins: Liver, eggs, wild-caught fish, fermented foods, and grass-fed dairy.

3. Iron: The Oxygen Carrier

If you’re constantly fatigued no matter how much you rest, iron might be the missing piece. It’s responsible for carrying oxygen to your cells, and without enough, everything slows down—your energy, your focus, even your ability to stay warm. Many mums, especially after pregnancy, struggle with low iron, yet it often goes undiagnosed until exhaustion feels like the new normal.

Signs you might be low: Extreme tiredness, dizziness, pale skin, cold hands and feet, poor focus.

Best foods for iron: Red meat (especially liver), shellfish, dark turkey meat, spinach (pair with vitamin C for better absorption), and bone broth.

Why You Might Be Deficient

Even if you’ve had blood tests come back ‘normal,’ that doesn’t always mean your body has everything it needs to function optimally. Standard blood tests measure nutrient levels within a clinical range, but that doesn’t always reflect what’s truly required for recovery. As James L. Wilson explains in his book, 'Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome,' women recovering from chronic fatigue often have significantly higher nutrient needs than what is considered 'normal.' If you’ve been feeling exhausted for a long time, your body may need much more than a standard diet provides. If this resonates with you, it’s worth discussing with your GP or a nutritional therapist who understands how nutrient needs shift during recovery.

Even if you’re making an effort to eat well, these deficiencies can still sneak up on you. Here’s why:

1. Stress & Nutrient Depletion

Life as a mum is relentless. Between work, home life, and never-ending to-do lists, your body is constantly under pressure. Stress doesn’t just wear you down mentally—it burns through essential nutrients at an alarming rate. Magnesium, B vitamins, and iron are among the first to go, leaving you even more drained. When your body is stuck in survival mode, energy production takes a backseat, and exhaustion becomes the new normal.

2. Gut Health & Nutrient Absorption

You might be eating all the right foods, but is your body actually absorbing them? As Paul Chek explains, digestion is key to getting nutrients where they need to go. If your gut is inflamed, if you have low stomach acid, or if your microbiome is out of balance, your body might struggle to extract the essential nutrients from your meals. Common signs include bloating, IBS symptoms, or simply feeling tired no matter what you eat.

3. Food vs. Supplements

Whole foods are always the best way to get your nutrients because they come with natural co-factors that help your body absorb them. But let’s be real—sometimes, diet alone isn’t enough, especially if your levels are severely depleted. If you’ve been struggling with chronic fatigue, supplementing with high-quality, bioavailable forms of key nutrients (like methylated B12 or heme iron) can help bridge the gap while you work on long-term dietary changes.

How to Rebuild Energy Through Nutrition

The good news? Once you start replenishing these nutrients, your energy can return faster than you think. And the best part—it doesn’t have to be complicated. Mums are already stretched thin, juggling work, family, and endless responsibilities. The last thing you need is another overwhelming health plan. The key is small, effortless shifts that fit into your daily life and make a noticeable difference.

1. Food as Medicine

Your body is not working against you—it’s doing its best with what it has. And the easiest way to support it is by giving it the right fuel. Think of food as your body’s repair kit. The best part? You don’t need to count calories, obsess over portion sizes, or follow strict meal plans. It’s about choosing real, nutrient-dense foods that nourish and energise you naturally.

Instead of focusing on cutting things out, focus on adding foods that help your body recover. Just one small change—like swapping your afternoon biscuit for a handful of pumpkin seeds or adding an extra egg to your breakfast—can make a difference over time.

Nutrient-rich foods to prioritise:

• Magnesium: Cacao, pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, bone broth (easy to sip while cooking or added to soups).

• B Vitamins: Liver (try liver pâté for an easy spread), eggs, red meat, fermented foods (yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi).

• Iron: Red meat, dark turkey meat, shellfish, leafy greens (pair with vitamin C-rich foods like lemon or bell peppers for better absorption).

You don’t need a perfect diet—just small improvements that work with your lifestyle.

2. Hydration & Mineral Balance

Dr. F. Batmanghelidj highlights how dehydration and mineral imbalances play a huge role in fatigue. But drinking plain water alone isn’t enough—your body needs minerals to use that water properly. If you find yourself drinking plenty but still feeling tired and thirsty, your body might be struggling to hold onto hydration.

An easy fix? Make your water work for you. Add a pinch of sea salt or a squeeze of lemon to your water to replenish essential electrolytes. Bone broth is another fantastic way to hydrate while providing key minerals like magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

Even better, if you’re already drinking tea or coffee, simply swap one cup a day for a mineral-rich alternative. A mug of warm broth in the morning or a glass of salted lemon water first thing can make a surprising difference.

3. Mindset & Energy Restoration

Energy isn’t just about food and sleep—it’s about how you think and feel too. If you constantly tell yourself, I’m exhausted, I can’t do this, I’ll never feel better, your body listens. But what if you started telling yourself, My body is healing, I am restoring my energy, I am making small steps every day?

Tony Robbins talks about how your mindset, visualisation, and intention shape your energy. And here’s the best part: shifting your mindset doesn’t take extra time—it’s just about changing the way you approach your day.

Here are a few easy ways to restore your energy mentally and emotionally:

• Breathe intentionally: Just one deep breath before you eat, before you get out of bed, or before responding to stress can reset your nervous system.

• Ground yourself: Step outside barefoot for a few minutes, or simply close your eyes and imagine standing strong and supported.

• Set an intention: Instead of saying, I have so much to do, reframe it as I am prioritising my energy today.

If you feel like exhaustion has become your normal, it’s time to challenge that belief. Society places impossible expectations on mums—to do it all, give endlessly, and push through, no matter how depleted we feel. But running on empty isn’t sustainable, and it’s certainly not the way to thrive.

Recovering from fatigue doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It starts with the simplest, easiest step—nourishing your body with the nutrients it needs to function. Prioritising nutrient-dense foods and, when necessary, supplementing with high-quality options can be the foundation of your recovery. As your energy begins to improve, you can build on that momentum, making more changes that support your body’s natural ability to restore balance.

You don’t have to keep pushing through exhaustion. Your body is capable of so much more when it has the right support.

Want to find out if you're missing key nutrients? Download my Quick Nutrient Deficiency Self-Checklist and take the first step towards feeling energised, strong, and more like yourself again.

With Love,

Karo