6 Signs You Might Need a Nutritional Boost

Do you often find yourself eating whatever you can, whenever you can? Modern lifestyles, stress, and busy routines can sometimes make it harder to consistently get all the nutrients your body needs. Eventually, this can result in symptoms that may impact your everyday life. Keeping an eye out for these signs, knowing what they mean, and understanding the best ways to address them, helps protect your long-term health. This article breaks down six indicators that you may need a nutritional boost. 

1. Feeling constantly tired

Feeling tired sometimes is normal, but feeling constantly fatigued is not. If you find you have low energy levels despite getting enough sleep, it could be down to your diet. This is particularly likely if you experience sluggishness throughout the day and difficulty with motivation. Nutrients like iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C all contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism, so if you have energy problems, it could be due to a lack of one or more of them. Try evaluating your diet and supplement routine and look for gaps in nutrients that support your energy to narrow down areas you could improve. From there, try to include more of the nutrients you’re lacking in your diet and use relevant supplements to help bridge any gaps. 

2. Frequent illness or feeling run down

During cold and flu season, it’s not unusual to come down with something. However, if you find yourself constantly catching colds and taking a long time to recover and return to normal, you may need to look at your nutritional intake. The same goes for if you find yourself feeling depleted or run down frequently, especially during stressful periods. Vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and selenium all help support normal immune function. If you think your diet may be low in any of these key nutrients, it’s worth making adjustments to include more of them, and involving supplements in your routine where needed. This is especially important for vitamin D during winter months. 

3. Brittle nails or hair that lacks shine

Our main focus with supplements tends to be on internal health, but a lack of certain key nutrients can cause external signs, too. For example, brittle nails that break easily and hair that looks and feels dry can be signs that your body is missing something important. Bridging these gaps with diet and supplements can help you feel better from the inside out, giving your hair and nails more vitality while supporting your overall health. Nutrients you may want to consider increasing if you have these issues include biotin, zinc, and selenium (our Hair, Skin, and Nails Bundle contains all three). 

4. Difficulty concentrating

If work, school, or other activities you require focus for are becoming more difficult to concentrate on, nutritional gaps could be the culprit. Struggling to stay focused and experiencing brain fog are big signs that your body isn’t getting what it needs. You may also find you feel especially mentally drained on busy days, when concentration is most important. B vitamins and iron both play key roles in supporting normal cognitive function and helping to reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue. Increasing these nutrients in your diet and supplement routine may help clear the fog and allow you to focus properly. 

5. Low mood or increased stress

Feeling a little down or overwhelmed now and again are normal parts of life, but feeling increased levels of ongoing low mood or stress can indicate a bigger issue. Stress and mood issues can make you feel mentally drained, leaving you struggling to maintain balance during busy periods in life. Thankfully, simple changes to your diet and adding useful supplements can help. Magnesium and B vitamins (like vitamin B12) help support normal psychological function, so increasing them in your daily routine can help improve mood regulation and allow you to manage stress more effectively. 

6. Muscle fatigue or recovery taking longer

We all have good and bad days at the gym, and that’s okay. However, if you begin feeling completely physically drained after activity, experience muscle fatigue or soreness, and find it increasingly difficult to recover from exercise, you may need to update your daily diet. Magnesium and vitamin D both help support normal muscle function, and the latter is especially important to supplement and boost during winter months. Plus, other supplements like BCAAs are designed to help support exercise performance and recovery, making them an ideal addition to your routine, especially in combination with other key nutrients that your body needs more of.

Simple ways to support your nutrition

Here are some simple ways to support your overall health and nutrition:

• Prioritise balanced meals on a daily basis
• Stay hydrated
• Get enough high quality sleep each night
• Consider a well-rounded supplement routine based on your individual needs
• Spend time outdoors 
• Include plenty of exercise in your daily routine
  

Key takeaways

Here are the key points to remember about the signs you may need a nutritional boost:

• Constant tiredness and fatigue can indicate a lack of several key nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins, and iron.
• Frequent illness or feeling run down is a sign that you may require more immune-regulating nutrients, such as vitamin D, vitamin C, zinc, and selenium.
• Nutritional gaps can show on the outside, too, and brittle nails or dry hair can indicate a lack of biotin, selenium, and zinc.
• Trouble concentrating may mean you need more nutrients that support cognitive function, such as iron and B vitamins.
• Low mood or increased stress can indicate that nutrients like magnesium and various B vitamins, which help support psychological function, may be lacking. 
• Muscle fatigue and difficulty with exercise recovery may be due to a lack of vitamin D, magnesium, and BCAAs. 
• Supporting your nutritional needs is key to your overall health, and there are numerous simple steps you can take to do so.