Add These Energy-Boosting Vitamins to Your Life ASAP

Yes, sleep is crucial in the overall energy equation. But don’t overlook the impact of what you put into your body. In addition to energy-boosting foods, there are vitamins for energy that will help you feel as awake as a double-shot of espresso.

“All of our cells require nutrients to produce energy,” Stephanie Gray, D.N.P., M.S., A.R.N.P., a doctorally-prepared functional medicine nurse practitioner and owner of Integrative Health and Hormone Clinic in Hiawatha, Iowa, tells Woman's Day. “Micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and water, specifically fuel our mitochondria which are the powerhouses of our cells that literally provide our bodies with energy. Think of vitamins each as fuel sources for energy, but also as keys that unlock doors for important reactions in the body like energy production.”

And if you fall short on those nutrients, your body hits a speed bump.

“It’s kind of like a traffic bottleneck - if a vitamin deficiency gets in the way of one or more essential steps in energy conversion, everything moves a little slower,” says Ali Webster, Ph.D., R.D., associate director of nutrition communications for the International Food Information Council Foundation in Washington, D.C.

The best way to know if you’re deficient is to have a blood test to check your micronutrient levels, Gray says. While food is best, supplementation may be required if you’re very lacking in a certain vitamin (often the result of stress, an unhealthy diet, or another health condition).

Keep reading for the most important vitamins for energy, as well as the recommended daily allowance (RDA) and best food sources. B e sure to examine your supplements and make sure they meet these U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) criteria.