Always tired? The influence of food on your energy

Ludo van de Wiel Sept. 17, 2025

Tired woman at a kitchen table with her head resting on her hand, surrounded by healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables and nuts, with soft morning light falling through the window

Maybe it's the same story every day. You wake up tired, drag yourself through the day and fall on the couch exhausted at night. Sound familiar? You're not the only one. Many people struggle with fatigue, and often we look for the solution in more coffee or energy drinks. But what if the answer is just on your plate?

What causes fatigue and tiredness?

Fatigue has many causes. Too little or poor sleep, of course, makes you feel sluggish. Stress, lack of exercise and even the weather can also make you feel tired.

But there is one factor that is often forgotten: what you eat and drink. If your body is getting the wrong nutrients (or is actually deficient), you will notice it immediately in your energy. Compare it to a car that gives you the wrong fuel: it won't run well in the long run, either.

What does nutrition do for your energy?

Nutrition is literally your body's fuel. Everything that happens in your body - from your heart beating to your brain thinking, from your muscles moving to tiny wounds healing - needs energy. And that energy? You get most of it from what you eat and drink.

Nutrition for direct energy

For quick energy, you need carbohydrates. Your brain uses a lot of energy and constantly demands fuel. Carbohydrates help maintain normal brain function.* Here are some healthy choices for quick energy:

Banana: natural sugars with fiber, so your energy doesn't sink right back in.
Dates: give you quick energy without a later dip.
Apple with nuts: the apple gives quick energy, the nuts keep you full longer.
Oatmeal cookie: complex carbohydrates that your body can easily use.
Drink enough water: water contributes to the maintenance of normal physical and cognitive functions.* Try to drink about 2 liters a day.

Nutrition for long-term energy

For energy that lasts all day, you need more than just carbohydrates. Your body needs several vitamins and minerals to get energy from food. These nutrients will help you do just that:

Iron: contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism* and helps reduce fatigue and tiredness.* Iron is found in foods such as: meat, fish, legumes, green leafy vegetables.
Magnesium: contributes to normal energy-producing metabolism* and helps reduce fatigue and tiredness.* Magnesium is found in: nuts, seeds, whole grain cereals, green vegetables, among others.
Vitamin B: vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid contribute to normal energy-producing metabolism.* These B vitamins are found in: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, whole grain products.
Vitamin C: contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism* and increases iron absorption.*

What nutrients and resources are better to avoid?

Some things actually make you tired instead of energetic. Alcohol, for example, disrupts your sleep and dehydrates you. Too much sugar causes your energy to skyrocket at first, but then it comes back down hard. Too much caffeine also works against you and disrupts your sleep.

Heavy, fatty meals are also not a good idea when you are tired. Your body has to work so hard to digest that you will feel even more sluggish than before. Therefore, go for lighter meals with vegetables, lean proteins and whole grain products. Then your body will get energy without being overloaded.

Do supplements help against fatigue?

It can be difficult to get all the nutrients you need through food. Iron supplements can help if you need extra of these (do have this checked by your doctor), a vitamin B complex is helpful if you don't eat much meat, and vitamin D contributes to normal muscle function.*

Omega-3 fatty acids are also popular. EPA and DHA contribute to the normal functioning of the heart* and DHA is good for the brain* and helps to maintain sharp vision*.

Remember: supplements are a supplement, not a replacement for healthy eating. Are you structurally tired? Talk to your doctor, because sometimes there is a medical cause behind it. But often you already help yourself tremendously by eating and drinking better.

*Approved EFSA health claims. The beneficial effect for heart and brain function is obtained with a daily intake of 250 mg EPA and DHA. For vision, 250 mg of DHA per day. For brain function, you need 130 grams of carbohydrates per day.