Where has your energy gone?
October 20, 2014
Life is hectic. We are all stretched thin from work, family, and keeping up a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day, we are often left wondering where our energy has gone. We end up reaching for stimulants and other products to help us get through the day, but is that the best method?
There could be a better, longer lasting way to boost energy. The human body is actually built to produce energy. We just need to give it the tools it needs to produce energy so that we can live life to the fullest.
Natural Sources of Energy
We have been taught that caffeine and sugar are the quick answer to boost energy. Coffee, sodas, energy drinks, and supplements are all loaded with caffeine and sugar. Those methods do work in the short term, but often are short lived and followed by a nasty crash. In recent years, many products have emerged that utilize more natural ingredients to help boost energy – most notably B vitamins.
Research has shown that B vitamins are essential in the metabolic process (a.k.a. how our body digests food). The better our bodies digest food the more energy we can derive from those food sources.
Popular “energy shots” and some energy drinks are loaded with B vitamins – B12, B6, folic acid, thiamine, and niacin – to help boost energy levels. The problem with energy shots and drinks is that they are generally full of sugar and caffeine, as well as manufactured elements that in the long term can cause weight gain or other health problems that zap energy.
Supplements that provide B vitamins and other energy increasing elements can be one way to boost energy if a person is deficient. However, a better solution is to derive vitamins from natural sources so that the body isn’t deficient enough to require regular supplementation.
Probiotics and Vitamins
Many of the B vitamins critical to the metabolic process are actually produced by probiotics. Supplementing probiotics could be as beneficial – or even more beneficial – than taking a Vitamin B because your body may be able to absorb the naturally produced B vitamins better than synthetic or external sources of Vitamin B.
Biotin
One of the complex B vitamins, biotin is an essential element for all organisms, including humans. It helps the body metabolize proteins and carbohydrates and utilize amino acids. The only way biotin can be produced is from probiotic-like bacteria and yeasts as well as some molds, algae, and select plants.
Folic Acid
Another complex B vitamin, folic acid is actually produced within the intestines by bacteria. It’s critical to the development of red blood cells – thus a deficiency can cause anemia. Probiotics help to maintain a healthy bacterial balance within the intestine to help produce folic acid.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 has received a lot of credibility from the scientific community for its ability to boost energy levels – mostly because consuming B12 prevents the deficiency that causes anemia. That’s why it has become so prevalent in products claiming to offer higher energy levels. B12 is produce by gut bacteria. The human intestinal system produces some B12 and the body can benefit from B12 in animal meat and products like milk produced by bacteria in those animals.
Probiotics for Natural Energy
So next time you are feeling run down, think about your diet and your probiotic intake. You may find that a daily probiotic supplement will not only keep your digestive system in shape, but may give you the energy you need to live a healthy, happy life!
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