Creating and maintaining abundant energy is our natural state of being, so unless we are suffering from some very serious health concerns we should expect to live every day of our lives in a state of positive energy. Why, then, do so many of us find energy difficult to hold on to? It seems to slip through our fingers just at the very times when we need it most. Why do we find ourselves so frequently in the possession of a half-filled tank or, even more exhausting, continually running on empty?

What exactly is energy? Where do we find it and how do we make it? Energy is a simple, straightforward equation, really. Food acts as fuel and is transformed to cellular energy through a series of chemical reactions that are dependant on key vitamins and minerals. Cellular energy, otherwise known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), is constantly being formed and expended and we must produce 32 units of it in every cell in our body, every minute of the day. It is in the mitochondria, the “engine room” of each cell, that these crucial energy units are manufactured.

Let’s first take a brief look at the biochemistry of energy, as it is crucial to understand how our cells make a unit of energy if we are to attempt to create more of it or prevent leakage of our precious reserves. Here’s an easy-to-understand diagrammatic explanation of cellular energy:

Cellular energy (ATP) is extracted from the foods we eat; that is, from the macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fats. To convert these food sources, or fuel, to energy, we require certain vitamins and minerals which act as synergistic cofactors or enzymes. These vitamins and minerals are indispensable in metabolising food and sending the byproducts such as amino acids, glucose and fatty acids to the Krebs cycle where, ultimately, energy is produced.

Terms such as the Krebs cycle, the citric acid cycle and glycolysis all refer to a series of energy-yielding chemical reactions that occur at the cellular level. We need to provide the raw materials to enable the cells and organs to work effectively. Without vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12, biotin, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese and potassium, energy production is inhibited. Key vitamin and mineral deficiencies mean production of cellular energy decreases from the optimally required 32 units to much less.

During my early days as a naturopathic student, I spent many hours peering into the inner workings of the cell, anxiously confronting the Krebs cycle and trying to understand the ATP equation. So I found it helpful to visualise a production line: a small group of highly efficient workers, sleeves rolled up, sweating and toiling in the engine room of the mitochondria (power house of the cell), shovelling heavy spades of magnesium, coenzyme Q10 and B vitamins into a fiery furnace to create copious amounts of steaming, bubbling energy.

Minor deficiencies of a number of vitamins can contribute significantly to fatigue. For example, even a 15 per cent decrease in thiamine pyrophosphate, an important component of vitamin B1, can lead to symptoms of irritability, mild depression and slight fatigue. It’s not unusual for many of us to be deficient in this crucial vitamin at any given time in our lives, especially as vitamin B1 is used extensively by the body when under stress and in alcohol metabolism.

The reason many of us have difficulty fulfilling our daily quota of energy is usually to do with lifestyle factors and stress. Persistent or even intermittent tiredness that’s not caused by any underlying illness is very often simply the result of poor choices — unhealthy diet and unwise lifestyle habits. The combination of a diet overly abundant in refined carbohydrates and stimulants, mixed with a fair dollop of emotional stress, is a recipe for part-time and even full-time exhaustion.