Why Am I Snapping at My Kids and Shedding Like a Golden Retriever? (Hint: It’s Not Just Stress)
Does your patience have a 30-second expiration date? Cry when you can’t open that jar or your coffee just isn’t coffee-ing the way it used to? Or maybe you’re noticing that your hair is bailing on you faster than your friends when you suggest a 6 AM workout?
It might not be just stress, perimenopause, or the full moon. It could be a vitamin or mineral deficiency messing with your body in ways you didn’t even realize.
Because while we’re out here trying to drink enough water, eat our protein, juggle schedules, and occasionally consume a vegetable, our bodies are keeping score. And when they don’t get what they need? They fight back—with exhaustion, brain fog, irritability, and a mysterious craving for things that aren’t even that good (looking at you, stale crackers in the pantry ).
So let’s talk about what’s missing, how it’s making you feel, and how to fix it—without needing to drown yourself in green juice-which will spike your blood sugar.
I know, it’s always something! 😤
1. The Deficiency Check: Is This You?
Snapping at your kids (or dog, or random strangers on the road)? → Might be low in magnesium or vitamin B12 (both help regulate mood).
Waking up more exhausted than when you went to bed? → Vitamin D, iron, or B12 could be waving a tiny SOS flag from your bloodstream.
Muscles feeling sore after doing… not much of anything? → You might need more magnesium or potassium (because yes, you can be electrolyte-deficient even if you drink water).
Enough hair in the drain to patch the Titanic? → Iron, zinc, and biotin (B7) help keep hair attached to your head where it belongs.
Brain fog so bad you keep putting your phone in the fridge? → Could be vitamin B12 or folate (B9) messing with your cognitive function.
Dry skin, brittle nails, or breakouts that make you feel 14 again? → A lack of vitamin A, zinc, or biotin might be at play.
Gut drama? Bloating, diarrhea, or feeling like food just sits there? → Calcium, zinc, and selenium are big players in digestive health.
2. Why Are We Running on Empty?
You’d think in a world where we have supplements for literally everything, we’d all be thriving. But the truth is, most Americans are wildly deficient in key nutrients because:
• We eat food-like substances instead of real food (hello, nerd gummy clusters).
• Stress depletes key vitamins (your body burns through magnesium and B vitamins when you’re overwhelmed).
• The soil our food grows in is lower in minerals than it used to be.
• Our guts aren’t absorbing nutrients properly due to years of antibiotics, processed foods, and, let’s be honest, too much caffeine
So yeah, you can be eating pretty well and still running on nutritional fumes.
3. The VIP Nutrients You Need (and Where to Get Them)
Let’s break down the real MVPs of the vitamin world and how they impact YOU.
💡 Vitamin D – The “Sunshine Vitamin”
Why You Need It: For mood, energy, and immune function.
Signs You’re Low: Fatigue, feeling “meh” all the time, achy bones, frequent colds.
Where to Get It: Sunlight (10-20 min daily), fatty fish, fortified dairy.
💡 Iron – The Oxygen Carrier
Why You Need It: Prevents anemia, keeps energy levels stable.
Signs You’re Low: Dizziness, exhaustion, pale skin, feeling like you need a nap immediately after lunch.
Where to Get It: Red meat, spinach, legumes, pumpkin seeds.
💡 Vitamin B12 & Methylated B Vitamins – The “Brain and Energy Boosters”
Why You Need Them: For focus, energy, and nerve function.
Signs You’re Low: Brain fog, tingling hands/feet, anxiety, full-body tiredness.
Where to Get Them: Meat, eggs, dairy, methylated B supplements for better absorption.
💡 Magnesium – The Relaxation Mineral
Why You Need It: Helps with sleep, muscle relaxation, and stress.
Signs You’re Low: Tight muscles, anxiety, trouble sleeping, constipation.
Where to Get It: Dark chocolate (60% dark or higher), nuts, seeds, leafy greens.
💡 Zinc & Selenium – The Skin and Gut Guardians
Why You Need Them: Keep your skin clear, boost immune function, support digestion.
Signs You’re Low: Frequent colds, breakouts, digestive issues, thinning hair.
Where to Get Them: Seafood, nuts, seeds, eggs. (3 Brazil nuts = daily amount of Selenium)
4. Supplements: Not All Are Created Equal
Here’s the kicker: not all vitamins work the same way in your body.
Folic Acid ≠ Folate – If you have an MTHFR gene mutation your body can’t properly use folic acid, so you need the methylated form (L-methylfolate).
Cheap Supplements = Low Absorption – A lot of the vitamins in big-box stores aren’t bioavailable, meaning your body barely absorbs them.
One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work – You don’t need all the supplements; you need the right ones for your body and symptoms.
.
This Seques into: Are Your Supplements Actually Doing Anything?
You know you need a bit of a kick in the vitamin/mineral department, as many of us do, so you grab a bottle of whatever sounds vaguely healthy and toss it in your cart, hoping it’ll solve your exhaustion, brain fog, or questionable digestion.
Here’s the problem: most over-the-counter supplements are garbage. Not all, but a frustratingly large number of them.
The Dirty Secret of the Supplement Industry
Unlike prescription medications, supplements are not regulated by the FDA the same way drugs are. That means companies can pretty much slap a label on a bottle, make big claims, and no one’s double-checking whether their vitamin C is actually doing anything other than making your pee glow like a highlighter.
One study found that 79% of herbal supplements tested didn’t actually contain the main ingredient they claimed to.
Another analysis of over-the-counter supplements found that up to 60% contained contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, and even prescription drugs.
Oh, and let’s not forget that some popular brands were caught selling fish oil with basically no Omega-3s in them. (Like sushi, but the fish is invisible and fictional).
Why This Matters for You
When you’re already dealing with exhaustion, mood swings, hair loss, or mystery gut issues, the last thing you need is a supplement that doesn’t work—or worse, one that’s actively making things worse because it contains fillers, cheap ingredients, or contaminants.
Then there is folic acid vs. methylated folate. If you have the MTHFR gene mutation, which 40% of people do, your body can’t properly use synthetic folic acid. So if you’re popping a random multivitamin with folic acid, thinking you’re helping your energy or mood, you might just be making things worse.
So What’s the Fix?
This is where I come in.
Through Five Foundations Wellness, I don’t just guess what supplements you need—I make sure they’re actually working for your body.
I have access to pharmaceutical-grade, third-party tested supplements through Fullscript, which means:
✅ No junk fillers. You’re getting pure, high-quality nutrients.
✅ Clinically effective doses. Not the laughably low doses in cheap store brands.
✅ Backed by science. Every batch is tested to ensure it actually contains what it says it does.
✅ Better absorption. If your body can’t use it, what’s the point?
If you’re tired of rolling the dice on vitamins that may not be working… let’s fix that. I’m here to cut through the confusion, get you exactly what your body needs, and help you feel better for real.
Book a consult, and let’s get your energy, mood, and health actually back on track—no more expensive pee.
