Eating for energy

Feeling tired all the time? Sleep and exercise are key to boost energy levels, but are you eating for energy, too?

‘I just wish I had more energy’, is probably one of the things I hear most often in my clinic. ‘I’m always tired’, or ‘I just feel lethargic a lot of the time’, are others. It seems we’re all in search of a bit more zip, but how can we achieve it?

There are a number of health reasons why we may feel tired, which need a consultation to tackle, but here are a few things that you can tweak yourself to see if it helps to give you a more constant energy level throughout the day.

Protein

Protein is often the food group that is missed when people are planning (or grabbing on the run) their food. Protein gives us a more balanced energy boost, keeps us full for longer, helps to maintain our concentration levels and stops that big dip you can get after a carb heavy meal. Aim to get a good protein source at every meal – lean meat, fish, eggs, some nuts.

Sugar

If there’s a guaranteed way to make us feel good and then feel lousy pretty soon afterwards, it’s that devil on our shoulder – sugar. Any food that’s processed (including breads, pastries, yoghurts, chocolate etc) are all very high in sugar. They give us a nice feel-good boost of energy, but they also send our blood sugar very high to be followed by a low… which makes us reach for the next sugar hit. Try avoiding all processed foods and refined sugar for more even energy throughout the day. If you really need something sweet, then a square of 90% chocolate (or as high a percentage as possible) is your best option.

Our brains are pretty smart (usually!), and they’re the master controllers of our food intake, making sure we have enough energy for the rest of the body to run properly. If we’re craving something sweet it’s usually because our brain is ‘hungry’, or in other words telling us there isn’t enough energy in the form of glucose in the body – we feel tired, cranky, dizzy; all tools the brain creates so that we reach for the nearest food item or sugary snack. So how can we stop this?

Avoid sweeteners

Sweeteners are man-made and are basically designed to mimic the taste of sugar, but without the calories. The problem (amongst other things), is that sweet flavours tell the brain that it’s about to get some calories in the form of glucose. When these calories don’t materialize the brain will overreact and crave sweet stuff even more to fill the deficit that’s been left by no calories being taken in. Sweeteners are a big trick for the brain and so are best avoided if you want to steer clear of cravings and energy dips.

Exercise

Exercising in a fasted state helps the body to use our fat stores as energy, instead of only relying on carbohydrates. Our Western lifestyles mean we become inflexible and rely only on eating carbs for energy, but fat is a much better energy source as it lasts longer and so will keep your energy levels more balanced.

Sleep

If we’re tired, this is another reason we reach for sugar or caffeine. This sets up a perpetual cycle of peaks and troughs in terms of energy. Some of us find sleep a lot easier than others, but some good sleep hygiene rules for getting a good night’s sleep include: avoiding technology after dusk (as the blue light emitted keeps us awake), winding down with a bath, a neutral book, low lights, calm conversation (easier for some!) etc are all good tools to ‘tell’ the body it’s time for sleep.

Looking for an example meal plan to follow? Click next…