Eating to Boost Energy: What You Need to Know
Eating to Boost Energy: What You Need to Know
Key takeaways:
- A diet rich in nutrient-dense whole foods may help keep your energy levels high.
- If an iron deficiency is the cause of your fatigue, eating an iron-rich diet may help.
- Staying hydrated and limiting refined carbohydrates may contribute to you feeling more energized.
Breathing, sleeping, reading, playing sports, learning a new language — all of these things take energy. But having enough energy to do the things you want isn’t all that common. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America? Poll 2020 about half of the participants reported feeling sleepy from 3 to 7 days per week. Many things could be affecting your energy levels (poor sleep, lack of exercise, work, diseases like hypothyroidism, just to name a few), but one you might not think about is your diet.
You can help your body run more efficiently by fueling your energy tank with good sources of nutrition and adequate hydration. Here’s how to build a diet that gives you the energy you need.... READ MORE
Eating to Boost Energy: What You Need to Know
Imagine trying to drive your car around with an empty tank. That is how your body functions when it has no energy. Eventually, you will not be able to continue. “Energy provides the body with proper nutrients to function,” says Danna Raphael, RD, CDN, a clinical nutritionist at HSS. The body’s main source of energy? Food.
“Food should not be seen as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” Raphael says. Eating foods you think of as being unhealthy can often lead to feelings of guilt. But “all foods fit in a well-balanced diet. That means having a little chocolate or a couple of cookies, even daily, is okay. So enjoy the treat, and just remember that it’s all about the portions.”
If your goal is to eat to maintain your energy throughout the day, Raphael offers a couple of guidelines to follow to keep your engine humming...READ MORE
12 Best Foods That Give You All-Day Energy, Say Dietitians
On the most exhausting days when you're in need of a serious energy boost, it can obviously be tempting to continually reach for a cup of coffee throughout the day. And while a few cups in the morning are perfectly fine for most people, coffee doesn't often provide you with long-lasting energy, and you may instead find yourself feeling sluggish later on. Instead of loading up on too much coffee, you can try snacking on foods that give you energy all day long.
But what types of food give you lasting energy? Naturally, all food provides your body with some level of energy because of the way it's converted into calories, but some are more energizing than others. For starters, carbohydrates give the most energy to your body, but it doesn't mean you can load up on cupcakes and expect to be energized. Refined carbs (think added sugar and white bread) will spike your blood sugar quickly and actually lead to more fatigue, but complex carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables, whole grains) take a lot longer to digest, therefore more gradually raising your blood sugar and giving your body more sustainable energy... READ MORE
3 Incredibly Easy Ways to Boost Your Energy With Food
Ask any nutrition professional or doctor and they'll tell you that our energy level is determined by endless variables inside and outside our control (like genetics and age). Sleep is one of the most important factors for boosting our body's energy stores that we can affect, and food plays a big role, too.
There are a handful of eating habits (and nutrients) that can boost our energy level—as well as ways we're unknowingly slowing ourselves down. Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, helped us determine simple steps to feel more energetic, improve our digestion, and optimize our overall health. The good news? All three of her recommendations are incredibly easy. Happy snacking!
1) Eat a balanced breakfast.
Skipping breakfast or having an unbalanced, carb-rich meal in the morning can ultimately lead to feeling seriously sluggish. Why? "Because your body naturally breaks down muscle tissue at night, and if you aren't rebuilding muscle tissue by supplying the building blocks at breakfast, your digestion and energy can start to slow down," says Cassetty... READ MORE
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