In honor of March being National Nutrition Month, take the time to pause and evaluate your diet. Are you eating foods that are not only healthy but provide you with a natural energy source throughout the day? Or, are you eating foods high in sugar that result in frequent mental crashes? If you find you need to drink a red bull before going to work every morning so you are more awake, it might be time to reevaluate your food and liquid intake.
Everydayhealth.com has put together a list of foods and drinks that you should keep in your diet to maintain optimum energy levels throughout the day, and ones that you should consider consuming in moderation.
Energy and Diet
The main nutrients used for energy are carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Carbohydrates are the most important source, and proteins and fats can be used when carbohydrates have been depleted. When nutrients are consumed, the body breaks them down into smaller components and then they are absorbed. These broken down nutrients then become energy, fuelling our bodies.
There are two types of carbohydrates–simple and complex–both of which are converted to sugar. One of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy diet is making sure you’re eating enough of the right kind of carbohydrate.
Best Foods for Sustained Energy
Complex carbohydrates–high-fiber cereals, whole-grain breads and pastas, dried beans, and vegetables high in starch–are the best food sources for prolonged energy because they digest at a slow and consistent rate.
Proteins also maintain your energy throughout the day. Chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin, and fish are some of the most healthy meats. If you don’t eat meat, then legumes such as lentils and beans, and a moderate amount of fats such as avocados, seeds, and nuts are good replacements.
Drinking the right liquids is also a crucial part of maintaining your energy level. Water helps digestion, absorption, and the transport of nutrients for energy. Dehydration decreases energy levels. Consider drinking six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
Foods to Avoid
Try to limit your intake of simple carbohydrates. It’s okay to eat foods like candy, cookies, and sugary beverages, but don’t get into the habit of chowing down on these foods whenever you’re hungry. These foods will give you a burst of energy for about 30 to 60 minutes, but they are digested so fast that you can experience a crash in energy afterwards.
Alcohol and caffeine are beverages that can ultimately reduce your energy level. Alcohol is a depressant, while caffeine will only give you around a two-hour energy boost followed by a crash.
How Can CladeHealth Tracker Help?
Life can get hectic, leading you to make unwise choices when it comes to your diet and the foods you consume. Although it might take time initially to plug in all your health information into your CladeHealth Tracker, in the end you’ll save valuable time and energy by having all of your medical information at hand when it is needed.
In addition, if you have a chronic health condition that is impacted by diet, you can store all of the associated information in CladeHealth Tracker. With this personal health record, you will never be caught unprepared in a medical emergency. Experience peace of mind with CladeHealth Tracker.
Peraltleyein
Don’t eat bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta.if you like cichken live of that. omlette for brekkie mushroom, peppers, garlic, any veg you like really. only use 1 egg yolk and 2 or 3 Whites, or scrambled eggs.lunch, cichken stir-fry, (no noodles) with a stir fry sauce, or just fry some cichken and add some frozen mixed veg.tea, same sort of thing as lunch if you had stir fry have the cichken and veg, also with the cichken and veg you can add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a bit of curry powder.there is just as much goodness in frozen veg as fresh, plus water comes out of it so if your making the curry or stir-fry its never dry.also if you don’t mind hot food add 1 gram of fresh chillie into every meal, it speeds up your metabolism, and eat a whole red pepper before you go to bed.stick to this and you will loose weight, i hav lost 3 stone since christmas, and i don’t go to the gym or anything like that, im quite active but nothing serious.if you do this I GUARANTEE YOU WILL LOOSE WEIGHT but you MUST avoid the 4 foods i mentioned earlier.it will fall of you, good luck..