Energy Foods ? Sunwarrior News | Vegan, Vegetarian & Raw Food ...

Fatigue is something we are all too familiar with. Our modern world bombards us with stress, unhealthy food choices, mind-numbing work, and quick fixes that boost energy temporarily and then leave us drained, even more tired than we began. Often we are emotionally and mentally depleted at the end of the day, but our bodies refuse to sleep which creates a vicious cycle of perpetual exhaustion that builds and builds until we crash on our days off when we would rather be out enjoying ourselves.

There is a simple solution to this mountain of fatigue we all carry. The best advice for anyone who wants to lose weight and gain more energy is to get off the couch and eat more fruits and vegetables.

It?s something we all know, have always known, but we ignore this advice and continue sipping our high caffeine, sugary drinks hoping we can offset the tiredness, eat what we want, and procrastinate exercise a little longer. The only thing that will truly give us back the energy levels we desire is tied to eating well and being active; so simple, yet so difficult for most of us to do.

The trick is to start now. Do something today, even if it?s small: add fruit, vegetables, and whole grains to your menu; drink more water in place of sodas, energy drinks, or coffee; take a ten minute walk; avoid fast food for lunch; don ?t skip breakfast; and? watch your energy levels rise, your mood improve, and the fatigue fade. To completely get rid of low energy, keep making these types of choices.

Complex Carbohydrates

The body runs on carbohydrates and the brain can?t function without them. The glucose running through your veins is essentially linked to your energy level, mood, and thought processing power. We need it to fuel every movement and every thought.

Choose healthy whole grains like brown rice, oats, and quinoa or beans and legumes. These are rich in complex carbohydrates that are paired with fiber, protein, antioxidants, and many vitamins and minerals. Fiber slows digestion, controlling the release of sugar into the blood stream. This supplies a steady, long-term source of energy, keeping you going longer without worrying about the crash.

Good Fats

Not all fat is created equal and not all of it should be shunned. Good unsaturated fats aid metabolism, are burned as extra energy, and help keep the heart and blood vessels young and working well. Some fat is essential to the function of our brains, eyes, and nervous system and help the body stave off age-related diseases like dementia, Alzheimer?s, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

Good fats can be found in nuts like almond, cashews, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts; in seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp, and chia seeds; in olive and coconut oil; in fresh greens; and in avocados. Some of the fats in coconut are saturated, but they are made of smaller fatty acid chains that the body burns as fuel rather than stores, resulting in bursts of healthy vitality.Nuts and whole grains are also rich in magnesium, a key mineral involved in the conversion of sugar into energy. Dark chocolate has some good fats, some powerful antioxidants, and healthier amounts of caffeine to boost energy along with theobromine, another mild stimulant.

Lean Protein

Protein is important in cellular structure, muscle, and metabolism. The body uses it to create enzymes and hormones that aid digestion, transport nutrients into cells, help remove waste, balance mood, control metabolic processes, and a carry out a million other jobs. If you aren?t getting enough protein, your energy levels will be sapped and you are more prone to illness.

You don?t need a ton of protein, but you should get a good amount of balanced proteins from healthy sources that are free of saturated fats and cholesterol. Whole grains, beans, legumes, and nuts once again come to the rescue. Some, like hemp, chia, and quinoa, contain all the essential amino acids that we cannot create ourselves.

Water

Proper hydration is important to metabolic function and keeping blood the right consistency to flow through our veins and carry nutrients and energizing oxygen to the cells. Even slight dehydration can sap your strength and contribute to fatigue. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Pay attention to thirst and automatically respond to it, especially during the hotter months. Apart from water, drink fresh, unsweetened juices and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Fruits and vegetables are usually low calorie foods thanks to their water and fiber content. This is an easy way to feel full, eat something sweet, and not worry about the sugar spikes that come from processed sugars. The water in fruits and vegetables will aid hydration while the fiber releases energy slowly and antioxidants prevent damage from free radicals, letting cells repair themselves. Water and fiber rich fruits and vegetables include blueberries, cucumber, a?ai berries, apples, pears, goji berries, citrus, spinach, melons, cranberries, apricots, asparagus, and cherries.

Things to Avoid

Refined carbohydrates?like sugar, corn syrup, white flour, regular pasta, and white rice?are not the same as whole grains, beans, and legumes. These have been stripped of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This means they are absorbed and processed too quickly by the body, resulting in a rush of energy as glucose floods the bloodstream, but this high doesn?t last long. The body uses this sugar quickly and releases enzymes to clear the overfull bloodstream of something that can be damaging in large amounts. Cells begin absorbing glucose, and blood sugar plummets well below where it began, leaving us more exhausted.

So refined and processed foods create a yo-yo effect, driving energy levels way up and then down. This encourages us to try to counterbalance the low with more refined sugary foods or beverages and the yo-yo repeats itself throughout the day, as we bounce from energetic to exhausted over and over again. This isn?t a healthy way to boost energy, causing damage to blood vessels and the heart, and contributing to obesity and diabetes.

Caffeine has a similar yo-yo effect on energy, though not as dramatic as sugar. It isn?t a solution and should only be used in moderation and spaced throughout the day, not in large doses all at once like in coffee, energy drinks, energy supplements, and many sodas. Alcohol is another problem. It?s a depressant and will drag your energy levels down.

Don?t skip meals, especially breakfast. Once again, our bodies and brains run on glucose. Skipping a meal forces the body to break into reserves and starves the brain. Energy levels suffer. Fad diets don?t usually work long term, partly because the body craves food after being famished for so long and people quickly gain the weight back. True weight loss relies on a concentration of moderate eating, healthy food choices, and higher activity levels.

Things to Do

Lose weight. Dragging around ten or more extra pounds is like an anchor strapped to your body all day. No wonder many of us are so tired. Focus on eating well with moderate exercise and it will surprise you how quickly the pounds melt away. If you are eating more fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables, you will automatically be cutting calories while still feeding your body everything it needs.

Eat frequent meals or snacks. The body needs fuel to function properly. Eat two small snacks between meals. Make sure these are good snacks made up of healthy carbohydrates, good fats, fruits, and vegetables. Think more along the lines of almond butter on apple slices, whole grain crackers and hummus, or fresh berries and raw nuts.

Eat vitamin and mineral-rich foods like bell peppers, leafy greens, broccoli, quinoa, mushrooms, and citrus. Get a small amount of sunshine each day too for your daily dose of vitamin D. Vitamins and minerals may not directly supply energy, but they are involved in many of the processes that do. Vitamin C plays a large role in available energy levels, how we feel, how we burn fat, and in the absorption of iron. Vitamin D has been linked to healthy weight loss and in aiding the body resist depression. Iron helps carry oxygen to our cells and keeps our metabolism burning.

Raising energy levels is easier than you think. Just remember to follow the simple advice given above: get off the couch and eat more fruits and vegetables. It will make a huge difference in how you feel throughout the day, how you respond to stress, and how much energy reserves you have at the end of the day.

Learn more about Charlie Pulsipher

Source: http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/energy-foods/

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