Need an Energy Boost?
Your body needs fuel to function, just like a car engine. This fuel comes in the form of carbohydrates, fats and protein which your body sources from food. These are broken down into glucose (sugars) in your digestive system and transported through the bloodstream to every cell in your body where it is used as energy.
Low glucose levels could leave you feeling fatigued, dizzy and irritable, as well as causing headaches and nausea. To help you maintain your energy levels throughout the day, include these energy boosting foods in your diet:
- Brown Rice: Brown rice is rich in manganese, a mineral which supports your metabolism and helps your body break down carbohydrates. It also aids in gluconeogenesis, a chemical process in the liver which produces glucose.
- Sweet Potato: The complex carbohydrates in sweet potatoes gradually break down and release energy over a longer period of time, helping you maintain a steady blood glucose level. Sweet potatoes also have high levels of vitamin C, which aids the absorption of manganese.
- Oats: As well as being an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, oats are high in energy boosting B-vitamins. These water soluble nutrients help cells absorb glucose efficiently from the bloodstream to use as energy.
- Yogurt: This quick, light snack could help replenish your glycogen levels. This is extra glucose which the body stores in the liver as well as in muscle cells. It is then released when your blood glucose levels drop to give you a boost.
- Fruits: Fruits offer a significant dose of glucose which is easily metabolized into energy. Most fruits are digested in under half an hour, providing a quick energy release. The fructose they contain can also be converted into liver glycogen.
- Spinach: Spinach is a great source of iron, which is a key component of energy production that supports the chemical reactions needed to source energy from carbohydrates and fats. Iron also aids circulation and supplies cells with the oxygen they need to break down food into energy.
- Almonds: Almonds are packed with protein and manganese as well as riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2. Like other B vitamins, it aids in the break down of carbohydrates. It also helps metabolize proteins and fats to maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
- Eggs: Eggs contain the highest complete form of protein in any food and provide 30% of your recommended daily amount. The small molecules, known as amino acids, produced when protein is broken down can be turned into glucose or fatty acids to be used as energy.
- Water: Water is essential for all of your organ functions, and dehydration can limit your physical and mental ability, making you feel tired and fatigued. It’s recommended you drink between 2 & 3 liters of water per day; however, if you do a lot of exercise or are pregnant you should increase your intake.
- Water is essential to most bodily functions.
- The body has no way to store water and needs fresh supplies every day.
- Dehydration is life threatening to a baby and requires urgent medical attention.
- Adult women should consume around two liters (eight cups) and adult men 2.6 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids a day to prevent dehydration.