Stress, energy and nutrition

How are your energy levels doing? Most of are trying to find balance between juggling work, family, social life, hobbies... When asked, most people think their energy levels are less now than they used to be, and many wouldn’t say no to a bit of an energy boost.

Does all that sound a bit too familiar? The start of the year is always a good time to focus on health and wellbeing, and the aim of this post is to give you some quick and easy ways of boosting your energy and improving your over all wellbeing.

One of the most noticeable effects of the fluctuating energy levels tend to be the mid-morning and afternoon dips when all you want to do is to either close your eyes for a sneaky nap or, more realistically, grab a coffee or a chocolate bar to get you out of that slump.

The problem with coffee (or any caffeinated drink) and sweets is that they give you an energy boost that is very short lived. So before you know it, you’ll need another cup of coffee to keep you going.

The reason this happens is that both coffee and sweets make the amount of sugar circulating in your blood stream rise very quickly to high levels. Sweets do that because of their high sugar content, and the caffeine in coffees and teas causes your body to release sugar from storage back into circulation, so the end result is the same.

Ideally your body wants you to only have about two teaspoons of sugar in the blood stream at any one time. As an average chocolate bar contains at least four or five teaspoons of sugar, some corrective action is required to keep the balance. This means that the rapid high - which gives you the initial energy boost - is quickly followed by a low. Low blood sugar levels go hand in hand with feeling irritable, sleepy, finding it hard to concentrate, and worst of all, craving for something sugary to get you going again.

Apart from the ever fluctuating energy levels, the blood sugar fluctuations also make it harder for you to control your weight. Unless you are planning on going for a run or having a good session at the gym, your body doesn’t really need all the energy provided by your ‘pick me up’ snack or drink. So if it’s not immediately required, the energy has to be stored. And guess what – your body is an expert at converting excess sugar into fat! The more energy fluctuations you have, the more storage activity there is likely to be going on in your body.

To give you lasting energy – and help stop any extra pounds piling on – all you need to do is choose to eat foods that release their energy more slowly. So here are some simple rules for the new more energetic you:

• The quick burn foods tend to be either sweet, white or fluffy (such as sweets, biscuits, fluffy cakes, white refined grains like white rice and pasta). Avoid those, and instead choose foods that are thick, fibrous or protein (vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, lean meat, fish etc).
• In practice, ditch your fluffy and sweet breakfast cereals, and instead choose porridge (fibrous), rye bread (thick and fibrous) or live yoghurt (protein) with berries or fruit. Eggs are also great for breakfast, but might be more convenient at weekends when you don’t need to rush so much.
• Whatever you choose, don’t skip breakfast. It sets your energy levels for the day and will help you avoid the sugary snacks later on.
• Good slow burn snacks to replace the biscuits and chocolates include nuts and seeds. Make a mixture from your favourite nuts and seeds and carry some in your handbag.
• Avoid the dried fruit trap – they seem like a healthier option to sweets and biscuits, but are just as sugary. Choose fresh fruit instead, which still has all the fibre and vitamins intact.
• Make sure your lunch includes some protein. Have some fish or chicken in your sandwich or cottage cheese or beans with your jacket potato. Avoid soups made only of vegetables. Protein digests more slowly and gives you a slower and steadier release of energy.
• The simplest trick of all is to keep well hydrated by drinking enough plain water. Dehydration can make you feel really tired and irritable, so aim to drink at least 1.5 litres every day. The easiest way to achieve this is to fill a large bottle of water in the morning (most offices have a water fountain) and sip from it throughout the day.

There is more information about nutrition, stress and health on my web-site at www.sannahealth.com