Feast On These High-Energy Foods
You don’t need a PhD in biochemistry to know that food is fuel and that it affects our energy levels. But you have to be smart if you’re eating for energy. „Certain eating strategies will definitely help you ward off fatigue,“ says Stacey Whittle, RD, a registered dietitian at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Ironically, the very food we so often rely on for quick energy—concentrated sources of sugar, like candy bars or soda—are the very foods that you should avoid if you want enduring energy, say experts.
Here’s why: Your body uses food for energy by turning it into blood sugar, or glucose. Carbohydrates convert most easily into this ready-to-burn fuel, making them your macronutrient of choice for energy eating. The problem is that some simple carbohydrates, like sugar, tend to break down so fast that, after providing a short-lived burst of energy, they leave your blood sugar levels low, your energy inadequate, and your plans for the day unaccomplished. Complex carbohydrates, like grains, replace this spike-and-dip act with a steady energy supply that keeps you going at full throttle.
Striking The Optimal Energy Balance
You don’t have to radically change your diet to include nothing but high energy foods to ratchet up your energy levels. Chances are, you’re already eating many of the foods best suited for daylong energy. It’s simply a matter of eating them at the right time, in the right amounts, and in the right combinations.
What’s the ideal mix? High (but not exclusively) carbohydrates, moderate protein, low (but not no) fat. Think of a turkey sandwich with low-fat mayo, a small serving of spaghetti and meatballs, or a bowl of chili.
Distribute your calories equally among breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A skimpy breakfast, a hurried lunch, and a huge evening feast is about the least energy-efficient eating schedule imaginable. „What do you need all those calories for if you’re going to bed?“ says Debra Wein, RD, cofounder of Sensible Nutrition Connection in Hingham, Massachusetts.
„Anybody who’s ever done justice to a Thanksgiving dinner knows that you get tired when you overstuff,“ says Ann Grandjean, EdD, director of the International Center for Sports Nutrition in Omaha, Nebraska.
Never, ever skip a meal. „Many women skip breakfast,“ Wein says. „And some may even skip lunch because they think it will help them lose weight.“ But by skipping breakfast or lunch—or both—not only are you depriving your body of calories just when it needs them the most, you’re also likely to compensate with a lethargy-inducing pig-out when you do eat. So much for weight loss! „And if you keep skipping meals, the result over time is a general malaise,“ Wein says.
Eat five meals a day. The experts favor adding a midmorning and midafternoon snack to your daily meal schedule, and downgrading your other three meals accordingly to keep your total calories where you want them. This mini-meal plan is a super energy booster because you’re getting energy into your body right when you need it, you won’t be going too long between meals, and you’re less likely to overeat or undereat. „If you watch your portion size and take time for that midmorning and midafternoon snack, you’ll be surprised at how positively your energy levels are affected,“ Whittle says.
Wein suggests the following energizing calorie allotments: If you’re a fairly typical weight-watching woman, your calorie count per day will probably fall between 1,400 and 2,000. If you’re at the higher number, shoot for 500 calories at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with midmorning and midafternoon snacks at 250. If you’re down at 1,400 total calories, your meals should be 400 calories each, with two 100-calorie snacks.