Nutrition And Energy Increase
What we eat, drink and when we eat it play a big role in how energetic we feel during the day. Keeping a healthy lifestyle is a major contributor in the energy levels.
One of the most common reasons for feeling fatigued is often dehydration. It is vital to keep your body hydrated in order to have steady energy levels. Human body is made up of about 70% of water and it is required in most of the body functions. In case of a shortage of water in the body, some of the processes such as digestion, detoxification of the body become sluggish. Dehydrated body undergoes many symptoms like headaches, nausea, sinus, constipation, etc. when the body is hydrated the energy levels are improved due to the improved functioning of the various body parts.
If you exercise regularly and sweat a lot, make sure to drink at least 10 glasses of water to make up for any moisture lost.
Excess of caffeine also causes the body to get dehydrated therefore cutting back on the amount of java had in a day becomes of absolute importance, when it comes to talking of keeping the body hydrated. Although caffeine is a great energy booster but it is an artificial stimulant and causes a sudden energy spike and is highly addictive. It also tends to make the metabolism sluggish and can lead to cravings for coffee. Caffeine is also a diuretic and leads to dehydration very rapidly. When you have coffee make sure to increase the fluid intake so as to counter-balance the water lost. Cut back on the java beans for steady energy levels.
Another major culprit but a very subtle one is the sugar, which also results in a sudden spike and crash in energy levels. The spike and crash of the energy levels becomes addictive in nature and makes the body crave more and more of sugar. Sugar intake is also responsible for many other health issues such as diabetes, insulin levels. If a person cuts sugar completely from the diet, it can lead to a weight loss of about 2- 3 kg with rest of the diet remaining the same. Sugar tends to deplete the body of many essential vitamins and minerals. With the increase in the weight the body tends to have a slower metabolism and many hormonal imbalances are also caused, leading to a vicious dependence on sugar and other addictive substances for energy.
In order to obtain steady levels of energy throughout the day, switch to more natural foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods. If the fruits and vegetables have been grown organically (without the use of chemicals), these are more nutritive in nature. Fruits and vegetables are rich in many micro-nutrients and phyto-chemicals which are beneficial for the body’s metabolism. Including whole grains in the diet ensures that the body is provided with fiber which helps in making the body feel fuller for a longer duration.
Whole grains are store house of loads of minerals and vitamins along with the vital ingredient- protein making them the perfect food for providing the body with energy. Make certain to include green leafy vegetables since these are loaded with iron and many other anti-oxidants which are crucial for detoxifying the body and improving the circulatory system of the body.
Including the above foods guarantees that the body’s capacity to fight diseases is increased many-fold. Some of the vegetables can be had in the raw form in order to aid digestion and maximum assimilation of minerals and vitamins. These give the body a balanced energy supply throughout the day.
Another method to keep the energy levels from flagging in a day is to keep the meals smaller. Eating a large meal makes the body to release more insulin in order to digest the food which causes the blood sugar levels to fall and as a result the body becomes sluggish.
Breakfast should be ideally the heaviest meal in the sense that it should have more of proteins and fiber which take time to be broken down into smaller molecules and hence provide energy for a longer time. If you have breakfast which is rich in simple carbohydrates the energy spike will result in a crash even before noon. To facilitate alertness even in late afternoon it is important to eat healthy foods. Come what may, never skip a meal. If you are short on time or think that you will not be able to eat a proper lunch, pack healthy snacks such as fruit salad or a mixed vegetable salad. Eating healthy snacks has two fold benefits; one supply of energy steadily in the day, secondly it will help you keep the weight in control. You can carry a handful of nuts for an instant energy boost or even vegetable sticks or crackers.
