What to Eat for More Energy

Food fatigue is what happens when your meals contribute to a tired feeling rather than an energized feeling. Food fatigue is becoming more common as people's bodies and digestion are thrown off track by stress and other lifestyle factors.



Let's explore what to eat for better energy. If you think this is leading to a discussion about a specific diet to follow, you can say "phew" because that's not the case. Each person's diet is different from the person next to them for a reason. Each of our bodies are different from one another.

You can't ask a teenage boy to eat like a 35-year old woman or vice versa. So, the first key for learning what foods give you more energy and make you feel less tired is to: Notice. Pay attention to how you feel after eating different foods.

How does dairy feel versus other proteins and fats? How does energy from corn products feel different from wheat products? Other than energy, what other health differences do you observe from eating each food.

The second key to knowing what to eat for better energy is to recognize that stress influences what foods you're drawn to during physically and emotionally trying times. Additionally, the foods that stress makes you crave are the kind the blast your energy through the roof for about half an hour to an hour before there is an energy crash.

These foods are usually high in sugar and refined wheat, but can also be the naturally sleep-inducing comfort foods higher in fat. Noticing when you're feeling stress can help with this, along with noting whether your food habits do change during times of stress.

The third key to maximizing energy from your meals is to limit portions of them, no matter what food it is. For some, it may seem healthy to cut out refined wheat crackers in favor of rice cakes until a whole bag is emptied and the person is left wondering why they feel so full.

SO Full usually leads to SO tired too. By paying attention to food portioning, you can learn how much food your body is actually craving for a typical meal. If you ignore these cues, overeating can easily result.

Finally, our fourth key to eating for sustained energy is to try and incorporate protein and fiber into as many meals and snacks as you can. These foods have high satiety (fullness) effects and also break down slowly in the body so you get more bang for your buck in terms of energy.

In the next article, we'll focus on decreasing Food Fatigue with the question "Why are you eating?"

Health Constellations is a fun and interactive website that offers free tools and other services to improve your health. We help you connect the dots between your chronic health symptoms so you can achieve long-lasting health to look and feel better!