Revitalizing the Mind and Body: Revitalizing Foods to Boost Your Energy All Day (part 5 of a 8 part series)

Revitalizing Foods to Boost Your Energy All Day

One of the best ways to treat any type of exhaustion, beside hydration, is by eating the right type of food so that you can keep your energy balanced all day long. One thing to understand about food is that it’s all just different nutrients.

When you think of food as nutrients, you realize very fast that some things we put into our mouths aren’t really food. It’s more like a toy, a distraction, or a leisure activity – an unhealthy one at that. For example, coffee and donuts are not nutrients. Therefore, they are a horrible choice for anyone who is suffering from or trying to prevent mental and physical exhaustion.

So, understanding that, let’s look at some revitalizing foods that you can easily incorporate into your life to help you boost your energy all day. Remember that if you are on a special diet, you can just substitute the ideas so that they fit your way of eating. The important factor is to consider nutrients that give energy.

⦁    Brown Rice – If you normally eat white rice, switch out all your rice to brown rice, or even different colors of wild rice. Rice that has a color and is not processed will be richer in manganese, which is a mineral that helps your body process energy from both carbs and fats better. A good way to cook brown rice is to boil it in salted water just like you do noodles for 20 minutes, drain, then set aside with a lid on for at least 10 more minutes until ready to serve.

⦁    Sweet Potatoes – This is an excellent lunch idea because sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins and minerals. Loaded with vitamin A and C, if you eat a sweet potato for lunch you’ll be much less likely to suffer from the midday slump. They are super-easy to cook in the microwave or bake ahead. You can eat them hot or cold too.

⦁    Bananas – A banana is almost the perfect food. It has plenty of sugar and fiber to slow the digestion of the sugar. You can eat them alone, or you can spread with seed butter like hemp or sunflower seeds to add a protein kick to make it last even longer.

⦁    Apples – This is another naturally fast food. If you buy organic apples you can just wash them off and start eating them as they are. Due to the high fiber in apples, the sugar processes slowly - making them a perfect snack to help you study harder or get over the midday slump at work. If you normally start falling asleep around 3 pm, try grabbing a small apple around 2:30 and you may find that you don’t get tired at all.

⦁    Oranges – You know that an orange is high in vitamin C, and of course the hit of sugar will help perk you up too. But the smell of the citrus as you take out the time to peel the fruit will also wake you up and give you both a mental and physical boost of energy that can’t be beaten. Always eat your oranges rather than juice them for best results.

⦁    Spinach – Everyone knows that spinach is a superfood, but due to its high iron content that is easily digestible by the human body, adding just one cup of spinach to other dishes or smoothies that you eat throughout the day can make a huge difference in your energy levels. Popeye had the right idea, after all. Tip: Adding citrus and a small amount of fruit-based fat like coconut oil or olive oil to your spinach can help your body process the vitamins.

⦁    Eggs – For some people who need more iron and B vitamins but don’t want to eat anything that is sugary even if it’s a fruit, a boiled egg is the answer. The worries about too much cholesterol isn’t a problem for most people and falling asleep or getting overwhelmed due to studying or work can be avoided by adding a boiled egg to your snack options.

⦁    Water – While water isn’t a food, it needs to be mentioned. If you’re not drinking eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water each day, look to that as your first reason for exhaustion. Most people are walking around dehydrated and don’t even know it. Remember that water is life and the first choice for beverages should always be water.

Adding these foods to your day can make all the difference in the world to your energy levels. When you feel better, you will automatically feel more energetic. In addition to adding these foods to your daily diet, eliminate all processed food. Some people also see good results from eliminating dairy from their diets as it can be a cause of congestion, skin issues, and stomach issues for many adults.