In my last nutrition feature I talked about the importance of sleep and discussed dietary/lifestyle strategies for achieving it. The piece generated some good discussion in the comments section so if you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, be sure to drop by to take advantage of that information as well.
One of the most common concerns I encounter in my nutrition practice is low energy levels and fatigue. Whether it’s difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, the classic afternoon slump, crashing early evening or low energy levels persisting throughout the day, fatigue can strongly impact our work productivity, mood, motivation and the quality of our interactions with others.
Along with regular exercise, managing stress levels and obtaining a proper night’s rest, eating the right foods at the right time can go a long way to avoiding common energy drains and restoring balance.
1. Eat Breakfast (or bring it with you) — after prolonged sleep, breaking our fast (breakfast) helps kick start metabolism and promote mental acuity. It supplies us with the energy we need to begin our day and prevents hunger from striking at a time when we are more apt to make poor dietary choices.
If lack of time or appetite is a factor, (or if you are in a long-standing habit of not eating breakfast), consider starting small and simple: a handful of nuts and seeds; a wedge of cheese; plain yogurt; a wholesome granola bar; a hard-boiled egg or two tablespoons of peanut butter — it doesn’t get much easier than that — and the difference between any of these simple choices and no food in the morning can be significant in terms of mood, alertness and concentration. Start small with what is tolerable for you (or the individual you are supporting), and build slowly from there. Over time, you can expand your repertoire — smoothies are another great option for reluctant breakfast eaters.
2. Include protein not only at mealtime but also when snacking — it requires more work for our bodies to break down protein and fat than carbohydrates. By combining a quality carbohydrate (example: vegetable/fruit/whole grain of choice) with a protein and/or fat (example: nut or seed butter, guacamole, hummus, cheese, milk, yogurt) it slows down the rapid conversion of the carbohydrate to sugar, helping us feel fuller longer and preventing jags in insulin levels. By stabilizing blood sugar in this way, we also help supply a smooth and steady release of energy over time rather than a quick burst. This dietary strategy is not only important at meal time but also, critically, when snacking during long stretches of time between meals — for example the gap after lunch (around 1 pm) and dinner (around 7 pm or later).
3. Plan ahead to avoid large time gaps between food consumption — eating irregularly or skipping meals can play havoc with blood sugar levels leaving us feeling weak, shaky and irritable. When we wait too long to eat, our bodies naturally cue us in to consume the quickest form of energy available which is almost always those low nourishment carbohydrates (sweets and the whole gamut of refined ‘bready things”) which give us a quick boost of energy but almost as quickly leave us feeling hungry, tired and sluggish all over again (the sugar crash). If you know it’s going to be a busy day, or one spent mostly on the road, plan ahead for some simple snack options that include those vital proteins and/or fats in tandem with quality carbohydrates and experiment with different options and time frames to see what works best for you. Something as simple as a handful of trail mix can make all the difference. Orchard Valley Harvest has a line of portioned grab-and-go snacks of this nature that I carry along when we travel.
Frequency and timing of food intake will vary according to a number of variables — age, stage of life, activity levels and the type/amount of food consumed throughout the day (6 grams of protein at lunch will not have the same staying power as 30 grams, for example). As a very general guideline, eating every three hour to four hours for most adults (more frequently for children) can help keep blood sugar levels stable and mood balanced.
4. Make sure you’re well hydrated — we’re all familiar with the mid-afternoon slump that has our eyes watering, heads bobbing and minds fogging over. The overwhelming desire is to curl up and take a nap (which is not always possible, practical or desirable).
Eating well-timed meals/snacks that include the vital protein/fat element will go a long way to preventing this scenario but another critical component is staying hydrated. If you’re having one of those afternoons, and we all do, one of the very best remedies is to pour yourself a tall glass of water and gently stretch your body as you sip it (if you have the option of going outside, even momentarily, to get some fresh air or walk around the block, that can also be powerfully helpful). The whole process will only take about 10 minutes but will do your body and mind immeasurable good.
Water is the hub of all biochemical processes in the body and even mild dehydration (1-5% loss of body water) has been shown to reduce efficiency and performance and is one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue.
How much water — water needs fluctuate depending on a number of factors: ambient temperature, activity levels, diet and general health. Consumption of diuretics, such as caffeine and alcohol, increase urinary output requiring more water consumption to make up for this loss. The Mayo Clinic estimates that the average adult produces 6.3 cups (about 1.5 litres) of urine a day plus an additional 4 cups of water through breathing, sweating and bowel excretion. Food generally accounts for 20% of water intake. By this standard, we should aim for a minimum of 8 cups of water per day (or 2 litres) to replenish lost fluids in addition to food sources (fresh fruits and vegetables are a particularly good source of water).
Ideas for enhancing taste — some delicious ways of enlivening the taste of water include adding fresh herbs, edible flowers, fruit and vegetables to your beverages. Some choices include: sliced cucumber, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, berries, pomegranate, mint, thyme, rosemary and lavender. You can also enjoy herbal teas and sparkling water or add a splash of your favorite unsweetened fruit juice to water. Smoothies are another delicious way to stay hydrated (and nourished). Have fun experimenting and coming up with your own combinations.
5. Have your vitamin/mineral levels checked – sometimes lack of energy is attributable to certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The most common deficiency implicated in fatigue is iron (especially for menstruating women – vegetarians and vegans are at higher risk). Iron deficiency, even in the absence of anemia, can cause fatigue, lethargy and difficulty concentrating and is certainly worth investigating. Another deficiency that arises on occasion is B12 (vegans and those who do not absorb B12 well are at higher risk). You can have your vitamin and mineral levels tested through your health care practitioner.
If you are living with persistent low energy levels, be sure to follow-up with your health care practitioner. Ongoing fatigue may be indicative of other health concerns.
The information in this post is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician or other health care professional directly before beginning or changing a course of health treatment.
This was a great read Kelly! I have started eating more frequently through the day by adding snacks of fruits and nuts. It’s made such a difference. My caffeine consumption is way down. I hope that you are doing well. I’m at one of Mr. N’s rehearsals and wanted to pop in and say hi. Think of you often! Hugs to all!
Great tips and reminders Kelly – I’m always trying to remember to drink enough fluids during the day. I try to keep a glass by the kitchen sink so I take a drink everytime I’m in the kitchen.
I love these tips…soo important!!
I’m not huge into breakfast but I love smoothies and that’s worked really well for me, as I can add hemp seeds or protein powder!
Water is a hard one…I bring a water bottle everywhere but remembering to actually drink out of it is a different story!! I can sure feel the difference that it makes on days when I do remember, though,
I enjoyed reading these comments, too- lots of extra healthy tips! :-)
come on now KoKo, I’ve known you far too long not to be aware of your favorite morning smoothie ingredient — it starts with a C and ends with an E and has an “hocolat” in between, LOL. What are big sisters for, right? :D.
I just stumbled upon your blog and I love it! :)
I love this article too. All of these tips are so easy and approachable yet they make such a huge difference in how we feel throughout the day. And I always need a reminder to drink more water!
thank you Sarah! I’m so happy you stumbled ;-) it’s great to meet you and learn about your work as well. I don’t know about you but the climate here in Northern California is much drier than the one I came from and I was feeling it on every level — even the delicate area around my mouth was beginning to dry out — I had to recalibrate things from the inside out by consciously increasing my water intake. My husband who has probably had 3 headaches in his entire life was starting to get dehydration headaches here and noticed the turnaround quickly when he began drinking more water. It seems like such a small thing but is it ever powerful! Cheers Sarah, have a great weekend.
What a great feature Kelly! I love the image of stretching one’s body while drinking water in the afternoon… as you say, it’s not a large investment of time but we never seem to do it. That reminder really resonated with me. I just planted a few favorite herbs indoors this past weekend and look forward to adding them to drinks. Lately I’ve been enjoying unsweetened cranberry juice diluted with water; really bitter at first but then you adapt and actually I now find it delicious – it’s my sip of choice. I smiled when I read “bready things” – I think I know exactly the basket of goodies you’re talking about :). By the way, I just love that first image – a beautiful whimsical look and the lighting is so pretty.
thank you Clare! Yes, I find that when I’m sitting at my desk working I have a tendency to tense up my body — I especially feel it in my shoulders over time (usually when I’m running behind on a publication deadline LOL) — stretching is such an important part of keeping the body fluid and for me, avoiding migraines. On the photo, it’s funny I don’t usually overexpose photos like this but when I ran the photo on instagram, I fell in love with it. It just reminded me of an easy breezy summer’s day — sticky hot, blue skies, running through sprinklers and the feeling of nostalgia it wraps you in.
Excellent feature. I like how you explain the connection between food, blood sugar, energy and mood. This is also the first time I’ve seen a breakdown of water intake taking into account output, water-rich foods, etc. Do you recommend certain carbohydrates over others?
Hi Tracy, thank you for visiting! I’m so pleased to hear this feature was useful to you. As for carbohydrates, my own view is that it shakes down to: abundant vegetables and fruit, lentils/legumes (beans!) and some quality whole grains (that have not been stripped of their native fibre content). Those are the carbs I focus on most of the time. Of course, there are always exceptions — I will never refuse the Chef recommended gnocchi when I’m dining out ;-) especially from this place: http://industrielfarm.com.
If you want a more accurate gauge of how quickly a carbohydrate converts into a sugar in your body, you can use the Glycemic Index (GI). If you want a measure of how much sugar per serving is generated from the ingestion of a particular carbohydrate, you can look at the Glycemic Load of food (the lower a food’s glycemic index or glycemic load, the less it affects blood sugar and insulin levels). If you don’t want to spend the day looking at indices, you can combine your quality carbohydrate of choice with protein/natural fat to slow-down the carbohydrate’s conversion to sugar thereby reducing the impact on your blood sugar/insulin. Hope this helps ~ have a great day.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your reply and detailed information. Very helpful.
another great post Kelly, thank you. Do you recommend coconut water? I’m always a little skeptical at what’s ‘the rage’ but it’s been around a long time. And probably better than drinking the Gatorade-type drinks. Cucumber water is one of my favourites and I also love ginger water.
I don’t understand people who don’t eat breakfast. My go to is 3 egg whites and a half a grapefruit, sometimes with a half slice of German multigrain or seedy bread.
Hi Eva, the subject of coconut water comes up most often in connection with sports nutrition and specifically how it compares to sports drinks such as Gatorade — unless you are using coconut water in association with exercise, I’m not certain you require (or would want to pay for) the electrolytes it contains, notably: potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. If you are thinking of coconut water in connection with sports, you can have a look at a segment I wrote which compares it to sports drinks: https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2013/08/blackberry-coconut-water-post-exercise.html
I’m loving your nutrition features Kelly and appreciate the information you are sharing; so helpful. My daughter was recently diagnosed with low iron and had been complaining for months about low energy (it showed in her behavior as well). Although she is not technically a vegetarian she does not eat a lot of meat and I think this in combination with her period (as you mention) has a strong impact and it’s really important for young women to understand this. We did get her blood tested and noticed a big change in her energy and outlook following supplementation. As for my part, I’ve been making an effort to increase protein since your sugar feature and it really does make a difference – I find I don’t crave junky foods nearly as much either. Keep up the wonderful work Kelly!
thank you for sharing your story with us Elizabeth – it’s so helpful for others when you take the time to do this. You make a good point about low meat consumption and how it can affect iron levels even when not technically a vegetarian. It’s important for people to keep in mind that the first step is testing blood levels — I never advise supplementing based on fatigue and the ‘possibility’ or assumption of low iron. It’s important to know where levels are and whether in fact supplementation is necessary in each case, as you did with your daughter. Thanks again Elizabeth!
Another great article Kelly! I’m one of those people that have to force herself to eat breakfast because I’m just not hungry in the morning. However, with Bobby’s help and knowing that I SHOULD eat, I always eat a little something, even if it’s just a small bowl of cereal or my cup of atole. Summers are easier because I can make smoothies.(I find winters too cold for smoothies :)) Because I’ve had mixed connective tissue disease now for over 10 years, fatigue, energy, and getting enough activity and sleep are all things that I deal with on a daily basis. I don’t like taking a handful of vitamins so getting it from food is important. I have found that a little bit of protein throughout the day really, really does helps. I like the idea of having trail mix around. Now if I could just drink enough water. Thank you for some great reminders and some new information!!!
Hi MJ, yes, smoothies seem to be better tolerated on a low appetite and they can offer great nourishment too. I worked with a cancer patient at one point who was unable to tolerate solid food (no appetite) and it was remarkable how much goodness we were able to work into liquid form.
Although I’m a breakfast eater, I have no trouble understanding that it’s not everyone’s routine — I’m quite sure I went through a similar phase when I was younger and as I recall the thought of food pretty much nauseated me in the morning. Like most things it’s about establishing habits — my preference is the slow and steady approach and never forced. Do what you can do and build from there. Same thing goes for whatever physical or mental limitations/illnesses we may be living with — so important to work within our parameters. Thank you for your kind words MJ.
Great tips, Kelly. Breakfast is the most important meal for me. Actually I need two breakfasts because I am an early riser.
I have a similar thing going on Angie — I like to eat a little something easily digestable before I work out but not too much. I generally have a high fibre cereal with berries, nuts/seeds at 7 am and then when I return home I have a protein rich meal around 10:30/11 am – not sure if that’s a late breakfast or early lunch but I do know it works for me! :O)
Excellent reminders for restoring energy, Kelly, thank you. Especially about planning ahead! *So* important! For me, drinking enough water is something I need to work on. When I get goin’ I simply forget to drink enough. This is an ongoing struggle, even though I carry a water bottle every where I go. It’s when I’m working from home that I forget most.
I couldn’t agree more about eating breakfast. I used to skip breakfast. Then I slowly developed better habits. When I started drinking green smoothies every morning, it changed everything from my energy levels in the mornings to my overall stamina through the day. They’ve been a life changer!
it’s funny how we can be home and completely miss the water thing, isn’t it… happily busy doing our thing :) I get these little physical reminders now that cue me in and sometimes I actually set it up so that I consciously replenish my glass between tasks and before moving on to the next task — (like a scheduled appointment :p) the games busy people need to play! Yes, smoothies, such a good reminder — easy, well-tolerated on a low appetite and great nourishing potential. Thank you Traci! Have a brilliant weekend.