Daily energy slumps are a problem for many people. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to meet someone who doesn’t struggle with them. Have you ever thought about your daily routine consisting of a flow of caffeine hits and sugar-filled snacks just to get you through? It’s important to remember when you are having one of those days that what goes up must come down; and if you’re pumping your body full of sugar and stimulants for long enough, it all catches up with you in the long run.
Relying on this quick-fix approach to gaining energy can have you curling up in foetal position by 3pm, skipping dinner, then peeling yourself off the couch to drag yourself into bed. This can become a repetitive cycle that can eventually manifest in conditions that leave you so depleted of energy that it’s difficult to get out of bed in the morning, even after a good night’s sleep.
Improving natural energy levels requires your body to be fed with top-quality fuel and, unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about which foods will help your body perform optimally. Despite what some may believe, energy and vitality don’t come from a guarana, caffeine and a sugar-filled cocktail-in-a-can. Real vitality and energy can only come through giving your body the nutrients it needs to function optimally.
If you’re unclear on what foods are the best to consume to bolster the immune system and provide you with energy, why not think of your body like a fire? Good-quality, properly prepared whole grains, lean meat and other protein sources, fresh vegetables, herbs and spices and good fats are like wood and will keep the fire burning without smoking it out with unnecessary additives. Ever smelt a fire when you throw plastic on it? That’s what unnatural foods are going to do to your body. Processed, manmade, deep-fried, sugary and artificial foods, although seeming to provide instant energy, burn out quickly and do not allow the body to sustain itself, so it needs higher amounts to keep it functioning.
All it takes to get off the high- and low-energy see-saw and have consistent energy throughout the day is to incorporate a few small steps into your everyday routine. These steps will ensure you have the most energy-efficient day from beginning to end and be able to enjoy a long, restful night’s sleep while rejuvenating your body to provide energy for the following day.
Step 1: Create a clean slate with a lemon detox drink first thing in the morning
Mornings are the best opportunity you have to safeguard the energy you need for the whole day and the first thing you should do to kick-start your metabolism is to have a tall lemon detox drink.
As soon as you wake up, simply squeeze half a lemon into a glass, top it with warm, filtered water and down it before you’ve even started to think about eating. One of the greatest benefits of starting your day with this simple concoction is that it’s a brilliant way to kick-start detoxification. This simple drink cleanses and detoxifies the digestive system, flushing out impurities and creating a clean slate for your system to receive all the nutrients you will be munching through the day.
Nutrient uptake happens through the digestive tract, so if your body is clogged up with toxins and waste from the day before, you’ll be inhibiting this process and therefore your body’s ability to convert nutrients into energy. Lemons also possess a unique composition of negative ions, which helps the body to obtain adequate energy from the food you eat.
A good chug of water in the morning is also great for hydrating your system for the day ahead, as hydration is a huge factor in how energetic you feel. If you’re dehydrated, you’ll feel more blah and you may function less well, too. A small Swiss study found that when volunteers were deprived of water for 24 hours they were nearly twice as tired and one-third less alert — so get into the H2O!
Step 2: Squeeze in a chlorophyll-rich green juice
If your bladder can handle it, fitting in another hit of hydration before brekky in the form of a detoxifying green juice is a sure-fire way to reap a solid burst of living energy for your day. Green juices are the best medicine you can give your body. The juicer predigests the vegetables for you, leaving you with a heap of bioavailable nutrients that will enter your system quickly. The high chlorophyll content oxygenates your blood, elevating your haemoglobin count, which will increase circulation and give you a fresh burst of energy.
As tempting as it may be, do yourself a favour; skip the grande latte and try this refreshing and invigorating combination instead:
Cucumber, Spinach, Basil, Lemon & Lime Juice
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 bunches English spinach
2 cucumbers, cut in half lengthways
1 lemon (zest & pith removed)
1 lime (zest & pith removed)
½ cup fresh basil leaves
Method
Place ingredients in the juicer remembering to make them small enough to fit through the chute.
Add ice cubes once you have finished to make the juice even more palatable and reduce the acidity of the lime and lemon.
If you prefer a sweeter juice, add a small amount of carrot or apple but remember that too much fruit causes spikes in blood-sugar levels.
Step 3: Fill up on a breakfast that will stabilise sugar levels
When you need energy, toast alone or even cereal won’t do it. In fact, most supermarket cereals are among the worst offenders when it comes to unnecessary, unhealthy ingredients. Rather than contain whole foods, they’re laden with all sorts of energy-sapping, immune-system-suppressing ingredients such as fructose, reconstituted fruit, emulsifiers, artificial flavours, refined wheat and corn products, invert sugar syrup and even carmine — a colouring made from ground up beetles! Eek!
The high sugar content of these lifeless breakfasts will give you a short-term buzz but you’ll also reap the harmful effects of consuming these artificial ingredients: a rollercoaster of heightened and decreased energy, and increased risk of chronic diseases, including cancer. Eating supermarket cereals is an unsustainable option for long-term energy and optimal health.
A satisfying, balanced meal is super-important to secure energy levels, and you can’t get a much more balanced ingredient than quinoa. The craze for quinoa has its roots in the knowledge that, unlike other grains, it’s a complete protein. The superfood uniquely contains all nine essential amino acids required for protein utilisation, making it the perfect breakfast staple, keeping you fuller for longer.
Cinnamon is a wonderful breakfast ingredient due to its blood-sugar-stabilising abilities. By adding cinnamon to your morning meal, you can wave goodbye to those desk micro-sleeps. Cinnamon has even been scientifically proven to be a viable contender in the fight against diabetes, as it’s been found to increase glucose metabolism about twenty-fold. Cinnamon slows the emptying of your stomach to reduce spikes in blood sugar following meals and improves the effectiveness of insulin.
This quinoa porridge with antioxidant-rich berries and cinnamon will provide you with a warm and fulfilling breakfast that’ll keep you going till the lunch bell sounds. Ditch the supermarket cereals; you’re better off eating the cardboard boxes they come in. If you want a real energy-boosting breakfast, give this delectable recipe a try:
Quinoa Porridge With Mixed Berries
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
8 drops stevia liquid concentrate
1 tbsp coconut oil or butter (if tolerated)
Almond milk to serve
½ tsp lime zest (optional)
Method
Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a wide saucepan.
Add quinoa, sea salt, cinnamon, stevia and butter/coconut oil.
Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove from heat and scoop into a bowl, add almond milk, scatter with lime zest and enjoy.
Step 4: Indulge in a luscious lunch bursting with nutrients
At lunch, your aim is to fill yourself with the fuel to charge through the danger zone: 3pm. If this zone isn’t prepared for, it can have you ravenous, diving for the closest donut and downing a triple-shot espresso — a big no-no if you want a restful evening. Snacking on sugar increases the stress hormone, cortisol, which interrupts circadian rhythms. Likewise, caffeine increases cortisol levels, over-burdens the adrenal glands and blocks adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical that accumulates through the day. Avoiding lapses into caffeine and sugar dependence requires a lunch that’ll satisfy your tastebuds and meet your body’s demand for adequate nutrients.
Lunch is one of those meals that requires convenience, something that is easily transportable, and a fabulous frittata is the perfect option. If you make a big frittata at the beginning of the week, you’ll have several easy lunch options to bring to work. Energy-boosting eggs are a wonderful source of high-quality protein and amino acids that will power you through the afternoon, keeping you satisfied until dinner time. They’re like a perfect multivitamin in a package, containing the ideal balance of fats, protein and nutrients needed to provide optimum energy.
Try this recipe for a scrumptious, simple lunch option to keep your energy up until dinner time.
Fluffy Chicken Frittata
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil for frying
6–8 eggs
½ tsp sea salt
Many dashes black pepper
Chicken breast & 2 thighs (from one cooked chicken)
½ head broccoli, cut into florets
2 large Roma tomatoes, sliced
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Place onions and garlic in a pan with olive oil, fry until caramelised then remove.
Whisk eggs and add salt, pepper, cooked chicken, broccoli, tomato & caramelised onion to the mixture and stir through.
Pour into a casserole dish or a glass pie pan.
Bake for 30 minutes, let set for 5 minutes before eating.
To really maximise your energy, a fresh salad bursting with enzymes will take this frittata to the next level. It’s always important to maximise your intake of raw vegetables wherever possible, as they’ll supply the body with powerful free-radical-fighting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that will allow your body to thrive, making it resilient to energy-sapping environmental toxins and defending against illness.
This antioxidant salad contains a range of brightly coloured vegies and sweet and tangy flavours that will bring a smile to your dial, giving you that extra kick that will keep you soldiering on until home time.
Antioxidant Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
6 vine ripened tomatoes
1 red onion
1 red capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
1 bunch basil
1 small handful radicchio leaves, chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp dried goji berries (optional)
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
Method
Dice tomatoes, onion and capsicums and place in a salad bowl. Add basil leaves, radicchio, parsley and goji berries if using.
Put the lime juice, lemon juice and olive oil in a small jar and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake well.
Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss lightly and serve.
Step 5: Unwind with an easily digested, delicious dinner
So you’ve made it through the day and, with a constant supply of supercharged ingredients that satisfy your senses, you should be feeling relaxed and ready for something soothing for dinner. There are so many things that can rob you of your sleep, so the last thing you need is for your last meal to be working against you. At this time of day, your body has no desire for a heavy, hard-to-process meal but rather something that’ll be easy on the digestive system so you can fall easily into some well needed shut-eye.
A slow-cooked meal prepared in the morning is one of the best things you can ever come home to, and the knowledge that you have a scrumptious meal awaiting you after a day at work is a great comfort. Having the evening to relax and unwind rather than rushing around the kitchen is a great way to avoid stress, which can impact on your energy levels for the following day.
The last meal of the day should give your body a good dose of nutrients that it can easily work with during those regenerative hours of sleep. This hearty slow-cooked lamb hotpot provides a range of health-boosting nutrients that can be easily digested thanks to the long, slow cooking process, which breaks down cell walls, making the vegetables and meat significantly easier to break down.
It includes the humble turnip, which is high in vitamins B, C, E and betacarotene, and minerals calcium, iron, phosphorous and potassium; lamb, which when grass-fed and finished is an impressive source of omega-3 fatty acids, crucial to health and defending the body against disease; and celery, which contains vitamins A, B and C and minerals calcium, iron, phosphorous, chromium, magnesium, potassium iron and sulphur. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote that celery could be used to calm the nerves and, indeed, its very high calcium level is likely to be the reason for this phenomenon, making it a great pre-bedtime ingredient.
Slow-Cooked Lamb Hotpot
Serves 4
Ingredients
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery sticks chopped finely
1kg diced lamb
1 tbsp almond or brown-rice flour
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
1½ cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp apple-cider vinegar
2 turnips, quartered
1 carrot, sliced
Squeeze lemon juice
2 tbsp tomato paste
400g can diced tomatoes, no additives
1 tbsp lemon rind
Pinch Celtic sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Method
Sauté onions, garlic and celery in olive oil
Dust lamb with flour
Place all ingredients in slow cooker for 8–10 hours on low setting.
Serve with brown rice.
These five steps are intended to hydrate and pep you up in the early hours, maintain and stabilise your sugar levels and supply your body with the optimum nutrition it needs to power through the day and wind down to a restful sleep. Follow these principles and incorporate the recipes into your daily eating plan and you’ll be amazed at how effective they can be in maintaining the vital energy you need to be successful and happy in all that you do.
Lee Holmes runs Supercharged Food, a website designed to help you make healthy food choices and maintain a satisfying, wholesome and nourishing diet. Visit her at www.superchargedfood.com and read her regular Quick Kitchen column in WellBeing.
