Eating for Energy

Balancing your macronutrients every time you eat ensures that you have enough energy to get you through the day.

How can we eat to fuel our bodies and sustain the energy we need to perform our daily tasks? Energy affects everything from your productivity, your mood, your relationships, to your outlook on life.  Balancing your macronutrients when you eat is one aspect to consider. Macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats) are the basic building blocks of nutrients that your body needs for energy.  In the age of fad diets, it is easy to get caught up in the latest idea of restricting foods in one area or bingeing in another area.  Most of us grew up eating no-fat or low-fat.  The reality is that our bodies need a balance of all three.  The amount of macronutrients will vary for everyone depending on one's health condition, health goals, and lifestyle. Your health care practitioner will help you with what ratios to follow, but generally healthy people will be eating 15-30% carbohydrates, 10-20% protein and 40-70% fat. There are many helpful apps such as My Fitness Pal that you can use to give you an idea of where your ratios fall.  But don't worry too much about calculating numbers. The quality of your macronutrients matters more than the quantity or the ratio. Choose nutrient dense, whole foods as much as possible, and enjoy eating!

Keep things simple by preparing each meal with a clean-sourced protein, quality carbohydrates, and good fats.  And you don't need to count calories. The body has an amazing ability to regulate caloric intake as long as we listen to what our body is telling us and control our appetite. This starts by choosing to eat mindfully-chewing slowly and enjoying your food. You are in control of your body. Don't let the cravings control you- be aware when you are multi tasking while eating or stress-eating to relieve anxiety.

PROTEIN

Many people with fatigue have problems with blood sugar regulation, so eating higher protein intake with meals and especially at breakfast may be helpful for maintaining energy throughout the day. For those of us that usually stick to eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes it is an adjustment to think of eating fish or meat early in the morning. Since I have a sensitivity to eggs, I have expanded my breakfast options to include sardines, chicken, leftover beef stew, and even liver! If you are not ready for that, whole milk dairy and a good quality protein powder (collagen, rice protein, or pea protein are my top choices) is also an easy way to get you started. For me, eating enough protein in the morning has probably been my number one way of ensuring that I have enough energy and stamina for the day.

CARBOHYDRATES

Make sure you are getting enough carbohydrates. For most people who struggle with fatigue or have HPA disorder resulting in blood sugar dysregulation, eating a moderate carbohydrate diet works best. Going extreme and eating a low carb diet or undereating often exacerbates fatigue and insomnia. Choose high quality carbohydrate sources from variety of vegetables, fruits, and starchy plants like potatoes and other root vegetables.

FATS

There are good fats, and there are bad fats. The fats to avoid are industrial seed oils such as canola, corn, peanut, and soybean oil. Instead, opt for fats like coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, avocado oil, and traditional fats like duck fat, beef tallow, and lard. These are mostly saturated and monounsaturated fats that people have traditionally eaten.  I like to drizzle olive oil or avocado oil as a last step when preparing my meals. 

Meal Frequency and Snacking

If you tend to have low blood sugar, you may find yourself reaching for a snack to keep you going. Eating smaller meals throughout the day, or having 3 meals with snacks in between, may help you feel better. When you snack, make sure that you include protein and fat, and that you don't just have carbohydrates alone.