As a nutritionist, many people consult me as they have very demanding lifestyles and need more energy, or simply because they feel tired or exhausted at times. Here are my tips to find the energy necessary for our life at 100km/h.
First of all, if you want to have enough energy throughout the day, the most important thing is to start with a breakfast rich in proteins and healthy fats, but low in sugar. Proteins will produce dopamine, the neurotransmitter of activity and motivation. Healthy fats will allow you to start the day with a stable blood sugar level. You will therefore have the energy for your working day and not feel drained all of the sudden in the middle of an important morning meeting.
At lunch, avoid gluten and put enough proteins and fibers on your plate to have a longer satiety. Prefer meals that are not too heavy so that you don't feel like taking a nap after lunch. Eliminate alcohol, even in restaurants.
To avoid a lack of energy at the end of the day, think about a snack around 4:00 pm with a fruit and a handful of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds), which provides the energy you need to finish the day. Dinner should be vegetarian with legumes (kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas). This way the meal will be more digestible and your sleep more restful.
Here are also some foods to be favored to have the necessary energy throughout the day:
- Water: Drink enough water, as a lack of water stresses the body and can lead to fatigue.
- Fatty fish like salmon, tuna and sardines which are rich in vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin.
- Green vegetables, cashews and dark chocolate for their abundance in magnesium.
- Red meat (max. twice a week) and lentils for their high iron content.
And above all, prefer raw foods to highly processed foods with a high glycemic index. In fact, these foods quickly raise your blood sugar level and generate reactive hypoglycemia, or the well-known ‘blood sugar dips’.
So, don't hesitate to put these tips into practice and you'll see that even long days will be okay.