Foods for energy and focus

Finding a balanced diet that works for us is not an easy task. However, listening to our body is a good place to start. In most cases it tells us what we need and what we don’t need in a particular moment, but we need to be able to understand the signs. Feeling hungry? Maybe you are just dehydrated. Slow digestion? Maybe you need probiotics. What can we do when we are feeling tired all the time?

Some foods can energized you while others can make you sleepy.

There are a wide range of foods that can help us get energized, alert and more focused. Carbs for example can give you faster and quicker energy than proteins and fats; and of the two types of carbs, simple and complex - having respectively high or low glycemic index - complex carbs (fruits and veggies) are the ones you want to go for higher energy levels. In fact, when you eat simple carbs, like cereals or white bread, you may feel energized faster, but you are also very likely to have a sugar crash and lose that energy just as fast; complex carbs, on the other end, being richer in fiber, take longer to digest providing sustained energy throughout the day. That’s the kind of carbs you should indulge in: whole grains, legumes (which also have proteins!), and oats, here is a very good list of complex carbs you can use as a reference.

Coffee is frequently top of mind when waking up or needed some energy during the day, but it doesn’t work for everyone and not everyone likes coffee, whether because of the taste of because it makes us jittery. Sometime ago my acupuncturist recommended me to switch from coffee to green tea to overcome my afternoon slumps. In fact, particularly in the afternoon sometimes sleepiness is caused by our internal filtering system, namely kidneys and liver, doing their detoxing work and while coffee might hinder that process green tea can actually help it.

Pay attention to the glycemic Index (or GI). GI, in fact, plays a critical role in our energy levels. Food with High GI levels causes spikes in blood sugar values followed by an almost immediate crash which leads to sleepiness and lethargy; on the other hand, foods with Low GI levels - like those found in complex carbs - do not cause any abrupt changes in sugar levels providing more sustained energy. 

An equally important source of energy is water: adding electrolytes to your water can help you get the extra minerals you need to get even more out of it. Faster and smoother digestion also helps our bodies get more energy, making sure you have a regular intake of pre and probiotics is critical for gut health and proper digestion, giving you not only more energy, but also and make the skin glow.

Choosing high quality meals not only affects our energy levels, but also our mood and vitality. Listen to your body for clues of what works for you.

Try it and let us know what you think!