So many people suffer from lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, eventually stroke, and more. There is a sure fire way for most of us to avoid all of these horrible diseases that are shortening our life: eat better. That’s it. It’s simple, but not easy. Many of the big food companies need to serve their shareholders and by doing so, they need to make sure you’re eating their crappy food. They have to make it taste great with “natural flavors” which are made in a chemistry lab. It’s a horrible cycle and it’s ruining the well-being of our country.
According to the latest statistics over 110 million people have pre-diabetes or diabetes. Over half of the annual deaths in the US come from Heart Disease and Cancer, both can be helped by eating healthier. There are extenuating circumstances, but for the most part, if you eat healthier you will live longer. Years ago, I read Boundless Energy by Deepak Chopra. It was the beginning of my quest toward a healthier diet. I had been eating mostly well for what I knew back then, but he shows how your digestive system is the system in your body that takes the most amount of energy to run. Not your circulatory system or your nervous system, but your digestive system. It’s job is to breakdown everything you take in and assimilate it for your well-being, or if it’s toxic, break it down and get rid of it so it doesn’t hurt you.
It makes sense that some of the foods that will zap your energy are sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. After that he lists red meats, poultry, and fish. At the time I was training heavily for adventure races, so I kept the fish, but gave up all meats and caffeine. I don’t drink alcohol, so that’s not an issue, and I began to limit my sugar intake (that’s been a long road, but I’m better and better). The main premise of the book is to give your body things that are easily digested and assimilated, so you can have energy to live, laugh, and love more! What helps you do that? You guessed it, fruits and veggies!
Here are my 5 tips to improving your energy through food:
Stop the sugary drinks and desserts.
I know it’s a tough one for a lot of people, but you will definitely feel less crashes and more sustained energy throughout your day. I used to have a cookie or a little hit of something sweet after lunch and again after dinner. Now I’ll have a smoothie to satisfy my sweet tooth and maybe some 85% dark chocolate. Both things help me stay satiated with my food intake and all of my highs and lows are gone.
Limit your carbohydrate intake.
This is something that took a while for me to learn. I was mostly vegetarian, but would still have my bread, pasta, and pizza. It wasn’t until after my extensive blood work that I new I had to begin limiting by intake of carbohydrates. I know all carbs are not bad, just the bad ones. Not the ones from fruits and veggies, the ones from empty calories like bread, pasta, chips, popcorn, etc. These are tough to digest and you’ll feel much better without them.
Eat more veggies and fruits.
You’ve heard it for a while now, but it’s time to start heeding the advice. If you want to be at the top of the pyramid of fitness, heck if you want to be in the middle, all you have to do is eat more whole foods that are fruits and veggies. You will see immediate changes in your body and your energy levels. In Defense of Food author Michael Pollan puts it best, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Limit processed foods and meats.
Anytime there is a beef recall I always grin because I haven’t had beef in almost 20 years. Of course, there is ebola in spinach too, so I can’t boast too much. I can tell you, however, that processed foods are, by definition, not whole. It means there are chemicals and preservatives. More and more people are eating things that aren’t even food. Our planet is so intelligent and has provided everything we need. It’s time we get back to nature and get back to eating like our grandparents used to. Remember, your digestive system takes energy to break down all those chemicals. Less is better and you will definitely feel more energetic without all the processed crap in your diet.
Eat healthy snacks and use food as fuel.
This is a simple plan, but something I never thought about until I was training for my first triathlon. “Wait a second,” I thought, “if I eat a bag of chips, it’s not doing anything to help me get faster? You mean it’s a waste of intake? I could be eating something that was beneficial to my system and possibly make me faster and healthier? Sign me up!”
Now I think about all these things and my energy levels are pretty fantastic over all. I sleep really well, unless our 19 month old wakes up. I have very consistent energy throughout the day, I don’t feel tired too often, unless I’m training harder for a race. In these cases, it makes sense that I’m a little fatigued.
The best suggestion I can make is to know yourself. Once you get ride of all the crap, you’ll begin to feel your energy levels improve. Once you have that awareness, you can pick and choose what you want, what makes you feel better, more refreshed and satiated. Then you can live, love, and laugh your way through life! Of course, if you need some help, I’m always here for you, send me a message @teddymcdonald.
Originally published on the author’s website.