Eat your way to more energy

What you eat can have a huge influence on your energy, or lack of it. Here are some simple tips to help uplift your mood and increase your long-term energy levels.

Start the day with a balanced breakfast
We all know it’s the most important meal of the day, but are you starting your day by refueling after sleep? A nutritious, balanced breakfast will fill your tank and fully energise your brain and body. Try:

• rolled oats and sliced banana
• 2 poached eggs on wholegrain toast
• Greek yoghurt, mixed nuts and fresh fruit.

Get, and keep, your gut healthy
Did you know that you can give your mood a boost by feeding your gut the good bacteria it needs? The ‘happy hormone’ serotonin is made in the gut and can influence your sleep, your mood and even the way you act in, and respond to, social situations.

Eating probiotic, prebiotic and resistant starch foods can improve and maintain great gut health.

• Probiotic foods include yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut and sourdough bread.
• Prebiotic foods include whole cereal grains (wholegrain oats, buckwheat and maize), vegetables (asparagus, onions and cabbage), legumes fruit (bananas and nectarines), and nuts.
• Resistant starch foods include firm bananas, lentils, peas, potatoes that have been cooked and cooled, and cold pasta.

Stay hydrated
When you’re dehydrated, your energy levels take a dive. But don’t worry ‒ this is an easy fix. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of plain tap water each day. Avoid sugar-loaded soft drinks and energy drinks, which do more harm than good. They may help you feel lively for an hour or so, but will likely cause an energy crash later.

Eat a balanced diet
This is the most important healthy eating habit of all. Choose a variety of food from all the core food groups, and keep a food diary to help you stay on track and nip any bad habits in the bud.

An accredited practising dietitian (APD) can help you with your energy levels, address any health concerns and help you to set and meet your personal goals. By working with an APD who can tailor individual plans and approaches that suit your way of life, you’ll have greater chance of success.

Find out about the specialist APDs and diet and nutrition services available at Connect Health & Community by clicking here.

By Warwick Fenner, Accredited Practising Dietitian at Connect Health & Community.