Six Steps for Longer Lasting Energy
What you put inside your body is one of the most important things that impact how much energy you have throughout the day. We have provided you with six easy steps to reduce fatigue, prevent the slump and improve your energy!
Remember this is not an overnight fix, try making these small changes and see how your energy levels improve over the coming weeks. You will be bouncing from Summer to Autumn full of beans!
Eat a healthy breakfast
A healthy breakfast will maintain a constant flow of energy throughout the day, helping to prevent the afternoon slump and sugar cravings!
Healthy breakfast options include oats, wholemeal toast, eggs, fruit, natural yoghurt, nuts and seeds.
Eat low-GI carbs
Low GI, or high fibre carbohydrates are slowly digested into your body, which means energy is released slowly over a longer period of time!
Low GI carbs include wholegrain breads, oats, chickpeas, lentils, beans, nuts, fruit and veggies.
Eat foods high in Iron
Low iron levels leave you feeling tired and lethargic. Better iron levels will improve your energy and keep you feeling sharp and switched on.
You can find iron in meat, poultry, eggs, tofu and spinach.
Eat foods high in Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron from foods, so try to include vitamin C with your high iron foods.
You can find vitamin C in sweet potato, capsicum, broccoli, kiwi fruit, berries and citrus.
Ditch the soft drink and juice
Soft drink and juice are extremely high in sugar. Sugar is digested quickly into your body which means, you get a quick rush of energy, followed by a quick slump. This will also make you crave more sugary foods and drinks!
Try out our fruit-infused sparkling water options instead
Drink more water
A huge 80% of Australian’s are dehydrated. Dehydration is a major cause of fatigue, headaches, mood swings, dizziness and many other issues. It’s an easy fix – drink more water!
Aim for 2L per day. Keep a drink bottle on you everywhere you go!
Weekly Recipe
It contains pulse pasta – pasta made from chickpeas, beans and lentils, to give you a steady level of energy throughout the day!
Serves: 4 Time: 50mins Cost: $17 (approx. $4.24/serve)
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 2 cups pulse pasta
- 400g lean beef mince
- 1 onion
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups spinach
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180oC (fan-forced)
- Dice sweet potato into small bite sized pieces
- Place on baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper
- Bake for 40mins
- Cook pasta as per packet instructions (approx. 6-8 mins), then put aside.
- Dice onion
- Heat olive oil in a pot or large pan, medium heat
- Add diced onion, sauté for 1 min
- Stir in garlic
- Add mince, cook for 5mins
- Add canned tomatoes, simmer on low heat for 10mins
- Stir in cooked sweet potato, pasta and spinach, ¼ tsp salt & pepper
Serve!
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4224210/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999603/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499877/
https://www.waterlogicaustralia.com.au/resources/are-we-drinking-enough-water/
