Women’s Health Month: Eating for Impact

What foods make you feel more energized? Salads and fruit -
What foods do you avoid when you’re feeling fatigued? sugary food.
Does eating larger or smaller meals throughout the day affect your energy levels? Not as much size of meal but the quality of meal if i have egg or oatmeal for breakfast it holds me but if grab muffin it deflates me

stephanienelsonrd wrote: »

This week, we’re focusing on eating to boost energy and sharing simple ways to adjust your food intake to combat fatigue so you feel more energized throughout the day.
Comment in the thread below:

• What foods make you feel more energized?
• What foods do you avoid when you’re feeling fatigued?
• Does eating larger or smaller meals throughout the day affect your energy levels?

Experientially, I don't mostly find that specific individual foods make me feel energized, or deepen fatigue. Energy or fatigue, to me, to the extent they're food-related, are more affected by having reasonable overall eating patterns.

I do think that this can vary individually, and that individual people can experiment and learn their own patterns.

For me, I think my overall energy is better if I routinely get a solid breakfast with adequate protein, protein spread through the day, some healthy fats, and a boatload of varied, colorful veggies and fruits. If I start feeling hungry with a meal not coming up soon, I prefer to have a small snack (usually something like string cheese, an apple, or a couple of prunes.

If I have a workout coming up and am not feeling enthusiastic, I'm more like to turn to a small snack of sweeter foods, like the prunes, some no-sugar-added applesauce, or even a small chocolate. (It may be that the boost is more psychological than physical!)

With more extreme exertion, such as a long rowing or canoeing outing, food timing can be important for me, as can hydration. I've noticed that a short snack/drink break during a multi-hour trip can really perk me up once I'm fatigued.

A meal or day off my preferred eating patterns, during normal daily life, doesn't seem to give me energy level problems . . . but if I get something other than my desired nutritional patterns over a period of days for some reason, that can result in low energy.

I don't consider calorically-reasonable sweet foods (even added sugars) a bad thing in the context of overall good nutrition (including reasonable overall calories), but certainly see that some super-large sugary thing, eaten in isolation, can cause a "peak and valley" effect in energy, unless hearty exercise is part of the situation. Context matters, though: As a short endurance athlete (rower), sometimes quicker-energy foods have a useful role for me.

I’m finding that fresh fruits and leafy green vegetables give me more energy.

I have found that eating a larger lunch when I’m at work makes me want to crash and fall asleep.

During the pandemic I used to buy the large paper plates. Recently on a grocery store run I compared the larger ones to the medium sized plates and realized the medium works better for me to plate/eat smaller portion meals.

Unfortunately, I haven't been connecting my food choices with my physical fitness goals and I think now, this is the next step for me.

What foods make you feel more energized? Caffeine, but it's not really a "food." I do better when I eat protein in the morning (boiled eggs, meat, etc.)

What foods do you avoid when you’re feeling fatigued? Heavy breads, fatty/greasy foods.

Does eating larger or smaller meals throughout the day affect your energy levels? This is really where I have failed to recognize that portion-size is important. I have traditionally eaten to satisfy my emotional needs rather than my nutritional needs.

I don't sleep well, I lack energy, I struggle to focus and I have to be really intentional about my moods because my anxiety is regulated by meds, but depending on the day, it can be really intense.

Sounds like it's time for a change.

Week 1)
What foods make you feel more energized? Raw organic celery, filtered water- blend in Nutra bullet and consume on empty stomach

What foods do you avoid when you’re feeling fatigued? High carbohydrates or anything packaged, too much caffeine. /I find trying to push myself too much with caffeine makes me anxious, anxiety and heart pound.

Does eating larger or smaller meals throughout the day affect your energy levels?
This depends. If I am out doing a long walk, I have enough to sustain me throughout the duration of the walk. At work I need to either have periodic snacks, a greens, avocado and protein smoothie or a bigger lunch.

Week 2)
What foods sharpen your focus? Avocado green drinks, broccoli, steamed dark leafy vegetables golden milk, Green Vibrance. I have a cup of organic coffee with plant-based collagen booster in a.m.

What foods make you feel foggy? Carbohydrates. I love oatmeal, sweet potato and the like but It has to be later in day or before bed. I have lemons and occasional berries, watermelon in summer, and cherries but do much better with more nuts, coconut, avocado.

Does eating a small or large meal affect your ability to concentrate? Too large makes me feel tired, distracted and very uncomfortable.

I recently started an amazing regimen that is making a huge impact my autoimmune, skin, anxiety and other health challenges. It is much more then calories for me, it is about using food, herbs as medicine. These foods make me feel vital, healing and a sense of peace:

Celery
Microgreens
Dark leafy greens (all)
Broccoli
Avocado
Algae oil
Vibrant Health Green Vibrance
Tempeh
Tofu
hemp protein, seed proteins, pea protein
Nuts, seeds, nut milks
Herbal teas
Spices and herbs, Turmeric, fennel, rosemary, Himalayan and sea salt, others
Coconut milk and Almond milk unsweetened yogurt.
barley grass
plant sterols
Milk thistle, chlorophyll, lemon balm

I also have some plant based protein bars, cacao, coca powder and a few plant based foods

Yes, it is intense, but I love this way of eating!!