Put down the energy drink or coffee and consider where you’re getting your energy! Energize from the nourishment in food, not from stimulants!
Modern day life can not only be stressful but is quick paced & busy. With all of the demands on our time, it can be hard to fit everything in we need to do, and still have time to relax, calm down, and re-center. The result of this can be fatigue, low energy, and even exhaustion. While being tired isn’t always avoidable, consistently being fatigued & low energy isn’t normal, good, or healthy.
When aiming to get a greater boost of energy, there are certainly ways of helping support you in a positive way, but, there are also plenty of unhealthy methods used by many to create more energy. Most people rely on stimulating themselves with certain foods, drinks, or supplements to get this energy rather than relying on energy from proper nourishment. When energy is obtained from stimulation rather than nourishment, internally the body is put under greater stress and nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalance, and other such dysfunction can result.
Getting energy from nourishment rather than from stimulation revolves around a highly nutrient dense, traditional, whole food way of eating. This also includes making sure to eat a variety of properly-prepared foods while in a good emotional state. Doing so provides the body with all of the vital nutrients it needs to be well-balanced and to operate efficiently. When the body is depleted and not given the tools it needs to operate as it was designed, problems arise such as fatigue. What you eat has a significant impact on how you feel.
On the flip side, getting energy from stimulants, in the long run, creates more problems. Stimulants such as coffee, energy drinks & white sugar cause internal stress and also lead to an increase in the fight-or-flight hormones, including cortisol. Really strong stimulants such as energy drinks & 5 Hour Energy shots, etc. are particularly dangerous. These intense stimulants create a strong reaction within the body; they’re essentially almost tricking the body into thinking your life is in danger. Internally, the body cannot distinguish between you drinking an energy drink & being chased by a bear, so it reacts the same way by slowing or halting digestion, raising the heart rate, raising the blood pressure & elevating the blood sugar. The result is hormonal imbalance & greater fatigue, among other things.
Additionally, these stimulants leach vital nutrients from the body, causing deficiencies and making the situation that much worse. The result of consuming stimulants often is a taxed & depleted body, making you that much more dependent upon stimulants for energy.
If you’re someone who could benefit from increased, maintained energy, the following are some top tips of things to do to get greater energy from nourishment:
What to Avoid
- Avoid energy drinks, coffee & other drinkable stimulants (including pre-workout)
- Avoid soda pop & sweetened juices (included processed juices)
- Avoid or decrease alcohol
- Avoid white sugar & white flour (and products containing them)
- Avoid processed sweets (candy, pastries, ice cream, etc.)
- Avoid highly processed foods
- Avoid any food containing synthetic chemicals, preservatives, or coloring agents
- Avoid processed table salt
- A lack of sleep
What to Include
- Unrefined coconut oil & grass-fed butter
- Dark greens
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Wild-caught fish
- Raw nuts & seeds
- 100% whole grains (ideally soaked/sprouted)
- Traditionally fermented foods
- Fresh fruit (especially berries & citrus)
- Of course make sure to eat these foods in the best possible form, including organic, grass-fed/wild-caught, whole, unprocessed & ideally local where possible.
- Making sure to consistently avoid the bad and add in the good can help the body heal, recover and restore to bring about natural energy that lasts!
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