Eat for All-Day Energy - smart eating

Vegetarian Times, Sept, 1999 by Elizabeth Hiser

Simple strategies and tasty recipes to help you recharge your life

Does this sound familiar? You eat a healthful breakfast, but by midmorning you've got the shakes so bad you're ready to lunge at the first glazed donut you see. Then, after eating a pasta salad for lunch, you can barely resist the desire to lay your head on your desk and take a little nap.

There's probably nothing wrong with your health, but you should examine your eating patterns. It may be less a matter of what you're eating than of how much you're eating and when.

Here are three simple diet strategies that will allow you to soar past those energy slumps and keep you on an even keel throughout the day.

Square One: Breakfast

It turns out Mom, the school nurse and your home-ec teacher were right: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The type of foods you eat to break the overnight fast set up your metabolic pace for the whole day. The relative proportions of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in this meal are important to consider since these nutrients are what set off the chemical messengers that get--and keep--your engines humming.

Carbohydrates trigger the release of insulin, the hormone that allows glucose (blood sugar) to be moved into cells, where it is either used as energy or stored as fat. A very high carbohydrate meal--say, a glass of orange juice and cereal with a banana--may be loaded with nutrients, but it's not the best combination first thing in the morning, because it can result in an episode of low blood sugar a few hours later. This is a perfectly normal response. When you consume a relatively large amount of easily digested carbohydrates (with very little fat and fiber to slow it down), the carbs are rapidly absorbed, causing a big release of insulin. In healthy people who react normally to insulin, the rush of that hormone may actually clear sugar from the blood a little too well, causing a dip in blood sugar levels. The body then responds to this drop by releasing adrenaline, which signals the liver to release glucose into the blood. And it's the body's natural fight-or-flight reaction to the adrenaline that produces those shaky, hungry feelings.

The solution is to eat a breakfast with a proper balance of protein, carbs and fat. For example, a slice of whole-wheat toast with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and a whole orange is more likely to sustain your energy throughout the morning than just cereal and fruit. For one thing, this meal takes longer to digest because of the protein, fat and fiber; for another, the relatively lower amount of carbs means the insulin response will be lower and thus the blood sugar levels steadier. If you prefer to start the morning with a nutritious highcarb fruit smoothie, you can increase the protein and fat content by adding healthful ingredients like soy protein isolate powder and flaxseed oil or crushed flaxseeds.

Brain Power

The protein and carbohydrate balance of a meal also affects levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters (like serotonin and catecholamines), which in turn influence energy levels. A meal high in carbohydrates results in the release of feel-good serotonin, which keeps you focused and relaxed; a high-protein meal releases catecholamines, which enhances alertness. And because the first meal of the day sets the tone for the rest of the day, a reasonable amount of protein (15 percent to 20 percent of the meal's calories) not only lets you start the day feeling energized but helps avoid the after-lunch crash.

This is not to say that a high-protein diet is the key to high energy. Like everything in life, there's a need for balance. If, for example, you are getting ready for a job interview, a speaking engagement or any situation that calls for thinking on your feet and being alert, you might prepare by having a soy burger that's high in protein (hold the bun) and a salad. But when you want to relax or lift flagging spirits, a large serving of your favorite pasta dish and a light, fruity dessert will do the trick.

The Benefits of Grazing

For many people, eating frequent small meals is the best way to maintain stamina throughout the day. Energy levels do not rise and fall as dramatically when there is a slow, steady influx of proteins, fat and carbohydrates. Grazing spreads out the demanding work the body has to do to digest, transport and store nutrients when you're not eating. It can also balance out extreme highs and lows in blood sugar and blood fat levels, putting less stress on the body's metabolic machinery, which is healthier in and of itself. In fact, large studies like the Baltimore Longitudinal Health Study suggest that people who eat frequent small meals have lower cholesterol and a healthier distribution of body fat than people who restrict their eating to three meals.

The terms grazing and snacking are often used interchangeably but snacking does not give license to indulge in junk foods. The same rules of a healthful diet apply here: Eat plant-based whole foods and keep refined, processed foods to a minimum. And along with small, frequent meals, try short, frequent walks. (There's nothing wrong with longer ones, but they may be harder to stick with.) Exercise is key for energy, alertness and releasing those feel-good natural chemicals.