Foods For All-Day Energy

Struggling to stay awake at your desk by the time the afternoon rolls around? Time to re-think your diet. To maintain your stamina throughout a busy workday, you’ll need smart foods for heaps energy. Small changes to what you’re eating might make all the difference. A variety of well-balanced foods can stabilize your blood sugar and iron levels to prevent a mid-day lag.

Director of Nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health, Valerie Goldstein recommends “eating a combination of protein, fat and healthy natural carbs helps maintain energy via vitamins and minerals.” That’s the reason you feel depleted when you’re running on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods. “The crash is the end result of a domino effect when we are eating less than optimal nutrients,” Goldstein says. “It’s important to provide yourself with good fuel that your body can use all day long.” Here are the foods you need to keep running steady.

Nori Seaweed

Seaweed is packed with the 
energy-producing mineral,iodine. “Iodine helps create energy through its biochemical reactions and its role with the thyroid hormones,” says Goldstein. Try nibbling on seaweed snacks throughout the day.

Almonds

Almonds contain the vitamin B7, commonly known as biotin, which “helps your body convert food into energy,” Goldstein notes. Biotin aids in the metabolism of carbs, fats and protein, she adds. Grabbing a handful of almonds for an afternoon snack will put some pep in your step.

Oatmeal

Dried oatmeal can be a great addition to yogurt or simply prepared in a bowl by itself. It’s a natural carbohydrate that contains three energy-boosting staples: calcium, fiber and protein. One serving can quell hunger and fill you up for hours.

Mussels

Mussels are packed with the energy-producing vitamin, B12. Just three ounces of mussels provide more than 100 percent

of your daily requirement. Because B12 plays a key role in your body’s nervous system and metabolic process, it’s an important part of a regularly balanced diet. “B12 is required for energy metabolism and the body cannot create on its own,” Goldstein says. “That vitamin is essential for turning the food we eat into energy.”

Eggs

   

Eggs provide basic nutrition staples such as protein, iodine, vitamins B6 and B12. Goldstein suggests skipping a second cup of coffee and instead opting for a serving of eggs. They’re a great way to build energy while getting an adequate serving of protein.

Chicken

Chomp on some chicken for an extra shot of CoQ10, a coenzyme that is needed to help facilitate 95 percent of the

human body’s energy. It’s also needed for healthy organs, being most crucial to organs with the highest energy requirements, including the heart, liver and kidney. “CoQ10 plays a vital role in the process of cellular energy creation,” Goldstein says. As we age, our bodies produce less amounts of CoQ10, so it’s important to incorporate it in a daily diet. A three-ounce serving of chicken has 1.4 milligrams, which will help move you towards your daily goal of at least 30 milligrams.

Spinach

One cup of raw spinach is loaded with magnesium, a mineral necessary for our bodies in the energy process, Goldstein notes. Popeye was right about this green veggie, but instead of canned spinach try organic.