Food For Energy

Mid afternoon energy slumps

So you’ve had your lunch and its approaching that time around 2-3 o’clock when you start counting down the hours till the end of the working day, or maybe you’re a busy parent whose been spending their day looking after your kids. Your evening meal is still a few hours away and your energy levels are dropping, you feel tired, irritable and hungry.

What do you do? A brisk walk around the office building or the local park to re energise? This would be a great solution but probably not practical. More often than not people will head for the snack machine or kitchen cupboard and grab something sugary, sweet and a bit heavy on the calorie side.

Without a doubt this will result in a sudden increase in energy as your blood sugar levels suddenly spike upwards. Unfortunately what goes up must come down and as your blood sugar levels ‘crash’ you will feel, tired, irritable and hungry and so the cycle begins again.

What to avoid

Refined sugars are the worst form of "bad carbohydrates" such as white sugar, sweets and white flour.

Many 'fat-free foods' have an extremely high white sugar level, the fat has been replaced with refined sugar so avoid them. Refined sugar cause the worst kind of blood sugar spikes and lead to obesity as the excess sugar is stored as body fat.

What to eat

• Handful of dried fruit such as apricots, raisins
• Fresh Fruit e.g. apples, bananas, berries, oranges
• Handful of Cherry Tomatoes
• Raw Vegetables e.g. carrots, broccoli florets
• Small carton of Bio Yogurt
• Handful of nuts such as Brazil, Hazelnuts

These healthy snacks will not cause a sudden rise in blood sugar levels but a more controlled and steady rise, therefore providing your body with the energy it needs without the potential for a sudden crash of sugar levels.

In addition the healthier options also provide the body with the various nutrients that it needs to help with its daily functions which I’m sure you’ll agree is a big plus.

So next time you get a ‘snack attack’, remember the consequences of going to the machine or kitchen cupboard, instead head for those healthier snacks that you took 2 minutes to prepare earlier that day.

By switching to this healthier and nutritious option, you will be reducing your calorie intake and giving yourself more energy to get active which will go a long way to flattening that tummy!

Happy eating!

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