This has been a question I’ve been asking myself lately.
What foods best fuel you?
I was reading “Foods that Fuel” in Best Health Magazine. Perfect for those of us who aren’t sleeping through the night, needing to use food (not just coffee) to get you going!
According to the article, carbs and proteins are our two best energy sources. I’ll talk about carbs in a minute, but there’s a rock star in the protein world that doesn’t have the kind of ‘press’ it should.
Eggs are a perfect protein. I know we’ve all been told that eggs are bad for people with high cholesterol so don’t take my word for it. Take it from The Mayo Clinic: “…. eating four egg yolks or fewer on a weekly basis hasn’t been found to increase your risk of heart disease”.
Boil some eggs and keep them on hand in the fridge, in maybe a 6 pack carton. That’s what I like to do. No work in the morning. Just peel and eat! It’s a good thing! lol
There’s an easy trick to avoid a green coating on your inside yolk and a second suggestion to do that and take the guess work out of how long to cook an egg. The green forms because of pressure. You can take a pin and polk a small hole. That will certainly do the trick for the green interior. Or, simply place the eggs in room temperature water, and when it comes to a boil? Turn the heat off and let it sit for 12 minutes. Perfect hard boiled eggs every time!
The article sites that people are running on empty, with no breakfast. And I had a conversation with someone yesterday about smoothies for breakfast, as the quick, easy and nutritious breakfast solution. Now I have many friends in nutrition and many friends with products that get your body back in balance. My friend Lori for example is from Metabolic Balance, and her suggestion (and I agree with this) is that you take two bites of protein first, so that you don’t spike your glycemic index. You know that’s what our friend sugar does, right? Spikes you then inflames you. So if you’re doing smoothies, try a couple of nuts to start.
Do you have any additional ideas? Feel free to comment! Ya know, your comment could spark another topic that can easily turn into my next blog. And of course, I’ll quote you!
Getting back to the article, they also recommend iron rich foods to supply oxygens to the red blood cells. And they’re talking about beef and animal organs. But I like to take another route. If you’re doing a smoothy, add kale, spinach and some seeds and nuts to boost your iron.
Many of you know that half the battle is getting the iron to absorb, but let me just remind you that Vitamin C helps with absorption. So adding OJ to a smoothie is a good idea (just like adding olive oil to tomatoes to help them release the lycopene).
When we’re talking about adding carbs for energy, we’re not talking about Krispie Creme Donuts. lol
We’re talking about complex carbs that once again, won’t spike that glycemic index, like whole grains, lentil and legumes.
And last (but not least), stay hydrated! All my research shows that many of our ailments would be easily cured if we only drank more water and flushed out the toxins!
I hope this helps you think about using food as fuel, when you hit a tired morning. By the way, if you found this helpful please re-post or tweet about it! Thanks!
Happy Eating,
