“I’m tired.”
How many times a day do you think or say this aloud? Sometimes it seems as if I’ll never belong to the lucky legion of the un-sleepy. You know them: bouncy women in Lululemon pants, darting from place to place without a huff or a puff, middle-aged leather-skinned men jogging shirtless along the beach (a common sight in Florida), anyone under 25.
My energy quest began a few years ago when I was diagnosed with anemia, which reared its ugly head again into my life earlier this year. When I am eating well, sleeping regularly, taking my vitamins (especially iron, B-12, and folate), I am literally unstoppable.
Bursting with energy. My body weightless. My mind sharp.
I would love to share with you several short-term and long-term strategies that I have practiced and learned in my classes at Bastyr University to alleviate fatigue and exhaustion:
- SLEEP. So simple, so easy to fall behind on. Affects everything from your appetite, hormones, mood, and overall energy to carry out the things you love to do, as well as exercise. Strive to go to bed by at least 11 PM (10 is even better) and wake up whenever you can if you’re catching up, or around 7 or 8 AM to optimize energy levels.
- Eat every 4-6 hours. Duh, food = energy, but choose whole foods like soups, salads, quinoa tabbouleh, whole grain toast with hummus or nut butter, fruits, leftover fish and cooked veggies–whatever you love to munch on. Sure, donuts and meatball sandwiches give you energy, but they might be contributing to long-term lethargy due to their refined, heavy nature. By all means, eat what you love, but let’s get real…Rome wasn’t built by donuts and 24-hour energy drinks.
- Don’t eat or drink yourself into a food coma. This can be hard when you’re faced with gustatory delights everywhere, especially in Seattle. Eating a reasonable breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with 1-2 snacks in between will hopefully prevent over-eating. If not, let it go. Tomorrow is a new day to feed yourself well with fresh yummy goodness.
- See your physician. Sometimes no matter how much meat or lentils you eat, you may still be depleted in iron or some other important nutrient. Plus, it’s always good to rule out any underlying cause not directly related to diet.
Eating small amounts of whole foods relatively often stabilizes your blood sugar, prevents crashing, reaching for coffee/caffeine, chocolate, or other things that might make you even more tired later. I noticed that when I eat more often, I have more energy to exercise and stay alert. It also lessens the likelihood that I will overeat during dinner.
Now onto the fun foods that will ninja-chop your fatigue in its face!
- Lentils, apricot, beet, blackberry, broccoli, green bean, parsley, spinach, watercress, leafy greens, lemons [high in iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate--all important co-factors for delivering energy to cells and protecting cells from oxidative damage.]
- Grass-fed beef or other lean meat, fish, shellfish, whole grains [meats are high in iron and B-vitamins--especially B-12. B-12 is required to metabolize energy from protein and fats, and indirectly to . used by your brain Whole grains provide a nice range of other B-vitamins, which metabolize food into usable energy in your body.]
- Green juices and smoothies with magical green powder always give me amazing boosts of energy. Just like a leprauchan. One of our favorite smoothies is from Fresh and it’s called The Shamrock.
- Basil, mint, rosemary, cilantro [Energizing herbs]
- Energetically speaking: eating local and/or seasonal foods may help shift your body into balance with the season. Sprouts, tender greens, berries, and lighter herbs eaten during the Summer not only taste amazing, but are light foods that have captured the energy of the sun, and therefore align your body with the intensity of Summer. These foods also cool your body from the heat.
- When you do snack, combine fats like nuts with carbs like fruit or bread to stabilize your blood sugar. This will prevent icky headaches and low blood sugar moodiness a.k.a. nobody likes you when you’re cranky.
- If all else fails, eat a few squares of dark chocolate. Fo’ real. I read a study once where patients with chronic fatigue reported more energy, less depression, and better quality of life after consuming a small amount of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate a day [milk chocolate didn't produce the same effects].
Menu for the Fatigued City-Dweller
Arugula and green leaf salad with fresh local peaches, toasted hazelnuts, mint, and honey-lime dressing
If this doesn't wake you up, check your pulse.
Black beluga lentils with grilled salmon, lemon olive oil and parsley gremolata
Earth meets Ocean = you defeat sleepy monster
This menu has so many exciting flavors, textures, and aromas. The lemon parsley salad energizes and lightens up the lentils and salmon, while the latter provides abundant protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, iron, and B-vitamins. Plus it just looks pretty.
The salad is a perfect combination of soft crunchy lettuce and toasty nuts, sweeeeet peaches, refreshing mint, and slightly sweetly sour dressing. Every bite awakens the senses and reminds you that food contains an energizing life force not yet quantified by modern nutrition, best shared amongst friends.
Photos courtesy of the wonderful, sometimes sleepless Andy Wassyng–my official recipe tester, in-house photographer, and cutie pie.
Looks amazing, Gina! I need to make this. All of it…right now.
Thanks, Elaine! It was great + serendipitous seeing you in the bookstore today. Can’t wait to hear about your next baking experiment.