Eating for Energy: Tips for Managing Your Mood with Food

By: Susie Cortright

Here's a meal-by-meal guide to eating for energy and managing
your mood with food.

Breakfast Eating a good breakfast boosts your concentration and
revs your energy, particularly in the morning when you may need
it most. Without breakfast, you're more likely to make that
second pot of coffee by mid-morning.

Instead, keep your blood sugar on an even keel with complex
carbohydrates. Avoid refined carbohydrates, such as white bread
and white sugar. These have a high glycemic index, which can
cause spikes and dips in your blood sugar levels.

The right complex carbohydrates provide your brain and muscles
with the steady flow of the energy they need. Grains are great
sources of B vitamins, which aid in the metabolic production of
energy. The best carb choices for breakfast are natural
whole-grain breads and cereals.

For the best breakfast, add a low-fat protein, such as yogurt,
cottage cheese, or skim milk, and watch your fat intake as well
as your meat consumption (meat takes more energy to digest).

Mid-morning snack Turns out, snacking may not be such a bad
idea. Eating every few hours helps your body use nutrients more
efficiently. It stimulates your metabolism, keeps your blood
sugar levels steady, reduces stress on your digestive system,
and decreases hunger, which means you'll be less likely to
overeat when mealtime finally rolls around.

If you're craving carbs, which many of us do at this time of
day, choose whole-grain bread, cereal, or fruit. Fruits and
vegetables deliver a low-fat, high-fiber alternative to the
vending machine choices. Raw carrots and sugar snap peas, for
example, provide a crisp, satisfying crunch and won't zap your
energy. Challenge yourself to eat at least five servings of
fruits and vegetables each day.

For maximum energy throughout the day, avoid foods that are
laden with simple sugars, such as cookies, pastries, candy bars,
and sodas, which can bring on erratic blood sugar levels.

Instead, try some lean protein (low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese
or lean meat) to help tide you over until lunch.

Lunch At midday, go light. Because a hefty helping of
carbohydrates can increase the amount of seratonin in the brain
and cause that sleepy feeling, focus on low-fat protein. Protein
can actually raise energy levels by increasing brain chemicals
called catecholamines. Eat a lunch of low-fat cheese, fish, lean
meat, poultry, or tofu.

Mid-afternoon snack Choose something that will keep you
satisfied until dinner. A little bit of fat is fine. It gives
those carbohydrates and proteins some staying power. My
favorite? All-natural peanut butter and a few crackers.

Before your work-out Carbohydrates are fastest to digest and
pack quick energy. Add protein for staying power, but stay away
from fats. They can make you cramp.

Dinner The agenda for the evening can dictate what you'll eat
for dinner. Need to stay on overdrive for back-to-school night?
Choose low-fat proteins. If you're in relax mode, indulge a
little.

Whatever's on the menu, remember the Pie Test. Envision your
plate as a pie. Seventy-five percent of the pie should be filled
with fruits, vegetables, and grains and 25 percent with other
foods, such as diary products and meat.

Before bed Before turning in, a carbohydrate-rich snack can
supply seratonin to help you fall asleep. But go easy. Too much
food can reduce the quality of your sleep.

Eating for energy is one of the most effective, powerful, and
fast-acting mood-boosters. Try it today and see!

Check out these diet and weight-loss resources: Burn the Fat, Feed
the Muscle and The Idiot-Proof
Diet. Susie Cortright is the creator of The Free Article
Bank, http://www.free-article-bank.com