Food to enhance vitality

Food Fuss with Anna Niec-Oszywa

When and what you eat makes a difference. Early morning starts off with the alarm going off. It’s time to hop out of bed. PT training starts in less than an hour and yet you find yourself drifting back to sleep.

Take a look at the following nutrition commandments to ensure an energetic mind and body that will allow your energy levels stay up throughout the day.

Start eating at breakfast
As the name suggests, the first meal of the day breaks the fasting period that lasted overnight. It powers fuel stores and gets us ready for action. Eat as early as possible in the day.

Compose breakfast to suit your needs
To boost energy levels fast, breakfast should be made up of the most efficient fuel for our muscles – carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate-rich foods like breads, breakfast cereal or fruit should be part of a healthy, energy-boosting breakfast.

These foods are digested rapidly into sugar molecules – that’s instant energy for the muscles to help combat those sprinting sessions during PT.

Regular meals achieve regular blood-sugar levels – and regular blood-sugar levels are essential to avoid troughs
For some, this virtually translates into vagueness, drowsiness, lethargy and headaches – all of which can be avoided by eating three regular meals daily and adding a healthy snack like fruit between main meals.

Avoid the python’s gorge
Eating meals that are in excess of our usual meal size – overeating has a disastrous effect on energy levels. It taxes the digestive system – blood flow is redirected from major muscles to the stomach in readiness for absorption of the nutrients very quickly. When this happens, we are reduced to couch potatoes. Movement is limited and not desired.

A good indication of eating just the right amount of food is a feeling of comfortable fullness that does not produce discomfort after the meal is over.

Avoid a big fat account balance at the end of the meal
Digesting fats takes a long time in comparison to digesting carbohydrates. Choosing meals low to moderate in fat ensures a more efficient digestion and which means better energy levels faster.

Watch your weight
Carrying excess weight is carrying extra load wherever you go or run. It means extra work on the body, which will tire sooner because it has to do extra weight bearing.

Losing weight is the answer
Every kilogram makes a difference and shedding a few kilograms will also make a difference to your health, lowering blood pressure, cholesterol level and the risk of impaired glucose (sugar) metabolism.

Be sure to eat enough Bs
B vitamins that is. These nutrients are essential to harness the energy from the food we eat.

Fats, sugars, and protein in foods are sources of potential energy for the body but it is not until the energy is harnessed that it is readily available for muscles as a source of fuel.

The B vitamins are involved in the chemical reactions that make this possible. Foods rich in B vitamins are green leafy vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, nuts, legumes and lean meats.

Stay well hydrated
Drinking mostly coffee and tea throughout the day is not the best way to stay hydrated.

This is because both types of drinks contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. For every glass of coffee we drink we will eventually lose up to a glass of fluid from our body.

To stay well hydrating do remember to drink lots of water, weak cordials, and fruit juice in moderation. Soups and especially clear soups are also helpful.