Food as Fuel to Stop Being Slugish and Tired During the Day - By: Al Short

Do you have a tuff time making it through the day without getting sluggish and sleepy? Does it ever happen to you that once you sit down it is so hard to get back up as your energy is zapped? If so it is more common than you might think, and you are not alone. Most likely the reason for your lack of energy is the food you give your body as fuel.

Your diet plays a vital role in your relationship with your feeling of being tired or full of energy. As most people always think they eat too much, it may actually be that you are not getting enough energy which causes your problems. More metabolisms are slowing down due to a lack of food as fuel throughout the day than overeating.

If you fall into the one of following categories you are probably not fueling your body to its adequate demands: cutting carbs and meals to lose weight, eat high amounts of fast food, eat from convenience stores and vending machines, or use caffeine like coffee to make it through the day. Each one of these habits creates a lack of energy for your body which either stores the food into your fat cells or burns muscle tissue for energy.

The problem lies in that once we start eating with these destructive habits, it creates a harmful cycle. Once you go to fast food for lunch for example, your blood sugar will spike and store you food into your fat cells. Now, around 2-3 pm you start to feel sluggish and starving so you go on a Starbucks run to get a "pick me up." Though because you didn't get your body proper fuel, when you get home you are completely starving and you over eat dinner (especially when you count all the snacking because you are starving before you get to dinner). For many people the cycle starts over again tomorrow. This same cycle happens with people who cut calories and carbs to lose weight.

Most people if you ask them know what to eat, so why don't we do it? It is just a matter of will power right? The answer lies deeper than that. Once you have a bad choice for the day your body will force you to make poor choices because of the negative physiologically going on inside.

The biggest key to getting your energy and metabolism back on track is breakfast. I know you have probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, though it is the truth. If you eat a sensible breakfast low in saturated fats and low in simple sugars, you can get your energy burning off on the right track. You will know it is the right track because you will feel hungry in 2-3 hours which is good. This means your metabolism is working and wants more energy to keep burning. When you fuel your metabolism you will train your body to burn fat as its major source of fuel.

Prepare ahead of time is the only way to ensure success. Pick items at the grocery store that you know will be something you can eat in your lifestyle for healthy snacks. You may need to bring your meals and snacks with you to work. Believing that you will be able to just make good choices at spur of a moment is false thinking.

Pick foods high in antioxidants. Antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains remove harmful toxins out of your body which can cause cellular damage and affect your health and energy. With greater stress comes greater build up of toxins in your body. I recommend taking an antioxidant supplement on a daily basis. It may keep you from creating metabolic syndrome from too many toxins in the body. Metabolic syndrome is the leading cause of heart disease, cancer, and strokes in this country.

Copyright (c) 2007 Al Short

About the Author

World Class Nutrition offers the lowest prices on diet pills, bodybuilding supplements, and all nutritional needs.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Al-Short/16600

Additional Articles From - Home | Health & fitness