So you’ve got yourself a pretty hectic day ahead; e-mails to send, meetings to run, projects to turn in – and goodness knows those groceries aren’t going to shop themselves. If only that NZT-48 pill from “Limitless” were a real-world drug, many of us would’ve taken one by now.
Though while there aren’t any magic tablets on the market (just yet), we can start improving our mental and physical performance through what we eat on the daily.
Sadly, with the barrage of sneaky marketing tactics from the food industry, many of us can be tricked into eating all the wrong foods.
If you’re looking to keep yourself on top of your game, just be sure to steer clear from these energy-drainers – and you might just be surprised by how many supposed ‘health’ foods fall under the following categories:
Anything loaded with processed sugar
We all know that sugar is bad for us in general. I mean, there’s a whole documentary on how the stuff significantly contributes to the rising morbid obesity rates in America, and how it caused a boom in Type 2 diabetes (also known as ‘adult onset diabetes’) in children come the 21st century.
And yeah, yeah – the dangers of sugar overconsumption are pretty much common knowledge at this point, but what about the supposed ‘boost’ in energy it gives?
It’s true that reaching for the nearest candy bar is going to give you that temporary energy high you might be after.
But since these guys are chock-full of refined sugar and are void of any nutritional value (such as the fiber and vitamins found in fruit – still full of sugar, but stuffed with loads of healthy nutrients that slow down your digestion), your body’s going to burn right through them, giving you that initial burst of energy followed by a sharp decline: also known as a ‘sugar crash’.
Symptoms of a sugar crash often involve light-headedness, lethargy, and unclear thinking. Kiss your productivity goodbye.
Many of us often reach for yet another quick, sugary fix to reverse this ‘crash’, repeating the dreaded cycle.
To avoid this disastrous zap of energy, it’s best to incorporate protein, fiber, and/or complex carbs to into your ‘sweet tooth’ munches. Below are some of the most common, supposedly ‘healthy’ foods that are actually packed with tons of unnecessary sugar, and the much cleaner alternatives you can turn to instead:
Cereals
If your bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios is your favorite part of the day, it’s time to make a few sacrifices.
Sure, that may not be the best example – anything with the word ‘honey’ in the title isn’t likely selling itself as a respected health food – but even something as seemingly harmless as Kellogg’s Bran Flakes have a sneakily high amount of refined sugar (22 grams, to be precise).
As another example, Alpen Original Muesli, ‘swiss-style’ muesli that markets itself to be 100% natural and full of wholegrain goodness, has an even higher sugar content of 23.1 grams.
It’s a pretty weaselly move, but with enough attention to labels, it’s easy not to fall for these marketing ploys.
Instead…
Opt for some homemade oatmeal in the morning. It’s wonderful source of fiber and plant-based protein that is sure to keep you full for longer, helping you avoid those mid-morning cravings just before lunchtime kicks in.
What’s great about cooking your own oatmeal is that you can control whatever additional ingredients go into it.
Want to make it a bit more sweet? Rather than the 20+ grams of sugar your mainstream cereals try to hide, you can add in a handful of berries with a sprinkle of cinnamon and honey. It’s delicious, its energizing, and it’s sweet enough without the guilt.
Yoghurt
It’s often looked to as a wonderful health option, and it is, as long as you choose the right kinds.
Plenty of the yoghurt cups you see at your local grocery store are sweetened with all sorts of tempting flavours such as strawberry, vanilla, tropical – and the worst of them all, chocolate or caramel.
Yoghurt is usually seen as a healthy snack packed with rich nutrients and protein that offer a prolonged energy release. But for many brands, much of these healthy benefits are easily buried beneath a bundle of artificial ingredients, including sweeteners, colorings, high fructose corn syrup, and of course: excess sugar.
Yoplait and Activia, for example, have alarmingly high amounts of sugar around the 20 – 30g mark.
Instead…
Go for natural, plain Greek yoghurt. These guys are the real deal without the added ingredients that essentially turn this health staple into junk food. It’s richer in texture, higher in protein, and contains much less sugar.
Just like with oatmeal, you can sweeten your yoghurt with natural ingredients like fruit and honey – additions that add even more energy to your snack, and give it that guilt-free sugary pinch.
Smoothies and juices
They may sound like a perfectly healthy energy-booster on the outset. After all, these things are made out of blended veggies, fruits, and milk; what could possibly go wrong?
Turns out that while these drinks are packed with all the healthy goodness of the food pyramid, calories in liquid form have less satiety than solids. This means that you’re likely to feel hungry again faster than if you were to simply consume these foods in their solid forms.
Don’t get me started on fruit juices, either. These are significantly worse than smoothies; fruit juices effectively strip its original source of what made it a healthy snack to begin with: fiber.
With fruit juice, you get all the sugar without any of the satiating fiber that slows the digestive process. You’re essentially left with a drink that isn’t too far off on the health scale from a can of soda. So, hello sugar crashes.
Instead…
Skip on the juices altogether and eat your fruit or veggies whole. You’re bound to feel fuller for longer, and their fiber-rich content will make it hard to overeat. With nutrients that slow the rate of your body’s food-burning process, you’re given with long-lasting energy that’ll keep you on your game for an extended period of time.
If you’re truly craving a smoothie, however, opt to make your own at home with low-sugar foods and high-protein, high-fiber ingredients.
Berries are a great fruit to start with, along with a handful of greens. Add a dose of nut butter or half an avocado for those additional healthy fats and proteins. For your liquid base, ditch the juice or sugary coconut water – pour in some unsweetened almond or soy milk instead.
Voila – you’ve got yourself a concoction full of body fuel to get you through the day.
Anything loaded with salt and fat
On the opposite end of the spectrum, gorging on foods that are high in salt and fat content aren’t going to do your energy levels any favours, either.
As delicious as they are, that box of pizza and fries are a sure-fire way to bring on the midday drowsiness. Dieticians have found that an excess of sodium can potentially lower your potassium levels – effectively leading to feelings of weakness, fatigue, and lethargy.
An overconsumption of salt can also lead to dehydration in the body, which contribute to this increase in fatigue. Too much sodium can also cause the blood vessels in your brain to expand, leading to unpleasant headaches.
Typically, foods packed with salt often come with a high dose of unhealthy fats (think chips, hamburgers, and all things McDonalds).
These guys are the common culprit of indigestion, causing your body to place most of its energy into breaking down these foods. As a result, you feel too sluggish to productively plow through the day.
In fact, an Australian study revealed that men with higher-fat diets had a higher tendency of struggling with daytime sleepiness, compared to those who didn’t.
So unless you’ve got enough time in the afternoon for a siesta, it’s recommended you steer clear of these greaseball snacks.
The following may seem like healthy options to reach for on your lunch break, but they may be more deceiving than you think:
Soup
Now, not all soups are bad. Similarly to the ‘healthy’ foods mentioned above, it’s all about choosing the right kinds that actually provide nutritional benefit.
When deciding on soup for a light, cold-weather meal, be sure to avoid those high in cream and fat. These include anything with ‘chowder’ attached to its name, potato soups, bisques, and anything involving cheese.
Basically, if it’s creamy – you run the risk of consuming high levels of fat and sodium, heading your brain towards a foggy afternoon.
Instead…
Choose a soup that’s broth-based, rather than cream-based. If it’s full of vegetables and white meats (such as turkey or chicken) this’ll fill you up with energy-boosting nutrients, good fats, and fibers you need to go on with your day.
Steering clear of canned soup would be a good idea too, considering some, if not most of these, may hold a day’s worth of your salt intake.
If you’re feeling creative and have the time, you might even want to make your own! They’re relatively cheap to make, and this way, you get to control all the nutritional goodness you put in it.
Sandwiches
They’re quick to eat, they’re portable, they’ve got the lettuce and tomatoes and the protein to boot – what could ever be wrong with the humble sandwich?!
Lots, actually. If you’re planning on snagging one at your local café, you’re bound to hit the fatigue you’re oh-so diligently avoiding if you don’t pay enough attention to the ingredients.
If you see a sandwich that’s loaded up on cheese, cold-cuts, and creamy sauces on white bread, steer clear. All these are packed with tons of unnecessary fat, sodium, and preservatives, with very little nutrients that’ll undoubtedly weigh down your brain power.
Instead…
Choose sandwiches that are packed with vegetables, lean meat, and lighter, low-fat spreads (mustard, hummus, or even an avocado are good places to start). Opt for grainier, whole wheat breads than nutritionally-void, sugar-laden white breads, too.
Again, it’s always best to make your own, or to purchase from shops that allow you to make your own custom sandwich (hello, Subway!).
Processed grains
Just like sugar, refined grains are simple carbohydrates, meaning your body’s going to burn right through them – and while you’ll get that initial high of energy, you’ll be paying the price in inevitable brain fog moments later.
While grains are naturally rich in vitamins, fiber, and minerals, the processed kinds strip them of all this nutritional value, essentially leaving them as ‘empty’ calories.
Being high in GI (glycemic index), they won’t keep you satiated for long, either. Foods high in GI lead to spikes in insulin and blood sugar, causing energy crashes down the track.
So, what constitutes as processed grains? While the following may seem harmless (and may already be a part of your daily food intake), you may find some to be the culprit of your midday grogginess.
Muffins and flavoured breads
The fact that muffins were once considered to be a ‘healthy’ breakfast option is laughable. The same goes for banana bread being a valid breakfast meal, and any others like it (mango and coconut, pear and raspberry, etc.).
While it’s tempting to reach for these as a quick grab-and-go snack or breakfast option when you’re in a hurry to go about your day – just remember that you’re not only consuming prime sources of refined grains, but are effectively taking in high amounts of sugar and fat.
Instead…
Go for two slices of whole grain, multi grain, flaxseed, or rye bread instead. Top them up with something low-fat and low in sugar; such as avocado with a sprinkle of chilli flakes, a spread of nut butter with fruit, or smoked salmon on top of low-fat cream cheese.
You’ll not only get your bread fix for the day, but you’ll fill yourself up with all the energy-boosting fats and vitamins to get your brain up to speed.
If you’re planning to make your own and our looking for some inspiration, Popsugar AU has quite a few ideas to get your started.
Pasta and rice
White pasta and rice may seem like a good go-to for a filling meal, not to mention how they’re deliciously entwined in some of the most appealing of meals – sushi, spaghetti, risottos, you name it.
Sadly, these guys are some of the most well-known refined carbs that are bound to suck the energy right out of you. In their manufacturing process, the original grains are stripped of their bran and germ – elements that contain rich amounts of nutrients and fiber.
The resulting grains are then processed to extend shelf life and improve taste. Since there isn’t much to digest with these carbs, they’ll burn right through your body, causing that same roller-coaster effect on your blood sugar levels as sugary foods do.
Instead…
Go for the whole, ‘brown’ version of these grains; pasta and rice that weren’t separated from the fiber and minerals that made them ‘healthy’ to begin with. They’ll taste almost just like their regular versions, just with nutrients that’ll offer you long-lasting energy for the day.
Better yet, try out some of today’s trendy new alternatives: quinoa, a superfood grain that’s richer in fiber and protein than white rice, yet lower in calories; shredded zucchini that could very well take the place of your pasta cravings; protein and fiber-rich soba noodles; and cauliflower rice (a low-carb alternative that looks and tastes almost exactly like its counterpart).
Whether it’s stress-filled day at the office, an untouched list of weekend errands, or a pile of university assessments nearing their deadline – be sure you’re boosting your productivity, not slowing it, by consuming all the right energy-filled foods.
It’s easy to abandon good eating habits when you’ve got yourself a packed schedule ahead, but trust me, reaching for that Mars Bar is going to bite you in the butt before come 2 PM.
Be kind to your body and brain, and before you know it, you’ll blast through the day’s to-do list in no time.