6 healthy eating tips for more energy

Often, lack of energy means nothing more than you are hungry or thirsty. In fact, it is often a better marker that you need something to eat than any sensation emanating from your belly! With that in mind, here are some tweaks to your food choices that could go a long way towards remedying low energy and daytime fatigue.

Eating small meals throughout the day, or three meals and two smart snacks, helps keep your blood sugar stable, which fends off fatigue. Try to eat something healthy every three hours; longer than that, and you risk a drop in blood sugar that will effect how you feel.

The caffeine in coffee is a mostly safe and natural stimulant that increases your heart and breathing rate. But its effects wear off, leaving you either craving more or feeling tired again. Many experts now say to avoid caffeine if fatigue is an ongoing problem.

You wake up and do your morning routine, and by the time you arrive at the kitchen, 12 hours have passed since your last meal. Even if your stomach doesn't feel hungry, your body is. Eat a small breakfast every day. Studies show that people who eat breakfast concentrate and are more productive than those who don't.

Water is needed for the basic chemistry of energy in your body. Without enough in your diet, your body has to compensate for it in a way that can sap you of vitality. Drink a glass every two hours or so.

The amino acids in proteins help increase levels of neurotransmitters in your bloodstream that play a major role in mood and alertness. A good rule of thumb is to be sure to have a serving of protein at every meal, including breakfast.

Refined sugar and corn syrup digest quickly and cause nearly instant blood-sugar surges — the well-known "sugar rush" we accuse overactive kids of having, followed by a crash in blood sugar that leaves people without energy. While grownups may not feel sugar-related surges like a child might, they often do suffer from the crash. So skip sodas, cake, cookies; opt for proteins instead.