Article Contents
Regardless you’re working in a corporate environment or a self-employed at home, keeping your energy levels high is vital. One of the things you should always consider is to eat. However, be careful what you’re putting in your mouth as it can either give a boost to your energy or make you feel sleepy.
The key is to never get hungry. More importantly, make sure you eat the right kinds of energy boosting foods. Hence, instead of visiting the vending machine and picking sugary foods and drinks, choose these foods instead.
Eating a small snack consisting of 150 to 200 calories is helpful in replenishing your energy level. These foods also don’t make you feel hunger very quickly. With just a small amount is enough to go through until next meal.
Moreover, these foods are also excellent pre-workout snacks giving you an extra boost especially if you’re not taking any workout supplements. Give up and avoid energy drinks. And, although coffee is good, it’s not ideal especially if you already had a cup of coffee early in the morning.
10 Energy Boosting Foods
Here are the 10 energy boosting foods you should be eating when you feel lethargic at work. Of course, these are just a few of the many other energy boosting foods available.
But, instead of generalizing them as fruits or vegetables, we’re going to be specific with certain foods. From this point, hopefully, you’ll be able to make your own list of your favorite energy boosting foods.
101. Yogurt
Yogurt is one of the easy and grabs snacks either you’re feeling hungry during mid-morning work or as a pre-workout snack.
It contains milk sugar and lactose that can be both utilized by the body quickly for energy. In addition, yogurt also contains protein, which is helpful in slowing down the absorption of lactose prolonging the energy-boosting effect.
Moreover, make sure you read the label. Preferably, choose organic yogurt. Here are some tips on choosing an organic yogurt.
On the other hand, if you prefer non-dairy organic yogurt, try buying coconut yogurt. If you can’t find it, you can actually make it yourself. It’s a good idea especially if you have time to make it and you can be sure it’s authentic organic.
Even better, pair your organic yogurt with berries like blueberries or strawberry to make it even tastier and even more energy-boosting.
92. Shrimp
Shrimps are rich in zinc, which is helpful for overall men’s health particularly boosting male fertility, too. Additionally, shrimps are low in calories and also contain vitamin B12, which is an energy booster.
However, making shrimp as part of your daily diet may not be a good idea but occasionally, it is healthy. Moreover, it is important to choose and buy organic shrimps. You should avoid buying and eating farmed shrimps.
If you can’t find organic shrimps, don’t worry as you have more choices when it comes to energy-boosting foods.
83. Hummus
Hummus is part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle eating habit, the Mediterranean diet. The ingredients are in hummus are rich in energy boosting carbs such as chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice and sesame seed paste.
These ingredients are not only composed of energy-giving carbs but also rich in protein and healthy fats, which helps in stabilizing blood sugar allowing slow carb absorption.
Enjoy it as a dip for vegetables or as a condiment for sandwiches.
74. Oatmeal
Probably, there is no more popular breakfast food than oat meal. So, oatmeal is one of the energy boosting foods due to complex carbohydrate contents.
Oatmeal is a whole grain. Hence, the absorption is slow giving you a long lasting energy boost. It also contains energy boosting B vitamins, which include folate, niacin, and thiamin.
When these work together, it allows the body to convert the food into usable energy. What’s even better, you can add banana and strawberry to your oats making your breakfast, even more, energy boosting.
65. Spinach
It’s time to do what Popeye does, eat spinach. One Swedish study1 found that nitrates in spinach may help increase mitochondrial efficiency. Mitochondria is where the basic building blocks of energy are produced at a cellular level.
An earlier study2 during the early 90’s also found the same benefit of eating spinach. Furthermore, a more recent study also similar benefit of spinach for the mitochondria.
Those who are doing bodybuilding, spinach can be helpful as it contains natural nitrates, which is converted into nitric oxide. NO is one of the most popular bodybuilding supplements. So, why not get it from a natural source like Spinach?
56. Almonds
Almond nuts are among the healthiest nuts rich in magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral essential for proper functioning of the muscles.
There are studies that found magnesium deficiency can lead to low energy. Hence, before you get low in magnesium, try keeping a handful of almonds prior heading to work. During breaks, eat them as your snacks. Almonds are among the natural energy boosting foods you can have.
47. Strawberry
Natural sugar from whole fruits like a strawberry is a good choice as an energy booster over a bar of candy. What’s even more interesting is that strawberry can be added to another energy boosting foods like oatmeal or yogurt.
It just makes the snacks more delicious. Compared to candy bars and other sugary snacks, strawberry contains natural sugar known as fructose.
It also contains dietary fiber that keeps the absorption of sugar in the body in a controlled manner allowing a longer energy boost.
38. Bananas
Bananas also go well along with oatmeal with strawberry. When you do this, you are combining and reaping the benefits of these energy boosting foods.
Moreover, bananas are also a perfect pre-workout snack. It is rich in energy giving B vitamins along with dietary fiber that makes the energy boost last longer.
Even better, bananas are rich potassium, which is essential for proper muscle function.
29. Popcorn
It is not the conventional movie theater popcorn that we’re referring here. Movie popcorns are laden with unhealthy fats and high level of sodium. In some cases, movie popcorns are flavored with artificial flavorings.
We’re talking here about air-popped popcorn, which only contains about 30 calories per cup. Plus it contains lots of dietary fiber allowing you to feel full for a longer period, which is good for preventing food cravings.
110. Water
Well, water is not a food, you might say. However, water is considered as one of the essential nutrients our body needs. Water is essential for hydration. Even a mild dehydration can cause low energy.
Furthermore, water helps the body regulate temperature, aids digestion, and function as a medium in various metabolic processes taking place inside the body including the production of energy.
If you want to get the most of it, try drinking lemon water.
Bottom Line
You may notice that some of these energy boosting foods are also listed as mood boosting foods. That’s because whole foods like fruits and vegetables contain a wide variety of nutrients.
Making a habit of eating these types of foods will not only give you energy and mood boost but good health, in general.