Energy Food

By WLR Dietitian

Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Q: I’m a sales advisor and can either sit behind my desk all day or spend six hours showing people around houses. On the days I’m out of the office I walk for around 30 minutes and climb stairs for 20 minutes. The problem is I don’t have much energy. What foods do you suggest I eat?

A: Before looking at high energy foods, you should check you’re having sufficient calories every day. You don’t mention how quickly or slowly you’re losing weight – if you’re losing more than 2lb a week you should increase your daily calorie intake. Start by checking your personal details and Goals and Results are correct – this will ensure that WLR has calculated an accurate daily calorie allowance for you. You might also want to check you’re entering all the exercise you do, including the walking you do at work. All exercise counts regardless of whether you’re at work or at leisure – and, of course, the more exercise you do, the more calories you can have while still losing weight.

It goes without saying that you should eat regularly and always have breakfast – skip any meal and you’re guaranteed to be lacking in energy. You may also benefit from eating little and often throughout the day rather than three larger meals. Eating this way will help keep your blood sugar levels steady. It’s sudden drops in blood sugar that leave you feeling low in energy and craving sugary foods to pick you up. You should also concentrate on swapping sugary and processed carbs for wholegrain carbohydrates like wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta and wholegrain cereals as these foods help to even out blood sugar levels.

Finally, it might sound obvious, but make sure you’re getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water (you should have eight glasses a day). Often we put a lack of energy down to our diets, when in fact it’s simply because we’re tired or dehydrated. Follow all of this advice and you should soon find your energy levels soar. However, if a lack of energy is still a problem, I suggest you see your GP to rule out any underlying medical problems such as anaemia.