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How is your energy level?
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It is the ability to lead a socially and economically productive life.”
Does that describe you? Or, like many people in North America, are you just too tired to think about being socially and economically productive?
The scope of the problem
If you feel too tired to do much more than read this article, thank you very much. I appreciate your time and I will hopefully give you a few good ideas on how to increase your energy. You don’t have to feel alone. Up to 85% of the people who visit a doctor for any reason also complain of being chronically tired. It seems that we are in the middle of an energy crisis that has nothing to do with petroleum production!
When we talk about energy we need to distinguish between the ability to survive and the feeling of being energetic. We must admit that even the sickest person is converting nutrients to energy in order to survive. Yet, we want to do more than survive we want to feel energetic. We want to thrive! We want to have the energy to dream and then have the energy to live those dreams. We want to feel our best every day.
Food and energy
As I mentioned, energy comes from the way our body burns nutrients; nutrients such as fats, protein and carbohydrates must be metabolized. The word metabolism is from a Greek word that describes the process of burning wood to create heat. It also describes creating energy from food. So, an energetic life is possible with a healthy diet and healthy metabolism.
This description outlines the two-steps needed to create and sustain an energetic feeling: Improve our “burn” rate (metabolism) and improve our “fuel” source (diet).
A balanced diet must include:
However, when it comes to providing energy, fat is the undisputed champion.
Sugar from the foods we eat provides us with ready energy, but it doesn’t last very long. Proteins are converted to energy at a much slower pace and provide us with a more stable supply of energy “ five times as much energy per gram as sugar. Fats provide us with stamina. Healthy fats burn slowly and steadily up to eight times longer than sugar. So, for stamina that lasts all day and into the evening hours, select foods high in “good” fats and take an EFA supplement.
Many experts say that we should get as much as 30% of our total calories per day from fat. This may mean more than 70 grams of fat for a 2,200 calorie per day diet. That’s a lot of fat! But don’t reach for the French fries just yet. You see, all foods contain fat. Fat is as important for plants as it is for humans. So, select fats from foods that are known for high energy, such as vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes and certain types of fish.A note on metabolism
Metabolism occurs inside the cell in a tiny energy factory called mitochondria. Other cell functions are dependent on DNA, with half of the DNA coming from your mother and half from your father. Mitochondria have their own DNA, inherited only from your mother’s side of the family. (Your energy level will likely be similar to your mother’s energy level.)
The mitochondria DNA is very easily damaged and very slowly repaired. The antioxidant ECGC is shown to repair mitochondria DNA damaged by stress, deficiency or toxins.
With the proper nutrients, you can help restore both the energy of metabolism and the feeling of being energetic!
Live Life #VoxxLife Strong
