6 Quick Fatigue Fighters

We all know that secret stash of chocolate or third cup of coffee won’t do our bodies any good, yet when fatigue sets in, who doesn’t reach mindlessly (and with a good measure of guilt) for a quick pick-me-up? Turns out there’s a biological reason for your lack of willpower: Your body is declaring its need for energy. Fast.

“By definition, all foods provide energy, because calories are energy,” says Tara Gidus, RD, a dietician in Orlando, Florida. But the type of food you choose plays a huge role in how energized or lethargic you feel after you’ve digested it. While the body breaks all foods down into simple sugars, sweet and processed foods cause blood sugar to spike quickly (giving us immediate energy) and then dip (making us “crash” and leaving us looking for another boost). The key to avoiding those quick highs and longer lows? Choose foods that the body metabolizes slowly.

Here are six nutritionist-approved energy boosters that will keep your metabolism revved and have you feeling less drained throughout the day.

Oats
Carbohydrates may have gotten a bad rap in recent times, but they are actually an ideal source of quick energy thanks to the body’s ability to digest them almost immediately. But before you embrace buttered toast as your breakfast staple, remember that the most effective carbs come packed with fiber–like oats. Just a half cup of cooked oats provides a whopping four grams of dietary fiber, which takes a long time to digest and therefore slows the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. The result? High, steady energy and a curbed appetite, says Gidus. Feeling dependent on the morning jolt you’ve come to expect from your sugary breakfast cereal? Add a little honey or molasses to your bowl of oatmeal; both of these nutrient-rich natural sweeteners provide a quick shot of energy. Paired with the slow-release energy from oats, this breakfast will give you the best shot at steering clear of a mid-morning slump.

Bananas
One of few fruits that contain both simple and complex carbohydrates, bananas deliver immediate energy and longer-lasting endurance. No wonder athletes rely on them. Easy-to-digest, potassium-rich bananas make a great snack before a big meeting or lunchtime power walk. To further slow down and extend the energy release this power fruit provides, spread some protein, like peanut butter or cottage cheese, on bite-size slices.

Bell peppers
Mixing these veggies in an omelet or salad does much more than add a colorful crunch: Bell peppers are a stellar source of vitamin C, which plays a key role in helping the body burn fat for energy. Vitamin C sparks the production of carnitine, a molecule that transports fat to the part of the cell where it’s metabolized, helping to burn more of it overall (and helping your metabolism stay revved and working as efficiently as possible).

Nuts
Nuts are a tasty little energy food thanks to their heart-healthy monounsaturated fat content, which gives them nine calories per gram (compared with four calories per gram in carbs and proteins). Research shows that eating monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, popularly known as “good fats,” instead of saturated and trans fats, slows the digestion of food, which keeps your metabolism firing and helps you feel full for longer periods of time. Plus, these good fats have also been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses. Just remember that a little goes a long way. To keep from overdoing it on this easy-to-pop snack, measure out your servings with a shot glass.

Green tea
Swap your afternoon coffee with a cup of green tea and you’ll get a post-lunch pick-me-up that won’t make you jittery for the rest of the day. Caffeine stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (the part responsible for our “fight or flight” response to danger) and can quickly boost alertness and performance, says William Evans, PhD, director of the nutrition, metabolism, and exercise laboratory at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Green tea delivers less caffeine than coffee, but it also contains another natural stimulant, theophylline, that has caffeine-like effects. The result? A boost that’s similar to what you get from coffee, minus the energy-sapping withdrawal. Just remember, any caffeinated food or beverage can cause dehydration, so keep chugging your body’s natural regulator–water–too.

Sweet potatoes
With chart-topping levels of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, sweet potatoes are loaded with important antioxidants, the body’s best defense against free radicals (which proliferate when we’re stressed or overly tired). Described by Gidus as “a nice package of very nutrient-dense food,” this root vegetable contains fewer than 100 calories, yet provides 28 grams of carbohydrates and more than 100 percent of your daily requirement of beta-carotene. Sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of vitamin C, and they’re full of fiber, vitamin B6, iron, and other nutrients, too.

Milk Alternatives - A Three Part Series, Part III

Some people have pretty compelling arguments against drinking milk. And while it’s true that we are the only species to drink the milk of another species—we are also the only species that cooks its food and can open a bottle of red wine (should we give that up too?). Truth be told, there are a number of persuasive reasons to wean oneself from cow milk—find out here if you should stop drinking milk, and read about non-dairy alternatives.

Personally, I’ve hopped on and off the milk-drinking fence so many times I am not sure which side I’m on. But a few things are sure: If you are vegan, lactose intolerant, or have a milk allergy, you probably use milk alternatives. Some might also switch to milk alternatives for taste, or to lower their saturated fat intake (although skim cow’s milk is non-fat, some find milk alternatives are a better tasting way to avoid saturated fat). I would convert, once and for all, to non-dairy milk if I couldn’t get milk from rBGH-free cows.

The Vegan Case
Animal rights proponents point to the cruelty inherent in industrial farming. The animals are treated terribly and the milk is can be quite unhealthy. (See "Cow Milk" from a couple of posts ago). In addition, there are serious environmental problems that dairy farms create. The dairy-products industry is the primary source of smog-forming pollutants in California; a single cow emits more of these harmful gases than a car does. The last common argument for a dairy free life is that cow’s milk is made for cows. We are the only mammal that drinks the milk of another mammal—and we were just not meant to do that, as evidenced by our inadequate lactase production.

Intolerance and Allergies
Lactase is the enzyme produced in our small intestine that breaks down lactose, the natural sugar in any milk. In toddler-hood we begin producing less lactase. It is the reduction of lactase that leads to lactose intolerance—which is the inability to properly digest milk. Millions of Americans are lactose intolerant, and an estimated 90 percent of Asian-Americans and 75 percent of Native- and African-Americans suffer from the condition. Lactose intolerance can cause bloating, gas, cramps, vomiting, headaches, rashes, and asthma. Having a milk allergy is different: in this case the body has an allergic reaction to one or more of the proteins in milk (casein, whey, and lactalbumin). Milk allergies can incite gastric distress, as well as skin problems like rashes and eczema, and runny noses or nasal congestion.

The Calcium Issue
But if we require so much calcium, it might seem that our bodies really do need milk. According to an authoritative article in the British newspaper The Guardian, Anne Karpf exhaustively explores the problems with milk. Here is just one fascinating fact she doles out: “American women are among the biggest consumers of calcium in the world, yet still have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis in the world…Most Chinese people eat and drink no dairy products and consume only half the calcium of Americans…yet osteoporosis is uncommon in China despite an average life expectancy of 70.” She goes on to propose that the bone loss and deteriorating bone tissue that take place in osteoporosis are due not to calcium deficiency but rather to its resorption: it’s not that our bodies don’t get enough calcium, rather that they excrete too much of what they already have. Is our need for calcium from dairy just a very deep-seated myth? Okay, I am grappling with this one. We have been programmed since childhood to believe in the necessity of milk and calcium, but those statistics are hard to ignore.

The Alternatives
With all of that in mind, here’s a quick round up of the alternatives. One of the reasons that milk is so popular is because it’s an excellent source of fortified (added) calcium, B12, riboflavin, and vitamin D. (As well as a very strong dairy industry and their lobbying arms.) Milk alternatives won’t automatically contain those ingredients, so be sure to look for a brand that is fortified.

Read the Labels
Also, when selecting a milk alternative be sure to compare nutritional labels. You’ll be amazed by the amount of sugar some of these products have. One popular brand of soy milk rang in with a dizzying 19 grams of sugar per serving: that’s the equivalent of almost five teaspoons of sugar!

Almond Milk
With only 2 grams of protein per 8 ounces, almond milk is not that impressive in the protein department—but almonds are one of the healthiest foods around. They’re rich in magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and calcium. Almond milk has a nice sweet, nutty flavor and a good consistency, which makes it good for drinking as well as a good dairy substitute in cooking.

Hemp Milk
A personal favorite: Hemp milk is new to the market and is made from seeds grown in Canada, where growing hemp is legal. It is a good source of omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids, calcium, and phosphorous, and is commonly fortified with other vitamins and minerals. One (very delicious) brand, Living Harvest, states that unlike soy protein, hemp protein doesn’t contain high levels of enzyme inhibitors, phytates, which can interfere with the proper assimilation of essential minerals, or oligosaccharides which cause flatulence and stomach distress.

Oat Milk
Oat milk is gaining in popularity and availability. It is high in fiber, is cholesterol and lactose free, and contains vitamin E, folic acid, and other trace elements and minerals. Oats are also rich in phytochemicals, naturally occurring chemicals in plants that help fight diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It is said to be highly tolerated by people with multiple allergies—however it’s not good for people with gluten intolerance.

Rice Milk
Rice milk is processed from brown rice and typically contains rice syrup, evaporated cane juice or another natural sweetener. It is usually fortified with calcium or vitamin D. It is generally very sweet, and pretty watery. The main drawback of rice milk is that it is mainly just a source of carbohydrates—it is a good dairy substitute for cooking, but shouldn’t be used as a replacement for nutrients.

Soy Milk
There was a time when soy was considered nothing short of a miracle bean. But times have changed. The preponderance of GMO strains drifting into soy fields is alarming (it is estimated that 90 percent of soy is genetically modified), and people are increasingly acquiring quite serious allergies to soy. If you drink a lot of soy milk, you might want to read the arguments about possible health issues associated with soy. Dr. Kaayle Daniel, author of the book The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Health Food says: “Soy isoflavones–the plant estrogens in soy most often credited with cancer prevention–are listed as carcinogens in many toxicology textbooks. They have also been proven to be mutagenic, clastogenic and teratogenic.” Excessive soy intake has also been linked to an increased risk of thyroid disease, and some feel that soy’s phytoestrogens may attenuate testosterone levels in boys. The jury may still be out on soy, but the bottom line might just be that soy milk is significantly more processed than the other milk alternatives.

Not-Milk Milk Recipes
Milk alternatives are surprisingly easy to make at home. See our collection of simple, delicious, and quick nut, seed and grain milk recipes in the next post!