We are all familiar with that feeling of drowsiness that comes after enjoying a meal and fighting it may take more than a refill of our coffee mug. As a matter of fact, there are many different foods that can give us the energy boost that we need to make it through our afternoon meetings. Adding these to our daily diet will not only help us staying awake and feeling more energy, but it can also help us stay more focused on our tasks, improving our performance at work and leading to a healthy diet altogether.
Paying attention to what we eat will help us understand how we feel after eating certain meals and foods, making it easy for us to avoid those that make us feel sleepy and tired. One of the best energy-boosting foods we can add to our daily diet is brown rice. Brown rice is a rich source of magnesium, with just a cup providing 25 percent of the daily magnesium needed for women, and 20 percent of what men need. Magnesium keeps our metabolism working and active, and when we have low levels of this mineral, we might feel drowsy and tired.
Another tasty and healthy food that is also a great source of magnesium is yogurt, which is great for increasing our levels of energy. Besides its high levels of magnesium, yogurt also comes with the added benefits of calcium and vitamin B. If you’re not very fond of yogurt, or hadn’t thought about adding it to your diet, you can use it as a substitute for sour cream. Besides, you can always have a sweet yogurt-and-fruit morning snack to start the day with the right foot.
Finding healthy snacks used to be harder a couple of years ago. However, there are so many healthy snacks available nowadays that you can even find them at your nearest coffee shop or grocery store. One of our favorites has to be nuts, as they are very rich in nutrients and work as boasting healthy unsaturated fats. They are also rich in proteins, ideal to keep us awake and give us that extra energy boost we need after the lunch hour. Just remember to take it easy, as nuts are also high in calories, so remember to grab a handful and continue with your day.
Last but not least, we have the ultimate energy-boosting superfood, one that is so effective that you might even remember it being used by a strong and powerful cartoon character from yore. Spinach is a plant that is full of powerful and healthy nutrients, including iron, which helps us fight fatigue and improves our mental and physical performance. It is a rich source of tyrosine, too, which is an amino acid that helps us stay alert and focused. If you’re not sure of how to add spinach into your daily diet, you can start trying an orange vinaigrette spinach salad for lunch, for example.
