Diet and Energy

Cory

The new school year is starting up, and last year because of my diet I was always drained of energy before I could even get any. I feel like if I eat a lot better I will be able to focus in school. It's my last year and I really want to make it count. Any suggestions on foods that are good on the go?

karasti

Nuts. Fruit. Cheese sticks. Carrots. Pea pods. The kicker is that many things that are good for you and good for energy levels, are low in calories, so if the calories are the problem you are better off sticking with nuts, fruit and cheese. If you really want to eat well and are on the go alot, then planning ahead if basically required. My son (almost 17) is a 3 sport athlete and on top of that and school, he works. He eats on the go much of the school year. But he plans ahead. He takes hot foods in a thermos to eat between school and practice. he eats shelled sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds and trail mixes. He eats a lot of bananas. He drinks smoothies (that he makes at home, not from DQ, lol) on his way to practice. You can pack a lot of nutrition into things, but a little planning goes a long ways. Far better than picking up an ice cream bar and a coke, or lunchables at the gas station (and saves a lot of money, too). Peanut Butter crackers are another favorite, get actual multigrain crackers, maybe add some nutella, too. It's hard to get enough calories. I seem to recall you are not that much different in age than my son. Boys of that age (15-18ish) even if they are not active, need up to 2400 calories a day. If you are active in sports, it's going to jump a lot. During his training periods, my son eats 3500-3800 calories a day. It's ALOT of food to pack into eating on the run, lol.

lobster

wolf berries and adaptogens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goji
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen

I hear vampire blood is good if you can get it :crazy:

Can you do qi ong as a form of body stimulant? :wave:

Cory

@lobster Unfortunately not in the mornings, I only have 30 minutes to get out of bed, teeth brushed, dressed, fed, and out of the door in 30 minutes. Just getting out of bed takes me almost half that.

footiam

Cory said:

The new school year is starting up, and last year because of my diet I was always drained of energy before I could even get any. I feel like if I eat a lot better I will be able to focus in school. It's my last year and I really want to make it count. Any suggestions on foods that are good on the go?

You remind me of the story of Buddha and the guitar strings. For not eating, he became very weak and could not function very well, just like a guitar with loose strings. Guitar with strings too tight may not work well too especially when the strings snap. Whatever it is, food included, it ought to be balanced, I suppose.

lobster

Cory said:

@lobster Unfortunately not in the mornings, I only have 30 minutes to get out of bed, teeth brushed, dressed, fed, and out of the door in 30 minutes. Just getting out of bed takes me almost half that.

Understood, then you need to eat:
1. an hour earlier to bed for starters
2. and for dessert . . . get up half an hour earlier to practice some physical exercise.

You know it and I know it.

karasti

I agree that if you want to make it a priority you ideally should get up earlier. You can also prepare some stuff the night before to grab on your way out the door. If you get up earlier you'll naturally go to bed a bit earlier and it'll even out. though I know it's really hard for teenagers and young adults to get up before 9am. They've actually done a number of studies on it, and enough came out of them to change the school times in many districts so the kids are more awake. But it can be done, it is possible! My son has to be at practice by 7am every day and then works for 7 hours after that. So far, he hasn't died, lol.

Victorious

Like a King at breakfast, a Prince at lunch and as a begger at dinner.

I assume you do not do much physical exercise? Then half your plate should be veggies and the rest divided equally between carbs and protein.

Avoid sugar eat slow carbs instead.

Thats the short version. You want the long one?


/Victor

Dakini

Are you asking what's a nutritious but quick breakfast? Get some whole-grain bread (I use a brand of rice bread that comes in different varieties: white, brown, red rice), put it in the toaster as you're getting dressed (why do you brush your teeth before eating, btw?), then butter it and add a good chunk of cheese on top.

Another quickie: a smoothie of yogurt, fresh fruit/berries, + protein powder or cottage cheese, for extra protein and to fill you up.

Also: it only takes 3-4 minutes to boil a couple of eggs, and toast some toast.

DaltheJigsaw

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how

Consider that your lack of energy might be a sleep disorder or a lack of discipline in going to bed early enough to get the sleep that you need. Only getting up 30 minutes before you need to leave seems limiting to me.
What was this restrictive diet that made you feel weak? Why were you on it and why are you now off it?
Looking for a diet change that gives you energy makes me wonder what your present diet is and if it is hopeful thinking, just like thinking that maybe you'd have more energy for practice if you only ate better foods?

Cory

@how I was just a really picky eater and I'm starting to lose that. That's all. But I never sleep well, not sure what it is. I wake up about 3 or 4 times a night, really aggravated and upset for no reason.

karasti

Maybe it would be helpful to have a sleep study done. If you eat decent and get some exercise every day, you should sleep better. Especially if you exercise or at least spend time outdoors every day. If that does not help after a few couple weeks, you might actually have something medically going on that is preventing you from getting truly restful sleep. Getting those things investigated and fixed is life changing. My ex had sleep apnea from the time he was a teen but never got it looked into until I was able to point out that he stopped breathing many times a night, and would wake up, and then go back to sleep. He was always tired. When he had the study done he found out that he was stopping breathing up to 100 times a night and obviously not getting good rest. He got treatment for it and it changed his life. His depression and anxiety lessened, he was able to get his work done much better.

So, don't rule out something medical as the cause. If you fix up your diet and lifestyle and it doesn't help, get it looked it.