Foods that Give You Energy: What to Eat to Increase Energy Levels

You're sleeping, exercising and staying hydrated, but you're still finding yourself feeling tired and sluggish. Something is out of whack, but you don't know what it is. You eat regular meals, and you're watching the fat, but a nap is always on your mind. Perhaps this is when you need to take a closer look at your diet. You're eating healthy food, but is it possible you're not getting the right fuel?

Incorporating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables into at least one meal each day is the most important aspect of being healthy, inside and out. If you forgo the vitamins and roughage that fruits and vegetables supply, you will feel run down, retain water, and your body will have to work harder to eliminate fats and toxins from the body.

Now, this doesn't mean to go and eat 10 lbs of fruits and vegetables each day; a couple servings of fruit, and 2-3 colorful vegetables every night at dinner will make a significant difference in your energy level. When incorporating nutrient packed produce into your meals, it's important to avoid sticking with the same fruits and veggies day after day. Alternating your produce selection at the grocery store or farmer's market not only expands your nutrient intake, it will prevent you from getting stuck in a "broccoli rut" that will undoubtedly bore you into returning to old, bland eating habits.

Sticking with the same foods all the time can lead to serious vitamin deficiencies. Low levels of certain vitamins can lead to lethargy, mental fogginess, and can prevent vital organs from functioning at optimum levels. Supplying your body with the vitamins it needs insures that you will regularly eliminate toxins and extra water weight, which in turn will jump-start your metabolism, helping you to gain energy and lose excess fat!

An analogy of feeding your body with the proper nutrients for optimum function and performance is throwing gas soaked paper verses a heavy dry log onto a bed of hot coals. The gas soaked paper (high sugar junk food) will ignite rapidly and fiercely (producing energy), but it is short lived and fire burns out quickly. The dry log (vegetables) on the other hand takes a while to ignite, but it will burn progressively and steadily, consistantly releasing energy. This slow and steady release is a major component to promoting a healthy metabolism.

Even if you're going to eat junk food, don't make that a replacement for healthy food. It's okay to have chips and chocolate once in a while, or pizza and beer on a Friday night; just make sure that the majority of the time you're eating smart, and you'll notice a big change in the way you look and feel. Not only will your quality of life be greatly enhanced, you'll add years to it!