Being busy and maintaining a healthy diet should go hand in hand, but when we get busy, priorities often shift and healthy habits can slip away.
If you don’t want to compromise a healthy diet with your busy lifestyle, then these powerhouse ingredients can recharge your body and help you to stay alert all day:
1. Eggs
Include protein in your breakfast meal and you can help to keep hunger at bay. Protein and a little fat can help to slow the rate at which a carbohydrate will break down into sugar, which is a perfect way of obtaining sustained energy all morning long.
2. Oats
All carbohydrates break down to sugar, but it’s only the fibre rich slow-release carbohydrates such as oats, which provide sustained fuel to the body and brain.
3. Strawberries
Did you know that strawberries come with more vitamin C per 100g in comparison to oranges? Vitamin C is essential for strengthening the immune system and combating tiredness and fatigue.
4. Cherries
Full of antioxidants called anthocyanin’s which are responsible for their deep red or purple hue. Anthocyanins are currently under research for anti-inflammatory and potential heart health benefits. Cherries are also a rich source of melatonin, a hormone that may improve quality of sleep. It’s important to note, however, studies in relation to sleep have used Montmorency tart cherry juice, and further research is needed.
5. Salmon
Did you know that 60% of our brain is made up of fat? Most of these fats are similar to those found in salmon called omega 3’s. These fats can play a role with supporting concentration, memory and mood.
6. Matcha green tea
Green tea contains a special substance called L-Theanine, which has been shown to stimulate a feeling of relaxed alertness and clarity. Swapping your espresso for a cup of matcha could provide a brain and energy boost without the jitters that come with excess caffeine.
7. Water
Dehydration can lead to fatigue, lack of concentration and reduce efficiency throughout the day. If you struggle with plain water, then try infusing water overnight with fresh berries, ginger, lemon or mint. Fruit and herbal teas all count to your daily water intake. Aim for 8 glasses per day.
8. Kale
Dark green leafy vegetables such a kale provide a rich source of iron. Iron is an essential mineral needed for energy production. Iron deficiency is an often-missed cause of fatigue.
9. Dark chocolate
Not only is chocolate super tasty, but high-quality dark chocolate is also a source of magnesium which is an important mineral required for energy production.
10. Chicken
A fast track way of increasing our intake of B vitamins. These essential vitamins convert the food we eat into energy. As they are water-soluble nutrients, they need to be replaced within the diet on a regular basis.
Lily is a London Nutritionist who graduated from Newcastle University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Food and Human Nutrition (AfN accredited) where she was awarded the Sage Faculty for Excellence Scholarship on an annual basis. She then went on to complete a 2-year post-graduate Diploma in Nutritional Therapy and is currently working towards her MSc in Nutritional Medicine (AfN accredited) at the University of Surrey. Lily’s extensive knowledge of the science of food and health, enables her to regularly write for The Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Independent, Women’s Health and Cosmopolitan.
Her frequent TV appearances include ITV’s This Morning with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, and ITV’s primetime series Save Money: Lose Weight with Dr Ranj Singh. Lily’s passion is to simplify the science around nutrition, to provide health hacks and smarter eating strategies to empower people to enjoy a healthy and successful lifestyle. Her specialities lie in workplace wellness, implementing nutrition-focused wellbeing programmes within corporate organisations across the UK.
Lily also sees individual clients from her clinic in Chelsea and a private medical practice based in Notting Hill.
