“Ein li koyach” – or “אין לי כוח” (English – I have no strength/energy), might be something you
would hear strolling down the streets of Israel
So what does this all have to do with
nutrition? Well, from the viewpoint of food and nutrition and all that other
“health-freaky” stuff, there are a few ways
to combat or avoid that feeling of constant tiredness.
- Wash it down with water:
Our bodies need 2-3L of water a day
(8-10 cups). (Seriously? Yes). Fluid helps to carry all the nutrients around
our bodies to be used for energy. Lethargy, along with nausea, headaches, dark
yellow urine and a dry mouth are some of the symptoms of dehydration. While
tea, coffee, milk and other forms of fluid all count – water is the best. So remember
- summer or winter: keep drinking. Carry around a water bottle with you and
drink a few cups of water at every meal.
- “Ironned” out:
Another cause of fatigue could be from a lack of iron in the diet – causing iron-deficiency anaemia. The best
sources of iron are found in animal foods like red meat, liver, fish chicken
and eggs. For vegetarians, plant foods like spinach, broccoli, nuts, lentils
and wholegrain cereals contain iron that isn’t as easily absorbed by the body.
Eating something high in Vitamin C like a tomato or lemon juice can help absorb
the iron. There are also some nutrients that decrease iron absorption – like caffeine,
tannins in tea, calcium and fibre. Women need more than double the amount of
iron compared to men. If you think you might not be getting enough iron – take
a blood test to check it out, and try and include more of these foods in your
diet.- B for Vitamin B!
There are 8 B-group vitamins that
play a huge role in energy production and making red blood cells. Being
deficient in any of these Vitamins might result in fatigue. It’s important to
remember – the B Vitamins do not provide the body with fuel, they help release
energy from nutrients that do (like carbohydrates, fats and proteins).
Vitamin-B supplements are available, but check your diet first.
- Don’t forget to eat:
Skipping meals can also cause
feelings of exhaustion. Food is like the fuel for our body, and if we don’t
feed it regularly, we will run out of energy. It’s important to eat every 3 or
4 hours, so if you’re leaving 7 hours between breakfast and lunch (or skipping
either meal all together) – it’s very likely that you will be feeling tired and
finding it difficult to concentrate.
- Crack onto complex carbs:
Another food myth that people haven’t
seemed to be able to let go of, is that carbohydrates are “bad” for you. False.
Our body needs glucose (the most simple form of carbohydrates) for energy. Out
of all three major nutrients (fat, protein and carbs), our body uses
carbohydrates first. More specifically, our brain need glucose for energy. This
explains why people who eliminate all carbohydrates from their diet experience
poor concentration. However, while carbohydrates are essential – it is ideal to
be eating foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates, like wholemeal breads
and cereals, brown rice, sweet potato, oats and legumes. Complex carbohydrates
are absorbed more slowly into the body, providing a slower release of energy. This means that you end up stretching out the
release of energy into your blood over a longer period of time, compared to
something like white bread which gives you a short burst of energy followed by
– you guessed it – another feeling of lethargy.- Cut out the coffee:
Other then sleep, the tempting thing
to do when you feel that wave of tiredness is grab a fresh, steaming cup of
coffee to increase your alertness. Hate to break it to you, but caffeine is
like a bandaid. You’ll feel extremely awake for a period of time, followed by
yet another wave of exhaustion, followed by another urge for coffee. And the
cycle repeats. Caffeine also affects your sleep, making it harder to fall
asleep at night – and yet again, making you feel tired the following day.- Check for food intolerances?
Certain food intolerances can cause
the symptom of tiredness. This is because certain nutrients from the food that
you may be intolerant to (e.g. lactose, fructose, gluten) aren’t getting
absorbed properly. It might be worth writing down what you are eating for a
week and checking to see if you have any other symptoms (such as bloatedness)
after you eat certain foods.
- Exercise for energy:
It’s a vicious cycle. You’re too
tired to exercise, but then a lack of exercise makes you lethargic. Studies
have shown that any form of regular exercise play a huge role in reducing fatigue.
Even though it’s probably the last thing you feel like doing, you’ll start to
feel a whole lot better pretty quickly. Exercise released certain
energy-promoting and mood-enhancing neurotransmitters like dopamine,
norepinephrine and serotonin. More simply,
it allows the oxygen to move around your body more quickly which is used in
energy production. So – get moving, and your body will love you for it.
Then
again, you might just need to sleep a little more…
