| Do you often need some sugar or caffeine in the middle of the afternoon? Struggling to get up in the morning? Always feel like you’re running on half a battery with no zest for life? Low energy is a very typical complaint in clinic and the root cause or causes can be different for everybody. |
| However there are some common themes that we address to improve energy, stamina and zest for life. –Hydration is key (as per last week’s post, mild chronic dehydration is common and can certainly drive fatigue.) –Vitamin/mineral deficiencies – specifically B9, B12 and iron but there are other micronutrients that are crucial to energy production so consider your diet and a good quality multivitamin.Low protein intake. –Protein provides essential amino acids for energy and metabolism, as well as keeping us fuller for longer. –Thyroid function. Your thyroid is responsible for your metabolism. If you suspect your thyroid is not functioning as well as it could, a simple blood test can confirm if you need to be supporting thyroid health. –Adrenal function. Your adrenals produce cortisol so managing stress is key to ensuring balanced cortisol function. –Sex hormones can also play a part – low testosterone or oestrogen can impact our energy levels. –Having a daily routine and balanced body clock (circadian rhythm) also influences the fluctuations of our energy levels over the course of the day. This week I am focusing on supporting energy levels through balancing blood sugar. To understand blood sugar, we need to discuss insulin.The way your body produces and deals with insulin dictates your cardiovascular health, the quality of your life as you age and your ability to maintain (or not) a healthy body weight. Insulin is a hormone that controls how you obtain your energy from the food you eat. The glucose in your food fuels your body. It tells the cells in your liver and muscles to take in glucose and, either use it as energy straight away, or store it for future energy needs. Once your cells are full of stored glucose (glycogen), which can happen quickly depending on your diet and how much energy you burn off, the excess glucose gets converted to FAT. Our modern diets, so heavy in glucose-laden carbohydrates, means that more often than not, your insulin levels are raised and you create excess fat which has to be stored in your liver, around your waistline and around your organs. The way we eat on the typical Western diet means blood sugar levels, and insulin levels, peak and crash over the course of the day leading to bursts of insulin that flood the cells, eventually making the cells resistant to insulin’s message. This is pre-diabetes. The simplest way to ensure you are eating the right foods that won’t spike your insulin is to follow a Low Glycaemic Diet (Low GI). This means focusing on protein, healthy fats and low GI carbohydrates that will release their sugars slowly to ensure that insulin levels do not spike. Low GI carbs also tend to include fibre which further slows the sugar release and reduces the amount of sugar absorbed into the blood stream in the first place. These foods are more satiating and healthful and do not trigger a strong dopamine response in the same way as refined (high GI) sugars like white bread, fried foods and sweets. As a general rule of thumb, low GI foods will resemble their original form as grown in nature. They will be colourful from the phytonutrients they contain. |