FOODS THAT REALLY DO ENERGIZE

We've all been there. You're going on your fourth or fifth cup of coffee, and it's going down like water and nothing is happening. You still have a ton of stuff to get done, and the day is young. The last time you took one of those energy supplements from the 7-11 counter you couldn't sleep for two days and went around wanting to tear everybody's head off. What are you supposed to do to make it through your busy days?

What's for Breakfast?

Well, there is a solution and you're about to read it. But first let me ask you a simple question: Did you skip breakfast this morning? I know you've heard it since you were a kid, but that's because it's so important.

Did you have a nutritional breakfast. You should start the day with a breakfast that is high in complex carbohydrates blended with protein--whole-grain cereal with low-fat or skim milk and fresh fruit for example or whole-wheat toast topped with low-fat cheese.

Did you drink your orange juice this morning? A study of 411 dentists and their wives found that those who consumed at least 400 milligrams of vitamin C per day reported feeling less fatigue.

Did you eat a cereal with iron in it? It is essential for energy and women need it most.

Lunch: Hold the Fries

High protein foods energize us while starchy foods like pasta and potatoes especially for lunch leave us looking for a quiet place to take a nap.

In a study in England researchers gave people a variety of lunches and tested their energy levels. One lunch was low-fat, high carbohydrate. Another lunch was medium fat and carbs. And the third was high-fat, low carbs. Just as you would expect, people eating the high carb and the high fat lunches reported more drowsiness and foggy thinking than the lower-carb lunch people.

So, simply put, the way to improve your energy level is by balancing your carb-protein mix so that most of your diet comes from complex carbs, laced with a bit of protein

And it's usually better to eat several smaller meals instead of weighing yourself down with two to three large ones. Smaller means keep blood sugar levels stable which fights off fatigue, according to Wahida Karmally, R.D., director of nutrition for Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center i New York City.

And don't be tempted to have a 10 a.m. donut or other sweet pick-me-up. The body's blood sugar will rise alright, but what goes up must come down and you will be sleepier than you were before you are it for an energy fix.

If you really want a boost when you get in a slump, try celery sticks with peanut butter, yogurt, a hard-boiled egg or a smoothie made with low-fat yogurt, fruit and milk.

For a real rush of energy try the "food of the future" as it is sometimes called: blue-green algae. It is called that because of its amazing ability to synthesize high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae. It is 65 to 71 percent complete protein, will all essential amino acids in perfect balance. By comparison, beef is only 22 percent protein. It is full of B12 as well as chelated minerals, and enzymes--all in an easily assimilable form.

Spirulina is a supplement but it is also a whole food. You can get it frozen, in juices, in capsules, powders and pills and in some power and energy bars.

Chlorella is a genus of single-celled green algae and is often sold with spirulina. It is also very energizing. It is high in protein and other essential nutrients as well as vitamins and minerals.

Be smart and run your body on premium fuel not cheap, knock off junk that keeps it from being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as we say down home.

Source: Yeager, Selene and eds of Prevention Health Books, "The Doctors Book of Food Remedies", Rodale 1998.