Five things to check when your energy levels are low

You know your energy levels are low when you wake up already tired. By midday, you feel already drained. In the evening, you just want to crush on the couch and do nothing, not even things you like doing.

Who can blame you for taking out restaurant food, not cooking often enough and not exercising? Your energy levels are low, and you are too tired to do anything that will get you out of this terrible state of constant fatique.

Most people blame it on stress, and they are probably right. Stress is the root of all evil. But there are more potential root causes for low energy than just stress.

Top five reasons why you energy levels may be low and how to correct them:

1. Inflammation process in the body

   If you are constantly tired, your body may be busy fighting internal inflammation. Slow inflammation process on the cellular level is your bodyÂ’s responce not only to viral and bacterial infections, but also to the constant level of nutritional and emotional stress. Hidden uncontrolled inflammation is at the root of all chronic illness we experience -- conditions like arthritis, depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, dementia, cancer. Premature aging is another side effect.

   Ask your doctor for a C-reactive protein test, that measures the degree of HIDDEN inflammation in your body.

   Most importantly, switch to the anti-inflammatory foods, such as kale, broccoli, blueberries, oats and other superfoods that produce antioxidants helping your body fight inflammation. Remove foods that cause inflammation, such as commercial baked goods made with white flour, packaged sugary and fatty foods.




2. Gluten intolerance

   Many people donÂ’t realize that they are intolerant to the protein called gluten. Gluten is naturally present in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats. But it is also added to all types of packaged foods: from bread and ketchup and frozen French fries to baked goods, deli meats and even brown rice syrup.

   Gluten is everywhere, and some peopleÂ’s bodies develop reaction to it. Over 15% of North American population is thought to have some degree of gluten resistance.

   Gluten intolerance and its extreme autoimmune form, celiac disease, cause malnutrition because vital nutrients are not absorbed properly from food. Low energy and exhaustion are only two symptoms of gluten intolerance, other symptoms include:

   • Weight loss or weight gain
   • Depression
   • Eczema
   • Irritability and behavioural changes
   • Head aches
   • Aching joints
   • Bloating, pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea

   Talk to your doctor to find out whether you may be gluten intolerant. Try elimination diet – for seven days, eat only gluten free products and see if you feel better. This requires a lot of home cooking, but it is the best way to check your gluten sensitivity.

3. Allergies to some common foods or additives.

   People can be develop allergies to some very common foods, such as milk, oranges, strawberries, and even oats at any time of their lives.

   More hazardous are your hidden intolerances to the food additives and preservatives. If you eat out often and buy processed foods, then in addition to gluten you are receiving MSG and other excitotoxins ( or taste enchancers) with your food. If you have skin reactions in addition to low energy, you might want to check if you are allergic to something.

   Allergies are best identified by the elimination diet and best helped by whole foods diet. Allergy tests are available although they are not cheap.

4. Nutritional and environmental stress

   Eating wrong foods cause stress on human body because
   1. it doesnÂ’t receive nutrients required for proper functioning
   2. It receives foods that make the blood acidic and cause inflammation.

   Add to that high level pesticides , hormones and chemicals coming from the toxic environment we live in, and you can understand why your body is aging, aching, and not performing properly.

   To battle nutritional stress, start eaing superfoods and buy organic foods wherever possible.

5. Emotional stress

   If you live in high stress environment, you can get all kinds of diseases. You know this already. But not many people know that intensee and continuous stress often causes adrenal fatigue, a hormonal condition that may not have any other obvious signs of the ilness than tiredness , depressive thoughts and general feeling of unwellness. People who have adrenal fatique often use coffee and other stimulating drinks to get through the day.

   Stress is best to be dealt with holistically, by using proper diet, exercise, and state of mind.

Raising your energy levels: healthy food

As you can see, there can be many reasons why your energy levels are low. But the solution in most of these cases come from eating the right food. This is why when I switched to home cooked whole foods meals, just a week after my energy levels went up.

The only problem for a stressed, busy individual is to find strength to shop, cook and eat meals at home.

However, this is the only solution unless you can hire a personal chef to cook for you. So if you care to stay young and healthy and enjoy your life to the fullest, you cannot avoid taking charge of what goes into your body.

Refined carbs, unhealthy oils, food additives make our blood more acidic, bring oxidization to your bodies, make them age faster and drain energy. You need to make a concsious decision to cut them out of your menu.

I have created fast cooking meals for my superfoods menu, so that I can have the best of both worlds.

Green Smoothie to enhance energy levels

If you are wondering, where to start, start with adding a green smoothie to your daily menu.

The principle behind a green smoothie is simple: add green leafy vegetables to your smoothie.

For example, you can mix a banana and a cup of strawberries with a glass or two of almond milk ( I avoid milk and replace it with almond or hemp milk) and get a decent tasty smoothie. Now add a cup of spinach or kale and blend it well. The colour will be greenish, but the taste wonÂ’t change much.

In fact, the taste grows on you, and after several weeks you feel that your body is craving greens.

Adding just one smoothie a day is a great start. But if you want better results, if you want to feel energetic, think better, look younger, you need to go further. The magnitude of the result is proportional to the action you take.

That is why I always recommend to try a plant based menu for a week or two. Whether you eat meat or not, eating homemade meals selected for maximum nutrition will change the way you feel very quickly.

You will see the difference.
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