High Energy Foods: Activity For All
High energy foods are all the rage among young, physically active people. Even older people who step up their exercise regimen may be consuming advice on what foods to eat to boost their energy levels. But the devil is in the details, and not every energy-boosting food is good for you.
And in 2017 scientists even warned people that energy-dense foods may increase risks for cancer. Does this mean you should stop eating your protein-rich diet? Well, the research looked at the effects of eating too much DED (dietary energy density) food. For those of us who didn't attend Yale and Harvard, junk foods like hamburgers and pizza fall into the DED category.
So if you're eating a lot of pizza, you should cut back while your body still has a chance to recover and adjust its settings.
Good advice from Websites like WebMD abounds when it comes to eating high-energy foods. for older adults, balanced diets contribute to improved energy levels so it's not merely which foods you should eat but which food combinations are best for you. The human metabolism changes and slows down as we age. And it doesn't help that many people hold jobs where they sit all day.
You might be tempted to change your lifestyle to a "third-world life", because there is less obesity in many third-world countries. But it's never that simple. Many people who live in third-world countries must engage in back-breaking labor in their fields all day. And then there are the millions of third-world workers who sit all day, either as they sell things in markets or as they manufacture things in factories. So the lifestyle isn't solely responsible for the lack of obesity in those countries. They still tend to eat less food than people in the west (especially America), and they eat more natural diets.
Returning to the idea of DED foods, one might ask if they can be used smartly to improve one's health and fitness. In fact, Science Direct published research that says "more research is needed". This is a very complicated topic and even the scientists and doctors aren't sure if any medical conditions could benefit from eating a high-energy diet. That's not to say someone living a very active lifestyle doesn't need to consume a lot of calories. It's just that the science is more clear about the harm DED foods can do to our bodies than any true benefit they may provide.
Even so, if when you go home today all you have for dinner is a slice of pizza, don't punish yourself for satisfying your basic hunger with a DED food. The time to correct this problem is when you buy groceries, not when you're scrounging in the kitchen for leftovers.
The confusing story on food and energy is partially explained by all the advertising we see. Take coffee as an example. Everyone knows coffee is loaded with caffeine, and coffee makers sometimes use the idea of waking up with coffee as a way to start your day. But as the Wizard of Coffee explains, drinking more coffee leads to caffeine tolerance, and that in turn means that coffee (and caffeine in general) is less likely to give you that energy boost-like feeling you're expecting.
Caffeine is a stimulant. It's not a food. Coffee is a low-calorie food, and therefore it's not a high-energy food. So even though many people advise you to drink coffee in the morning to start your day, their advice isn't based on the best science. Science does say that you'll get the best benefit from dinking coffee after breakfast, rather than with breakfast. Strong coffee may impair your body's ability to manage its blood sugar levels properly, so eat a healthy breakfast first and then enjoy your coffee.
And that's a great example of how to manage your high energy diet. When you eat certain foods is as important as which foods you eat. WebMD provides examples of high energy foods that are good to eat, and when you should eat them. So eating oatmeal in the morning is more beneficial for you (generally) than eating it for lunch or dinner.
I'm not saying you should never eat oatmeal for dinner. It can be a nice, healthy change of pace at dinner time. Oatmeal is even a good evening snack on occasion, but the greatest benefit comes from eating oatmeal for breakfast. That's because oatmeal is a good source of protein and complex carbohydrates. It takes your body longer to break it down, and therefore it helps to suppress hunger feelings that may be stimulated by less nutritious, higher-carb diets.
If you're thinking about changing your diet, consider switching to a balanced low-carb diet. Don't just assume you need to cut carbs from your diet. But most Americans eat way too many carbohydrates, so low carb diets can help put you back on the right track. And you don't need to make drastic changes if you don't want to. Just learn to eat better, more balanced meals.