Food is 80-90% responsible for how your body feels throughout the day, what your body looks like and how strong your body is physically. Even if you’re someone that doesn’t workout on a daily basis, food has a huge impact on your mood, performance and energy levels throughout the day. Have you ever felt super happy, while being super hungry at the same time? Maybe, but hunger usually perseveres and sends us in the well-known state that we call ”hangry” (at least it does to me). If you stop to think about it, its highly logical that food has such a big impact on how we feel throughout the day, since food is the source where we get our energy from in the form of carbohydrates and fats (read more about this in part 1 of this blog here).
As I mentioned earlier, nutrition is not just important for people who workout or for professional athletes, it’s important for every and anyone who is trying to be their best selves throughout the day. Because food has such an impact on your mood and energy levels, it also dictates how productive you are throughout the day. It’s not just because your energy level might take a hit but when you feel hungry that’s usually all you can think about (we have all been there). In order to be your best self throughout the day we need to know what our body needs in fuel and what the foods we eat do to our body.
Blood Sugar level (BSL)
The blood sugar level (BSL) indicates how much glucose* we have in our bloodstream. Have you ever gotten an energy rush after eating a portion of pasta or fruit? That is because your BSL got raised drastically. Have you ever experienced a crash about 30-60 minutes after eating that same portion of pasta or fruit? That was because your BSL crashes down after a while. Have you experienced a food/carbohydrate/sugar craving about an hour or 2 (or less) after that crash? That was because your body wants to raise your BSL again to get that same energy rush. You can see that this is a constant battle that many people fight on a daily basis. Because who doesn’t start their day off with some porridge, bread (in the form of bagels or English muffin) or fruit? Those are all carb sources that get this cycle started that lead to unsustainable energy throughout the day. You will feel great for 30 minutes followed by a period of feeling sleepy the next 30, followed by a ”quick snack” to bring energy back up and the cycle continues. Our BSL gets lowered by insulin production and insulin has been directly linked to weight gain, obesity and one of the main causes of diabetes type 2.
*Glucose: When carbohydrates are broken down by the body and are still in the bloodstream.
So how do we get out of this seemingly never-ending cycle? By eating foods that don’t impact the blood sugar levels as much. We’re not even talking about fat and protein sources yet, sources like vegetables that still contain a decent amount of carbs can make for a big difference. Because most vegetables give you a lot of volume for the calories and carbs they provide, it will fill you up so much more with a minimum impact on your BSL.
Protein but mainly fat sources are a great source if we’re searching for foods that will have a minimum impact on our BSL levels. Protein has been shown to have a medium impact on our BSL where fats have close to no impact at all. Putting a bigger emphasis on fat and protein sources will help you sustain energy throughout the day. (for examples go back to part 1 of this blog here).
If you’re in need of a quick burst of energy, carbs are obviously good for that. If you’re going into a workout or trying to recover from one, carbohydrates is your go-to energy source.
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