So many of my clients come to me with complaints of daily energy issues and mood imbalances. Stress plays a massive role in how we feel and while it is definitely challenging to reduce ALL of the stress in our lives, there are definitely some things we can do to help support our body in how it deals with stress. I talk about some lifestyle strategies in this post that can be very helpful in supporting stress levels and keeping your blood sugar more stable throughout the day, but here are some helpful strategies that you can implement on the nutrition side that can also help with stable blood sugar and cortisol, leading to better energy and a more stable mood throughout the day. Try adding in one strategy at a time to see which, if any, helps you the most in how you feel.
Aim to eat a meal every 3-4 hours and aim to eat within an hour of waking up in the morning. When you eat within an hour or so of waking up you are signaling to your stress and blood sugar hormones that all is well and energy (in the way of food) is coming in. You are setting up your hormones for success in that they don’t have to overreact, leading to that all day blood sugar roller coaster.
Eat balanced meals - include protein, fat, and carbs at each meal time and snacks too! Eating meals based on all three macronutrients will help to keep your blood sugar from spiking up, only to come back down in a hurry when insulin kicks in which will affect your energy and mood in a big way. Eating balanced meals is the best way to have balanced blood sugar. This is especially important in the morning when your glucose is at its lowest after waking. Eating a carb-heavy meal like a bagel, fruit smoothie, or muffin by itself will trigger a big glucose spike that will then trigger insulin to come in and the roller coaster begins. For this reason, I love the strategy of starting savory.
Drink coffee or caffeinated tea with or after breakfast, not before. The caffeine in coffee and tea can raise cortisol levels which in turn can raise insulin leading to blood sugar dysregulation and feelings of stress. When caffeine is consumed with a meal or following a meal it blunts the cortisol and insulin response and the impact of the caffeine is not felt as strongly leading to more stable energy and mood after drinking your morning coffee or tea. If you are one that notices big changes to your energy and mood when you drink caffeinated beverages, it might be worth trying to keep the amount you drink in check (like maybe only one per day) to see how it affects how you feel and only after you’ve eaten breakfast.
Save treats for right after meal time. Just like meal time, it is important to eat balanced snacks too for the best blood sugar balance throughout the day. While it seems like a good idea to eat that afternoon cookie (or two!) to give you some energy, it is better to save that cookie for directly following a meal and eat a balanced snack that will keep your blood sugar stable and carry you on to your next meal without the blood sugar rollercoaster. Similar to what I mentioned about coffee above, eating the treat right after the meal will blunt the blood sugar response better than if you ate the treat on its own away from other meals. The key is to eat balanced snacks AND balanced meals so that your blood sugar is less prone to swings and your energy and mood will benefit!
Take a walk after meals if possible. Even a short walk after a meal can reduce your blood sugar levels, or allow them to rise and fall more gradually when compared to sitting at your desk or on the couch. The greatest benefit comes within 60 to 90 minutes of eating a meal - when blood sugar levels tend to peak and can be especially useful in minimizing blood sugar spikes. If you can’t get out for a walk, just staying active during this time can reap similar benefits. Even doing the dishes or picking up around the house can help.
You are welcome to try one or more of these strategies. Pay attention to how you feel and hopefully, you will find that you see some positive changes in your energy and mood throughout the day. Still, struggling with energy? There may be something bigger going on. I’d love to help. Schedule a discovery call with me and we can get started.
Sources:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17998023/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-022-01649-4
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2249754/