by Sarah Walder

Created on: February 28, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Food is a way we increase energy in our bodies. What happens though when the energy we are trying to enhance is actually being depleted? This is a major aspect of energy levels that is generally over-looked. There are a few simple ways I make sure my energy levels are benefiting rather than hindered by eating.

How I make the most of eating:
-Smaller quantities. Larger amounts of food drains us of energy which has been re-directed to the digestive system which is working overtime.

-Chewing more. Gives our digestive system a fighting chance.
-Thankfulness. Whether you are religious or not, be thankful for the food on your plate. It increases your chances for absorption of the food.
-Digestive enzymes. Most of us are lacking in the enzymes required to break down our food. I have found that taking enzymes before a meal have considerably helped increase my digestive processes.
-Relaxing before, during and after eating. I relax and give my digestive system a chance to process the meal. I will commonly use music to achieve this more efficiently.

How I make the most of my food choices:
-Lemon water or some orange juice a few minutes before a meal
-Eat fruit between meals. This helps to keep your blood sugar levels constant throughout the day. This is a snack that will help sustain energy levels from meal to meal instead of crashing at ten o'clock and three o'clock as many of us tend to.
-Lots of fruit and vegetables. Provides quick energy with less effort required by the digestive system.
-Sprouted grain breads. I have found other bread to be too difficult to process. When eating sprouted grains I no longer had the energy draining effects that I did with other grains.
-Avoiding allergies or food intolerance. Even without allergy testing, most of us know when our body reacts to something it does not like. This occurs regularly through headaches and stomach aches. Removing such foods from my diet helped to increase my energy levels because my body no longer had to use the extra energy to deal with the allergy reaction.
-Detoxifying. Eating only fruit for a day or two per week helps to start clearing out toxins and helps the digestive system to work more efficiently. Ask you health professional about this and other detoxifying methods.

Hope some of these will energize you the way they have energized me!

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