Energy, in terms of health, can be described as the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.
In terms of biochemistry, it’s a metabolic process that happens inside every cell of your body, essential for life. In our book, that makes it quite important!
So, where does energy come from?
The simple answer is… food. The food that we eat is processed by our digestive system so that we can extract nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids into forms that can pass easily into our cells and feed into the energy cycle to produce a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – our energy spark. ATP is essential for the function of every cell. When we think about a person’s optimal energy therefore there are a few things that must be considered:
1. Food
What types of foods are we putting into our bodies? What types of foods are feeding into our energy cycle? Are they nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, beans or legumes? Have you a diet that is high in sugar providing you with very little nutrient diversity? Diet is the first part of the puzzle when it comes to energy. If you’re feeling low in energy – review your diet and make some changes.
2. Digestion
The second part of the energy puzzle is exploring how well you’re digesting the food that you’re putting in so that it can be broken down into its nutrient components. You could be eating the most nutritious food but without adequate digestion, you may not be able to use this food to produce energy. If you’re concerned about any aspects of digestion, talk to your GP, a dietician or a nutritionist to explore this a little further.
3. Our cells
The third and final part of the puzzle is thinking about how well your cells perform at producing energy. Nutrients need to pass through the cell walls to reach the mitochondria where energy production takes place. The types of fats you have in your diet play an important role in how easily nutrients can pass from our bloodstream through our cell walls and into our cells. Healthy, beneficial fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, oily fish such as salmon and mackerel will make this process much easier. Trans fats (such as sweets, cakes, biscuits, processed foods) and excess saturated fats (such as meat and dairy) can make this process a little harder. So, think about the quality of the fats in your diet – how many healthy fats do you eat a day?
The metabolic process of producing energy is complex and we’re just scratching the surface here but these are three golden rules when thinking about improving energy.
Are you feeling low in energy? Ask yourself if any of the above can be improved.
If so, call us on 01325 401110 and we can book you in to speak to our resident nutritionist, Sarah, who can get you on the right track, full of strength and vitality.
Or you can book direct.