5 simple tips for renewed energy and vitality
The summer months are a great opportunity for socialising, down time and spending more time in the great outdoors. We've put together 5 simple tips for renewed energy and better sense of wellbeing for the rest of the summer and the rest of the year ahead!
#1 Add protein to ALL of your meals
This might sound obvious, but many people still don’t eat enough protein. Making a point of ensuring a (decent) portion of protein with ALL of your meals helps to ensure you are eating adequate amounts. A meal isn’t a meal without it!
Great choices include chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, beef, lamb, tempeh, tofu, beans, lentils and quality cheese, if you tolerate dairy.
Protein is an important food group for managing blood sugar levels and once you start increasing it, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your energy improves and your cravings reduce.
Not only that, protein foods break down into amino acids. These important compounds play important roles in the function of the immune system as well as the body’s ability to detoxify toxins efficiently.
#2 Stick to good carbs only
Following on from tip #1, switching your carb sources to ones that break down slowly into glucose (sugar) is another key way to better manage blood sugar levels and improve your energy levels.
Carbohydrate is the number 1 fuel source for our body and brain, so it’s important that we eat some each day to provide the fuel we need to function at our best. However, ‘carbohydrate’ is an umbrella term that refers to a large group of foods, from bread and pasta to leafy green vegetables and lentils. ALL carbohydrates finish up as glucose (sugar) in the blood once consumed. So, it’s important to choose carbs that break down into less glucose, and more slowly. Great choices with your meals include beans and lentils, whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, oats and buckwheat and wholewheat pasta, dark rye or spelt bread and starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, baby new potatoes, yam, parsnips and carrots.
#3 Increase orange foods!
Carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, are found in orange plants such as carrots, sweet potatoes, red and orange bell peppers, mango and apricots, has been shown to be powerful antioxidants that can protect against cardiovascular disease and vision impairments and support the immune system and healthy cell growth in the body.
Carotenoids are rich in vitamin C which is always at the top of the list for immune supportive nutrients. Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient, which means it isn’t stored in the body (excess vitamin C is excreted via urine), therefore, it’s important to keep your vitamin C levels topped up by including these colourful plants foods daily.
Our ZAP range of juices and shots are a great way to top up your beta-carotene and vitamin C. The nutrients from juicing are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream, nourishing every cell. A well-formulated juice recipe provides your body with a concentrated dose of phytochemicals (powerful plant nutrients with various and far-reaching health benefits). Our juices and shots make a great addition to an already healthy diet and lifestyle.
#4 Increase zinc-rich foods
A large body of research shows that zinc has strong anti-viral effects in the body. In fact, a zinc deficiency is known to suppress immune function and even a mild deficiency can have a negative impact on the immune system’s ability to deal with infection.
The body isn't able to store zinc very well so it’s crucial your diet delivers plenty of it. Foods richest in zinc include organic grass-fed beef and lamb, shellfish (especially oysters!), brown rice, buckwheat, oats, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, and most nuts and seeds. Our award-winning ZAP shot is enriched with zinc plus refreshingly zingy lime, red chilli and carrot for vitamin C and betacarotene.
#5 Gentle daily movement
Movement doesn’t have to be complicated AT ALL. In fact, just 15 minute walks a few times a day is a great way to incorporate movement into your day and get the blood pumping around your body and cells. And if you can do it in nature/green spaces, even better.
Regular exercise promotes good circulation around the body, helping immune system chemicals to move through the body freely and do their job more efficiently.
You could also add in short burst of other movement such as yoga, Qi Gong, squats, press ups, marching on the spot, some jumping jacks, a lap of the garden or office or up and down the stairs!
So, there you have it, 5 simple tips that you can start putting into practice today! You can choose to pick 1, 2, 3 or all 5 of these, either way, you should notice benefits pretty soon and you can keep building from there.
When we feed the roots of our health, even in the simplest of ways, we can do so much good for our physical and mental wellbeing. Every little helps and it all adds up over time. The good news is that health is dynamic, which means it's never too late to start adding in little habits here and there and they can make a BIG difference. Start somewhere, but start now.
