Morning Lovelies,

How often do you find yourself yawning throughout the day, or feel your eyes droop heavy during certain periods of the day, maybe you struggle to keep your eyes open daily. Most of the time fatigue and extreme tiredness is actually from your diet if you didn’t already know. I wanted to write this post as i am fascinated with the variety of different nutrients and qualities foods have and how they can help us in ways we didn’t even know they could. Some people see food as something to just keep refueling our bodies but i believe that there is so much more than just that. Food can help to support your mood, health and general running of your body with those all important nutrients and whole goodness. I wanted to share 10 foods that i have researched about and tried out that know they can help to boost your energy levels…hopefully if you incorporate some of these into your diet regularly you will notice you don’t feel that afternoon or morning slump anymore and it’s the perfect time to boost your energy levels as soon the ‘Spring cleaning’ season will be upon us and i’m sure you’ll need all the energy you can get in readiness. So here are my top 10 foods that will fight your fatigue!

1. Eggs – Every time i eat eggs for breakfast i notice that i have a sustained level of energy throughout the whole morning. If they aren’t part of your breakfast i highly recommend them to be! Eggs are great because they do sustain your levels of energy. You don’t have any insulin spikes or any sugar crashes that sugary cereals or pastry breakfasts can give you. 
2. Oats – If i’m not eating eggs for breakfast the only other thing i will eat is oats. Why? Because they are seriously filling and i won’t even grab a mid morning snack after a nice hearty bowl of porridge in the morning. They are packed with protein and fibre and they are a good food for people who experience blood sugar drops or spikes. I like Plain Organic Porridge Oats the best as then you can get creative and add your own honey, cinnamon or fruit to it for added goodness. Plain porridge oats usually have less sugar too so they are the best option for oats out there. 
3. Nuts – I am not a nut fan and you would never usually find me eating a handful of nuts but i wanted to include this one in here as there’s probably at least one person reading this who likes nuts! And if you already eat nuts then great. They are perfect for putting electrolytes back into your body after loosing them during your workouts. They are a great post-workout snack for that reason. Your energy levels will stay high and stable too due to nuts being full of protein, fibre and magnesium. 
4. Salmon – Mmm i love salmon and always have at least one portion a week. It has so many benefits and is great for energy as it is packed full with the known energy booster Vitamin B6. It also has riboflavin which creates usable energy from the food you eat. Not only this but it is a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids which improves your physical task performance and helps to reduce exercise-induced fatigue. Salmon anyone?
5. Sweet Potatoes – I would like to incorporate more of these into my diet but this food is a great way to keep your carbohydrate cravings at bay. It can help you to feel full as it is slowly digested starch and the Vitamin C in sweet potatoes will help you to fight colds and illnesses which of course make you feel more tired. 
6. Spinach – Popeye was a great role model to eat all of that spinach for muscle power! Spinach is one of my favourite greens. It is rich in Iron which is what alot of us women lack in…and lacking in Iron can cause fatigue too. One useful fact is that rich in iron foods make it easier for your cells to convert the food you’re eating into usable energy.
7. Yogurt – Yogurt has a combination of protein and gut healthy probiotics. This combination rapidly reduces tiredness levels and this is a long lasting effect to due to it having a balance of protein and carbohydrates. My personal favourite yogurt is Riverford Whole Milk Natural Organic Yogurt. It contains those friendly bacteria like; bifidobacterium, lactobacillus acidophilus and streptococcus thermophilus. For flavoured yogurts my favourite are from Brown Cow Organics. 
8. Crimini Mushrooms – This type of mushroom is a moderately mature version of the well known white button mushroom and is younger than the portobello mushroom but still related (for anyone interested in their mushroom haha.) These are a brilliant source of Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is a must for energy production. It gives protection to the mitochondria from damage and in stressful times will support the adrenal glands and niacin which again helps to convert foods into usable energy. 
9. Pumpkin Seeds – If you lack energy and want to know the best seed to improve it then pumpkin seeds i recommend. Just a handful of these can give you more energy during the day. They are a source of protein, fibre and healthy fats with essential minerals too. I love how they can be eaten quickly on the go as a handful or sprinkled into salads or cereals. 
10. Water – I saved the most known until last. Water is vital for energy because of the obvious… dehydration. Dehydration is one of the main causes of tiredness. It slows down your metabolism and also makes your brain run slower. So it is important to try and get the recommend 8 glasses a day. I find a water calculator a great way to see how much water you individually should be drinking to get an accurate amount…as most of us probably don’t know what size the 8 glasses of water recommended should be…and also water intake will be different for the different weights and heights of people. 

I hope that you find these foods helpful in having more energy. I eat most of these and that’s why i can write this from experience of incorporating them into my diet and noticing the huge difference they really do have on your energy. I am rarely tired during the day because i have become more aware of how and what i am eating. Don’t just stick to one of these make sure you have a balanced variety of different foods as then you will be more open to all different vitamins and nutrients but also it’s a well known fact that too much of one thing can also be a bad thing. I love to share with all my readers things that have worked for me or benefited in my life as i never know who could stumble across this and have their life changed for the better 🙂 See you all next week! 

LOVE CHARLOTTE XO

UNTIL NEXT TIME BEYOU-TIFUL INSIDE & OUT XOXO