How to eat for better energy (Delaying Starchy Carbohydrates)

Most of us have similar preferences regarding our mental energy levels. During the day, we want to be alert and productive. And in the evening, we want to be calm and finally able to fall asleep. As it turns out, what and when we eat greatly influences our mental energy levels throughout the day.

What to do

Eat foods that are rich in healthy protein and fat during the day – and delay starchy carbohydrates until dinner.

Why it works

Eating meals that are low in starchy carbohydrates – and richer in healthy protein and fat – provides us with relatively high and stable levels of mental energy. As with intermittent fasting, this works by releasing the "alertness chemical" epinephrine and stabilizing our blood glucose levels.

Conversely, eating foods high in starchy carbohydrates brings down our mental energy by activating our parasympathetic nervous system. These foods prompt our system to release serotonin, a chemical associated with calm, drowsiness and sleep. This is also known as the “rest-and-digest” response. 

As a result, we can control our mental energy level by eating specific foods – and staying away from others – during certain times of the day. Based on these findings, here are some guidelines on eating for better energy throughout the day.

How to do it

1) Don’t eat a breakfast that sets you up for a roller coaster ride in mental energy – by avoiding “classic” options like white bread, cereal, and fruit juice. Instead, consider jumpstarting your mental energy (and fat burning) with intermittent fasting. ​​If you have breakfast, great options include everything made from eggs, cheese, or dairy. Think omelets with vegetables, eggs with avocado, or Greek yogurt with blueberries. 

2) For lunch, again go for meals rich in healthy protein (like vegetables or chicken) and fat (like nuts or salmon) to stay more alert in the afternoon. While we all reach a circadian trough between 1 pm and 3 pm, you’ll thus avoid a fully-fledged food coma. My favorite lunch is an "energy bowl" with a mix of vegetables or salads, one or two eggs, an avocado, wild salmon and some olive oil.

3) In the evening, eat for calmness. During that time of day, ingesting starchy carbohydrates is a good idea. While it might surprise you, this won't make you fat. Conversely, having a starchy dinner will set you up for both a good night’s sleep and burning fat during the night – if you go for a reasonably sized portion and have it no later than three hours before bedtime.

Although this logic might be the exact opposite of what you’ve thought and done up until now, delaying starchy carbohydrates until dinner is an excellent way to eat for better energy. Try it out for three days and tell me how it went.

And if you can think of one person who could benefit from learning how to do the same, please share this post with them:

Until next week,
Christian