Often tired-even after a good night’s sleep? The chances are that a hidden nutrient deficiency could be a culprit. Finding the main cause of your fatigue, then eating the right food can help you stay focused and energized all day.
Eat raisins & almonds.
If you are tired by lunchtime, you may be low on boron, a mineral that stimulates midday production of energizing brain waves. Snacking on a 1/2 cup of raisins or almonds each day can fix a boron deficiency. Other sources of boron are apples and dried apricots. Or take a 3-mg. boron supplement daily.
Consume more protein.
One in five of us has too little iron right now, a problem often marked by a steep fall in stamina. Eating 4 oz. of iron-rich lean meat, poultry or fish daily could cut your tiredness.
Have a baked potato.
Potatoes are rich in potassium, a mineral that prods your adrenal glands to release energizing adrenaline. So if your potassium levels dip, so does your ability to get through the day. Other signs: foot cramps, charley horses, and/ or heart palpitations. Eating a potassium-packed baked potato with the skin each day could decrease your tiredness within a week. Other options are plain non-fat yogurt, mushrooms, or a 200-mg. potassium supplement every day.
Make some guac.
The cause of anxiety may be a deficiency of B vitamins, which are vital for healthy nerves and brain cells. Avocados are rich in B vitamins. Plus, they’re high in nutrients that help stop the exhausting blood pressure fluctuations that can be triggered by anxiety.
Eat red peppers.
As many as one in two of us has periodontal disease, which causes chronic inflammation, making it a common cause of chronic fatigue. If you have any bleeding in the gums when you floss or brush or redness or puffiness along your gum line, it could signal that you’re low in vitamin C. Eating a daily cup of red peppers-which pack nearly three times more vitamin C than an orange-will do the trick. Other foods that deliver lots of vitamin C include onions, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and kiwis. Or you can take 500 mg. of vitamin C daily.