Friday, November 14, 2008
4 Energy-Boosting Nutrients
Take B. You need B vitamins for your mitochondria -- the parts of your cells that turn food into energy -- to do their job. Unfortunately, 99% of us don’t get enough from our diets. B ut most of us absorb the B vitamins well (either in liquid or pill form), so it’s a good idea to take a multivitamin in the morning and the evening (twice a day to keep stable levels) to keep you energized. Also, get your B level checked once a year. You may be the rare person who needs a yearly injection of vitamin B, because you don’t absorb it well from your stomach and intestine. This handy tool will help you find the best food sources of B6, B9, and B12.Go green. Green tea has been shown to have the highest content of polyphenols, which are chemicals with potent antioxidant properties. Because green tea leaves are young and have not been oxidized, green tea has up to a 40% polyphenols content, while black tea contains only about 10%. Another interesting note: Although green tea has one-third the caffeine of black tea, it’s been shown to yield the same level of energy and attentiveness. Fortunately, these come in more even levels than other caffeinated drinks, which can cause ups and downs. Just don’t drink milk with it: The casein in milk has been shown to inhibit the beneficial effects of tea. Try these delicious green tea beverage recipes.
Go Peruvian in the morning. Tribesmen in the mountains of Peru get energy by sucking on maca (Lepidium meyenii) plants. This turnip- or radish-shaped vegetable from the mustard family has been used as food and medicine to promote endurance and improve energy, vitality, sexual virility, and even fertility. The data on its increased energy effects seem strong, but the reported side effect is insomnia. You can find it in a powder form at many stores (Whole Foods, etc.) or from reputable dealers on the Web. Add 1 teaspoon (that’s the dose in the studies) to blender drinks, pancakes, or other food products. T he teaspoon keeps you going all day long. Or you can take it in 1/2-gram pills twice a day.
Scoop up, power up. The real nutritional hero: ribose. This special sugar is made in your body and doesn’t come from food, but you can get it in a supplement; it helps build the energy blocks of your body. Of all the things you can do to combat the effects of knee-dragging fatigue, taking a daily ribose supplement is the one that seems to really turbocharge some people who have diseases associated with low energy. (The only side effect is that some people feel too much energy.) The data aren’t good enough to recommend ribose for everyone. But if you want to give it a try, start with 500 mg 3x/day for a week or so until you get used to the taste (or find a smoothie, coffee, or tea to put it in). Then, go to 5g 3x/day for 3 weeks to get a sense of the effect. After that, you can scale back to 5 grams twice a day.
Source
Labels: b-vitamins, energy, green tea, maca, ribose, supplements
Post a Comment