EatingWell EatingWell Eating for Energy

Last Bite Build a Better Bagel Think beyond the usual cream cheese schmear and load up with these nutrient-dense add-ons. Spreads ❑ Cream cheese❑ Cultured butter❑ Goat cheese❑ Honey Veggies ❑ Avocado❑ Caperberries and capers❑ Cucumbers❑ Microgreens❑ Pickled beets❑ Radishes❑ Red onion Other Toppers ❑ Smoked fish, such as salmon, trout or sablefish❑ Lox❑ Snipped fresh herbs 4 Combos to Try ❑ Cream cheese + smoked trout + radishes❑ Goat cheese + smoked salmon + red onion + dill+ microgreens❑ Cream cheese + avocado + capers + microgreens❑ Cultured butter + smoked sablefish+ radishes + microgreens Awake All Day Science-backed research shows that the right food choices, meal timing and lifestyle tweaks can help you power through your day and fight off fatigue by fueling you with sustainable, feel-good energy.…

As a dietitian specializing in sports nutrition, Yasi Ansari, R.D., counsels clients who are athletes wanting to improve their speed and endurance. But many of her other clients are just everyday people who hope that changes in their diet will help them feel less exhausted by the daily demands of living. “It’s a common concern,” says Ansari, the Los Angeles–based national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Today everybody has a busy lifestyle.” And almost everybody wishes they had more energy. According to a 2015 poll by the research firm YouGov, 40 percent of Americans surveyed reported waking up feeling tired at least one to three times a week—and nearly as many reported four or more “poorly rested” days a week. How did we get to this energy crisis? When…

Carbs can’t catch a break. The food group gets blamed for everything from weight gain to inflammation, when really it’s only unhealthy carbs that do health damage. In fact, carbohydrates in general are vital to your health. “Carbs are very misunderstood,” says Samantha Cassetty, R.D., a nutrition consultant in New York City. “You cannot live without carbohydrates. They provide energy for movement, focusing, thinking and day-to-day life.” Think of these underrated nutrients as your body’s charging station. Sure, you also get energy when you eat foods with fat and protein, but “it’s generally easier and more efficient for our cells to use glucose for energy,” explains Cynthia Sass, R.D., C.S.S.D., a performance nutritionist based in Los Angeles. That’s why it’s important to keep the healthiest carbohydrates in your diet, experts…

How much would you pay for a drink that promises to revitalize your mind and body, elevate your energy and give you the focus you need to cross every item off your to-do list? Usually carbonated, energy drinks that contain caffeine and other ingredients (such as taurine and ginseng) are intended to do just that. Catching a third wind is priceless, which is why energy-drink sales reached $55 billion in 2017 and are expected to hit $84 billion by 2025. But there may be a hidden cost. As sales have skyrocketed, so have reported energy drink–related emergency room visits: Between 2007 and 2011, they doubled from about 10,000 to nearly 21,000. Between 2004 and 2014, at least 34 deaths were linked to energy drinks. In some cases it’s possible that underlying…

Maybe you think you don’t use sugar substitutes. Maybe you steer clear of diet sodas and “lite” foods to avoid chemicals like aspartame. But if you’ve eaten certain high-fiber cereals, salad dressings or frozen entrees—or even sipped some non-diet iced teas—then you’ve probably consumed a lot more of them than you realize. And your odds are only growing: The use of sugar substitutes in packaged foods has been rising steadily for the past decade. The amount in our food supply now tops 26 pounds per person annually. The global sugar substitutes market (including both artificial and natural no-calorie sweeteners) reached a value of $15 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $19 billion by 2024. Not only are these sweet nothings cropping up in more and more foods, but there…

Eating a snack or two between meals can curb hunger so that you don’t inhale the dining room table when you finally sit down to dinner. Reaching for the right snack will boost your energy and beat an afternoon slump. On the flip side, grazing all day—particularly on foods of little nutritional value—may result in eating too much and packing on extra pounds. The key is taking a smart approach to snacking. Here are 10 simple strategies to get you started. 1 COMBINE PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATES. Try pairing protein-rich foods with a carbohydrate (say, some almonds with an orange) or snacking on roasted chickpeas, which offer a good natural mix of carbs and protein. They’re also high in fiber, which research suggests may help prevent weight gain and may even help…