Many people these days consume WAY too much caffeine. In fact, it’s become an addiction for many. Energy drinks… coffee… caffeine pills… pre-workouts… It’s getting out of hand. What this leads to are fatiguing adrenal glands. Why is this of importance? Well, for one, too much caffeine obviously has health risks, but two, fatiguing your adrenal glands causes your body to somewhat become immune to stimulants. When your body becomes accustomed to stimulants like caffeine, you’ll need a higher and higher dosage to get the same effects. 50mg turns into 100mg. 100mg turns into 200mg. 200mg turns into 300mg. So on and so forth. For that reason, you should skip it altogether or at least reduce your caffeine needs by utilizing foods that provide natural energy instead.
Eat Your Energy
The grocery store is full of amazing food options that can provide you with natural energy. In order to showcase this, I’ve compiled a list of three items that you can use when going grocery shopping to give you some ideas. All of the food items below will provide you with clean natural energy, allowing you to skip or reduce the caffeine and energy drinks.
Nuts
No, I’m not crazy, but nuts are actually a great source of energy. Nuts such as almonds and cashews contain magnesium which helps take sugars and convert them into a usable energy source. Grab a handful in-between meals to keep your energy levels elevated as well as helping you combat hunger pangs that you might face in the afternoon.
Dark Chocolate
I’m not a fan of promoting “candy” or “sweets” but dark chocolate actually has some health benefits. Not only is dark chocolate high in free radical fighting antioxidants, but it also contains theobromine – a natural stimulant. Dark chocolate has the ability to improve your mood and energy levels, helping you say focused and productive throughout the day. I don’t advise eating dark chocolate all the time or even every day, but if you keep it at your desk for when you’re in a pinch and need some quick energy, it makes for a fantastic option.
Fruit
Fresh fruit is an amazing option to give you natural energy. The sugars found in fruit will provide you with the pick-me-up that you’ve been looking for to help you throughout the day. While many fear these sugars found in fruit they are missing the fact of the high levels of fiber naturally occurring in fruit help to minimize the insulin response that often leads to an energy crash. This is a great item to pack for lunch to help you finish off the second half of your day strong and even fuel you during your workouts. Look for items like pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, apples, and bananas.
You can even use fruit in a smoothie to make your own natural energy drink. Don’t have time? No worries, Crush1 Nutrition’s Clean Meal has 11 Real Fruits & Vegetables in a powdered version that you can use anytime of day to not only provide your body with the nutrients it needs, including protein and healthy fat, but also additional natural and wholesome ingredients to fuel your mind and body to help you CRUSH1 DAILY!