Do you constantly feel lazy and worn out at work or at home? If this occurs even after you consume your daily meals and have adequate sleep, then it may simply mean your diet is lacking in energy rich foods.

Energy foods as the name suggests are specialists that give your body and brain a constant dose of calories throughout the day, helping you stay focused and energetic on your work. This automatically improves your work output, in turn boosting your productivity in personal and professional lives.

What Happens When You Do Not Have Energy Foods?

Although you may be eating regularly, if you still feel weak and tired, it means you are not eating the “right type” of foods. High-energy foods will give your body energy by releasing glucose molecules throughout the day.

Saturated foods, refined foods and junk foods on the other hand will provide instant glucose molecules, making you feel energized but unfortunately, this feeling will last only a few minutes or hours. A decrease in glucose molecules will automatically shut your brain slowly, making your feel sleepy because your brain cells do not have enough fuel (glucose molecules) to run for the day.

Listed below are some famous high-energy foods that will help you increase your energy levels throughout the day:

1. Oats: Ever wondered why oats are given a celebrity status on all leading breakfast advertisements? These are a perfect way to start your day. If you are suffering from cholesterol issues, obesity or if you just feel lazy and tired all day long, oats is for you. Being rich in beta-glucan, oats draw excess cholesterol out of your blood stream. They also provide complex carbohydrates, which break up very slowly, thereby giving your body a constant dose of energy throughout the day. They also make you feel full and satiated. This will prevent you from munching in between meals. Make oatmeal porridge, cut some fruits, add some nuts and mix them up for a lip smacking breakfast.
2. Nuts: In case you do feel hungry in between, simply munch on different types of nuts. Apart from being absolutely delicious, nuts are great sources of energy. They also provide several vitamins and minerals along with some crucial nutrients like monounsaturated fatty acids that are required for the proper functioning of the brain. It’s a popular misconception among many that nuts will make us put on weight. Nuts are rich in unsaturated fatty acids that are absolutely crucial for brain and heart functioning. They are not deposited in our body like saturated fats. However, as with any food group, eating in moderation is a must. A handful of nuts would suffice for a day.
3. Eggs: This age-old food item never ceases to impress nutritionists. Eggs are considered as an ideal protein source and score a perfect biologic value of 100. Consume three to four eggs weekly to pump your body reserves with perfect nutrients that will maintain your energy levels constantly. If you are fighting cholesterol issues, consume egg whites only.
   For mothers out there, if your kids refuse to eat eggs, make the activity interesting. Ask them to cut boiled eggs into different shapes (stars, hearts, flowers etc.) and decorate their foods with it. This will make them super excited. At the same time, they will end up consuming the eye-catching decorated egg pieces on their plates a lot quicker than they would have otherwise done.
4. Lentils: Lentils are touted as high-energy foods because of the high amounts of fiber and complex carbohydrates they possess.
5. Chocolate: Yes, you can relish on these delicious high energy food items once in a while. Dark chocolates provide excellent results. They are specifically rich in antioxidants that are known to protect your heart from diseases, protect your brain from degenerative changes and also prevent cancer. This way, you would be keeping Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s cardiovascular disease, different types of cancers and memory loss at bay insha’Allah.

An Important Tip:

Remember to break down your eating pattern. Therefore, instead of eating 3 regular meals, consume 4 to 6 small meals. By eating small meals, you are forcing your body to work constantly throughout the day. This means you are getting a continuous flow of energy and at the same time losing excess calories.

Ever wondered why we feel tired even after consuming meals filled with nutrients when our Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat simple foods and yet accomplish so much under harsh Arabian climates? He followed the principle of 1/3:1/3:1/3, that is, fill 1/3 of your stomach with food, leave 1/3 space for drinking water and the remaining 1/3 area in your stomach should be left empty. Science has proved repeatedly that an excess food intake will make you feel drowsy and lethargic, because of excess secretion of serotonin. This will instantly hinder your work progress.

Remember, your stomach is not a dumping ground to be filled with all possible foods you get your hand on. Your body has a right over you and its your duty not to overburden it.

Spiritual Tip to Increase Energy:

Abu Huraira (May Allah swt be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Apostle (may peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Satan puts three knots at the back of the head of any of you if he is asleep. On every knot he reads and exhales the following words, ‘The night is long, so stay asleep.’ When one wakes up and remembers Allah, one knot is undone; and when one performs ablution, the second knot is undone, and when one prays the third knot is undone and one gets up energetic with a good heart in the morning; otherwise one gets up lazy and with a mischievous heart.” (Sahih Bukhari, Volume No. 2, Book No. 21, Hadith No. 243)

Waking up energetically on a spiritual level will automatically reflect itself physically in your actions and intentions, insh’Allah.

Nasmira Firdous is a contributor at Productive Muslim.com and believes in eating healthy for a happy living. She likes to write articles that help people understand how they can lead a productive life by eating the right type of foods. She has undertaken postgraduate studies in Nutrition and Health and hopes to contribute to a more productive lifestyle through better eating!