What does your diet consist of?
 

I'm suffering from a distinct lack of energy. This could be a side effect of clinical depression (as it often is), or perhaps the medication I am taking to treat it, among other things.

Still, I do get the sense that my diet isn't all that it should be. What sort of foods do you eat to stay healthy and stay energized? I'm looking for changes in my diet that would get rid of this lethargy I've been burdened with for so long. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Namely, what sorts of fruits and vegetables do you eat, how often, and what sorts of meals do you prepare? Also, what foods do you avoid?

mountain Dew: Code Red.
Everything else is an optional wildcard.

While I am a great believer in the power of a properly balanced diet have you also considered exercise?

I follow a strict weekly regiment and it not only leaves me more energetic then most of my friends it also gives me more focus and stress relief in my life.

Also drink tea. I suggest tea as the solution to everything! :tgrin:

i eat dreams, brains and sucka mc's.

but also, lots of baked chicken, green beans and wheat bread...you know, for the texture they add to the other stuff. :P

also, i try to avoid anything excessively greasy and if there's an option, i usually just choose whatever's healthier, even if i have to sacrifice taste. :/

I eat a lot of fruit and nuts. Almonds...pecans....walnuts. good fat to keep you feeling full and protein and trace minerals for getting through the day. I also eat a lot of spinach for the iron and calcium. Kale is also good and is pretty tasty in soups and salad.

if you're feeling tired and wiped out, consider getting more iron and B vitamins. Spinach...red meats...rasins. good for iron. Dark berries are good for vitamin B. Blueberries are especially good. Worked for me when I was super stressed out a few weeks ago.

Eggs are also especially good sources of protein and essential vitamins. Have an omlett with spinach and steak with a side of blueberries for breakfast

My diet is geard towards a specific goal of maintaing healthy body mass, but cutting back body fat. Eating healthy in general will help with energy boost. I was on a very strict diet for a while... In general, you want to get your body in a metabolic state. To accomplish this, eat smaller portioned meals throughout the day. Eat every 2-3 hours (graze like a goat haha). I use to put a timer on my phone to remind me. Now it's kinda just habit. Your diet is a HUGE factor in the body's overall health and agility; however, if you don't already, start working out. In my experience, living healthy is all about finding a manageable plan. Something that flow effortlessly with your day, but effective. This way you stay motivated to do it. It's a life choice, my dude. You HAVE to get your head in the game, otherwise, you just fall right back into bad habits. That said, you're definitely starting in the right place (probably one of the harder places to start), your diet. Staying healthy isn't just the gym. In a week, your body can only probably handle 5-6 high intensity work outs at maybe an hour or so each. So that's potentially 6 hours out of your week spent working out. So maybe 5-10% of your week at best is spent in exercise. The remaining 90% of your week is what really counts. The body's goal is to stay alive, my dude. If it's not in a metabolic state, it's gonna store most of what you put into it. That's why it's so important to get that diet in check. Let me tell ya, you CAN do this. It becomes VERY addictive, and especially rewarding to see the results. Get a good plan together. Maybe start with working out 3 times a week for a month. Then push to do more there after. I did it, and I'm just an average Joe.

Sorry for the ridiculously long rant. I'm very passionate about this stuff. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Here's a sample day for me:

Breakfast:
Steel Cut Oats (Any oats will do, or a high fiber cereal)
Milk
Apple
1 Cheese Stick

Mid Morning:
PB&J on wheat
1 Cup of water

Lunch:
1 Cup of water
Salsa with corn chips (not too many of these)
Chicken (a portion about the size of your fist)
Whole wheat Tortilla
Fage Yogurt (w/honey, berries of your choice, flax and granola)

Mid afternoon snack:
Fruit of some sort
1 cup of water

Dinner:
Chicken (same portion as lunch, about the size of your fist)
Maybe a simple carb like rice
A salad is a must with dinner (if not, do some type of veg like broccoli)
Water ( I occasionally splurge with coke zero)

Late Night Snack:
Protein Shake
Maybe a cup of milk

I don't really have a diet, I just eat whatever. I do eat a granola bar in the morning when I get to work, though.

I would also recommend this. Due to food issues and being somewhat of a picky eater, I have never eaten the best diet. And I've also never really been able to stick to any sort of regular exercise for more than a month - I either get bored or the weather changes and then I never get back to whatever I was trying to do regularly. But 5 months ago I enrolled in karate and its been amazing for me. I've gone from barely being able to survive two classes a week at the very beginning to eagerly attending four classes a week now. And because it's a group activity, there's a great built-in system of motivation and encouragement from the instructors and other students.

But, getting back to the food thing, I would focus less on eating something specific and more on simply not eating the junk. I looooove fast food and soda and candy and other junk foods, but I did cut all that stuff out of my diet when I started karate, and now I have very little interest in any of it anymore.

My favorite centerpiece to a meal is chicken, and there's a million different things you can do with chicken.

you know, the old "See Food Diet", i see food and i eat it!

:lol: :tlol: For me it's grab what I can find and munch on that. (Sadly it's been mostly noodles. and rice) I love rice though.

I do as well!

I was partial to Mountain Dew: Pitch Black, myself. Love me some grape.

As for supplements, for a long time I was taking vitamin B12, since a blood test had shown I was a little low. I no longer take the supplements because at last survey my B12 levels were meeting the recommended values.

There was no sign on any of my blood tests that I was low on any other vitamin or mineral commonly related to lethargy, including iron.

Eating as fresh as possible picks me up. By this I mean fruit and veg that hasn't been cooked, frozen, processed or preserved and as close to how you would find it in nature -things like salads, fruit salads, freshly squeezed juice, salsa, & guacamole come to mind. As long as this forms the basis of a meal you can pad it out with a little other food.

I find also that eating a healthy vegan style menu can provide you with lots of energy (provided it isn't all chips, bread and cookies!).

Eg. A glass a orange juice that you yourself have squeezed has an incomparable zing.

That all said I love cooked and junk food, but this is great for feeling better.

And ditto on the exercise, even if it's just walking. :)

I to had depression at one stage. was tired all the time. I would go for walks ride my bike i go to the gym few times a week i find it to be quite good get eating more fruit and veggies i am no longer tied all the time as i once was so yea just eat the good healthy food get plenty of exercise and keep happy and positive you will get though it as i did. :)

Breakfast: Cereals, Pop-Tarts, Bagels, Waffles, Omelets, Eggs
Lunch: Pizza, Frozen Dinners, Sushi, Canned Soup, Salads, Hot Dogs, Lunchables, Fruits
Dinner: Chicken, Chinese Food, Pasta, Bread, Turkey, Rice, Chili, Tacos, Vegetables
Desert: Ice Cream, Pumpkin Pie, Cake
Snack: Cookies, Party Mix (A mix of chex, pretzel, and bread), Cheese Cracker sandwiches, Nachos
Drink: Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Grape Juice, Milk, Water, Diet Sodas, Occasional Energy Drinks

Sweet peach & apricot whole grain newtons this morning... and three cans of Code Red. ^_^ Still craving another... >_>

Jesus. That's a lot of sugar.

I'm not like a dietician or anything, but one thing I can recommend is to stay away from unnecessary sugars as much as you can. Sugar may be one of the best things ever, but it has a noticeable "crashing" effect on you later on in the day, which is never fun.

If you want to feel energized, make sure you're getting a good amount of protein in your system. For breakfast, eggs are usually a good choice. Lunch and dinner give you a lot more variety to choose from - beans, meat, nuts, yogurt, whatever. Just make sure you're getting protein somehow. Makes a MASSIVE difference in how you feel. A high carb/high sugar diet will leave you feeling dazed and sluggish, believe me.

Oh, and exercise can't hurt either. I'm starting the Insanity program tomorrow, not only because I want to get fit (or somewhat fit), but because I'm tired of feeling, well... tired all the time, even with 7-8 hours of sleep per day.

So, that's what makes me so sweet... :P
Thanks, but I drink it only for the flavor. But, now that you brought it up, I guess I should show a little more restraint... in as much as I've just finished my 4th for the day. :P Still, it's tons healthier than alcoholism, right? ^_^

I don't have a diet, I eat what I pleases. And don't lack any energy.