When you want more energy and less bulk from your diet, choose healthy foods over bars or supplements for the best long-term results. Doctors say that everyone from schoolkids to athletes can achieve the same performance levels without buying specially processed foods or focusing on a single nutrient, such as carbohydrates. By eating a variety of foods that address energy needs--with carbs, protein, fiber, iron and healthy fats--you'll hit your peak without adding empty or extra calories.
Breakfast
Morning menus are loaded with possibilities for energy foods, beginning with low-calorie eggs. If you watch your cholesterol content at other meals, you can accommodate a filling spinach ricotta omelet, which is rich in protein, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Add whole-wheat toast and an orange or slice of melon for more minerals, fiber, complex carbohydrates and vitamin C. Other healthy foods include low-fat yogurt, oatmeal and enriched wheat-bran cereals with nuts and raisins. These offer calcium, iron, protein, fiber and other energizing nutrients. If you want less sugar, substitute blueberries for the raisins.
Lunch and Snack Breaks
The Mayo Clinic suggests snacks and lunches made from low-fat dairy products; nuts and seeds for protein; and whole grains, fruits and vegetables for carbs, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Legumes, including peanut butter, have a little of everything. Whole-grain bread or crackers, cut fruits and veggies, and low-fat cheese or unsweetened peanut butter are healthy foods that give you sustained energy. Other small-meal energy foods are bananas, apples, almonds, cashews, dried apricots and sunflower- or pumpkin-seed kernels. The nuts and seeds add more extra calories to your diet than fruits do, however, so don't over-munch.
Dinner
Nutrient density is what keeps energy foods from making you fat. Healthy dinnertime protein sources such as sockeye salmon or cooked dry beans do add extra calories but provide strong nutritional value. Oily fish contribute beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. Bulgur and kidney beans make a side dish that is fiber- and iron-rich, for increased energy. Other entrees that fit this bill include meals made with clams, oysters, chicken liver, lentils, sweet potatoes and nearly any other vegetable or fruit. Pineapples, figs and papayas make healthy desserts.
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