By Lynn McIntosh

Published in Alive, #237, www.alive.com, July 2002

The human body is a highly efficient battery and power generator. It can reach peak performance levels for lengthy periods of time on very little fuel. That’s more than you can say for a Lamborghini! So how do we keep our engines running at peak performance? In this high-tech world it is time to look at a low-tech solution.

Your body needs natural foods for energy. High-energy foods are the same pesticide-free, natural, fresh items our ancestors ate. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains–the very things we often avoid or replace with poor quality foods.

Before we add energy boosters, we have to get rid of our energy stealers. The three major culprits are caffeine, sugar and white flour.

Common Energy Stealers

Are you one of the typical North Americans who stumble to the kitchen every morning to grab that first cup of rocket fuel? Most of us drink coffee to get us going, but since coffee strips our bodies of essential minerals, it ultimately steals our energy. Caffeine is like putting your foot on an accelerator–the energy you think you are getting is really a drug-induced high! Caffeine throws the body into a state of confusion, causing more stress and leaving us hyper, shaky or exhausted.

The other energy stealers, sugar and white flour, are often partners in crime. That donut may taste good, but it will let you down fast. You may first feel a burst of energy as it causes your blood sugar to rocket, but then your pancreas must work overtime to clear the sugar from your bloodstream, causing your sugar levels–and your energy–to crash. Eat too many sugary and starchy snacks and, over time, you’ll exhaust your pancreas and adrenal glands and find yourself in a perpetual energy slump. These energy stealers also put you at risk for developing hypoglycemia, diabetes and heart disease.

Top Up Your Fluids

Just as flushing your car systems is part of a tune-up, you need to continuously flush your body systems with water for peak performance.

To calculate how much water your body needs, just divide your body poundage in half. This figure is the number of ounces you should drink daily to keep your body hydrated.

Juicing is an excellent way to cleanse and fuel your body. If you have a tough time eating your 10 daily servings of fruit and veggies, try drinking them. Freshly blended juice from raw, organic produce contains the most digestive enzymes, giving you maximum nutrient absorption. It is the perfect high-octane fuel, helping rid the body of accumulated toxins and setting up a healthy cycle of nutrition and excretion. You may experience a healthy “lift” of vitality as your cells become free of congestion and your blood sugar levels become stabilized.

Easy Energy Boosters

1. Eat raw, organic foods as much as possible. The more original state a food is in, the more benefit it has (i.e., carrots with the tops are better than bagged baby carrots).

2. Munch on veggies. If the only veggies you can eat are baby carrots, they are better than no carrots.

3. Break the fast. Eat breakfast, and experiment with leftovers. Try brown rice with veggies.

4. Eat porridge on an empty stomach. This increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid, and the protein will be better metabolized.

5. Graze on small meals. Skipped meals can cause your fat burners to shut down and hold onto fat.

6. Carry a little bag of trail mix for snacks. Mix crunchy health cereal (no added sugar or salt) with raw almonds, raw sunflower seeds and raisins.

7. Popcorn is a good food. For a real treat, sprinkle brewer’s yeast on buttered popcorn.

8. Sip filtered water throughout the day. It will cleanse your cells and maximize food absorption.

9. Add chlorophyll drops to your filtered water. This helps purify your body.

10. Drink green tea. It’s rich in flavonoid compounds, is a potent antioxidant and has anti-allergy activity.

11. Replace white flour with spelt, kamut or rye. Cooked grains help maintain blood sugar and metabolism.

12. Eat millet and buckwheat. These two miracle foods provide vigour without the lethargy sometimes found with meats.

13. Erase midday slump. Add one teaspoon brewer’s yeast and one teaspoon fresh wheat germ to a glass of any citrus juice or combination of freshly juiced fruit.

By making changes in our diet, we can energize our bodies and even eradicate most of our day-to-day health issues such as obesity, skin disorders, thinning and weak hair, weak nails, yeast infections, bowel disorders, diminished muscle mass, wrinkles and low sex drive.

Remember, when in doubt, eat like our ancestors. Then you’ll have the energy to zoom through our modern world like a high-performance race car instead puttering through it like a broken-down station wagon!