Smart eating strategies to overcome the afternoon energy dip

We’ve all been there, around 3 pm, energy plummets, focus fades, and productivity takes a hit. The midafternoon slump can be challenging, especially on days when you need to be at your best. Did you know that your dietary choices can significantly impact your energy levels?

What Causes the Mid-Afternoon Slump?

The slump often stems from fluctuating blood sugar levels. A carb-heavy lunch or sugary snacks can cause blood sugar to spike, offering a brief burst of energy, followed by a crash. To avoid this, I have four simple tips for you.

1. Start Your Day with a Power Breakfast

A balanced, savoury breakfast that includes protein sets the foundation for sustained energy by keeping you fuller for longer. I recommend eggs with avocado on wholegrain toast or oats with nuts and berries.

2. Snack Smart

It’s tempting to reach for something sugary between meals, but these can destabilise your blood sugar and energy levels. Instead, opt for Greek yoghurt with berries, hummus with veggie sticks, unsalted nuts, or one square of dark chocolate (>70% cocoa) if you need a treat.

3. Hydrate

Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue and reduced concentration. Sip water consistently throughout the day. I recommend 2 litres daily (add soup, kombucha, or herbal teas for added benefit).

4. Eat Mindfully

Overeating, even on healthy foods, can make you sluggish, as your body diverts energy to digestion. Whether at work socials or enjoying subsidised lunches in the canteen, be mindful of portion sizes, and chew each mouthful 20-30 times to prevent overeating. Ruchi Bhuwania Lohia is a BANT-registered nutritional therapist, health coach, and founder of Wellness with Ruchi www.wellnesswithruchi.com.

Her practice is dedicated to guiding busy individuals towards a nutrition and wellness path that empowers them to live vibrant, fulfilling lives.

Ruchi’s mission is to help you reclaim your mental and physical well-being and age healthily through a personalised, sciencebacked, and sustainable approach based on the principles of functional medicine. She takes pride in creating nutrition and lifestyle strategies that are simple and seamlessly integrate into busy lives.

Infrared Light Therapy changed my life

Over 10 years ago Allison Huff suffered a back injury that left her with slipped discs and damaged vertebrae. ‘I was looking at a lifetime of injections and pharmaceuticals,’ she recalls. ‘Then, while visiting my parents in Texas, I went to an Infrared Sauna studio. After three visits the pain had gone: I was so inspired that I decided to bring the concept to London.’

The health and wellbeing benefits that come from raising our core temperature, kickstarting the body’s natural healing processes, have long been scientifically proven. ‘We have already built partnerships with traditional practitioners – dermatologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, physical therapist’s personal trainers – all of whom recognise how Infrared Light Therapy can increase the chances of living a healthy, active life,’ says Allison.

While a traditional sauna uses hot air to heat the body from the outside in, infrared light heats from the inside out. ‘We have four single infrared pods and one premier twoperson cabin-style sauna,’ explains Allison. ‘Clients lie down in the pod and trap the hot air with a towel: then, it’s simply a case of enjoying a deep tissue sweat for 30 minutes while always breathing fresh air.

‘We recommend integrating regular visits into a wellness regime. Everyone on the team is very friendly and we make the experience, which will be new for most, comfortable, and relaxing. For me, Sweat Lounge is more than a business. Infrared Light Therapy changed my life l am passionate about how it can help others: if you would like to find out more, come and see us.’