FOOD & DRINK
ENERGY FOODS: HOW BEST TO FUEL THE ACTIVE Dr Emma Derbyshire Independent Consultant Emma heads Nutritional Insight Ltd, an independent consultancy to industry, government and PR agencies. An avid writer for academic journals and media, her specialist areas are maternal nutrition, child nutrition and functional foods. www.nutritionalinsight.co.uk @DrDerbyshire
For full article references please email info@ networkhealth group.co.uk
Alongside a healthy and balanced diet, being active is central to a person’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, energy slumps can act as a barrier to being active and productive. This article discusses how best to keep energy levels up and fuel busy and active lifestyles. To counteract tiredness and give our energy levels a boost, energy drinks and bars are typical ‘go to’ solutions. Now, the role of malt as a slow release energy food source is emerging which may help to provide a general pick-me-up as well as a being a fitting pre-exercise snack. Other less traditional snacks such as yoghurt and lean red meat can also provide a good source of fuel. Firstly, it is important to define what we mean by being active. The term ‘physical activity’ refers to activities that can raise heart rate or lead to the expenditure of calories.1 This can range from walking or cycling to getting from A to B, to taking part in structured competitive activities (Figure 1 overleaf).1 Chief Medical Officer guidelines2 advise that adults (aged 19 to 64 years) should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity on at least five days of the week. So, 30 minutes of brisk walking over five days would count. Alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous activity can be spread across the week with comparable benefits. So, running at a pace for 40 minutes on two days would count. Alongside this, some activities to improve muscle strength on two days of the week are also advised. Unfortunately, physical activity levels in the UK are inadequate. Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre3 shows that only 66% of men and 56% of women meet the recommended physical activity targets. There is also a general tendency to overreport on certain health behaviours such
as physical activity, so, in reality, levels may be even lower than this.4 When looking into barriers preventing daily physical activity, these can range from ‘being too tired’ to ‘not having time’ or ‘having no one to do it with’.5 Statistics from the Royal College of Psychiatry6 also show that one in five adults feel unusually tired while one in 10 report having prolonged fatigue - with women tending to be most affected. Energy drinks and protein bars are often used to get back get up and go.7 However, there are other foods that we can also be eating to help give a natural energy lift. ENERGY FOODS
Research has shown that energy slumps tend to occur in the afternoon - typically triggered by low blood sugar levels and the body’s natural plunge in circadian rhythm.8 In fact, a number of factors including: long working days, skipping or delaying meals, exercise or activity that is unplanned or intense and eating less carbohydrate-containing food than usual can all lead to low blood sugar levels, also known as hypoglycaemia.9 Typical signs of this include feeling tired, irritable, shaky, hungry, dizzy and turning pale.9 To fuel busy and active lifestyles, it’s important not to skip breakfast and eat at regular intervals throughout the day. We should also aim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, including iron-rich foods such as lean red meat and fortified cereals within our diets and opt for slow-burning
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FOOD & DRINK Figure 1: What is Physical Activity?1
Physical activity (expenditure of calories, raised heart rate)
Everyday activity:
Active recreation:
Sport:
Active travel (cycling/ walking)
Active play Dance
Exercise & fitness training
DIY
Recreational cycling
Individual pursuits
Gardening
Recreational walking
Informal sport
Heavy housework
Regular cycling (≼30 min/week)
Occupational activity (active/manual work)
Structured competitive activity Sport walking Swimming
starchy foods to help sustain energy levels.10 Starchy foods should comprise about one third of everything that we eat.10 When it comes to choosing energy foods, there are a range that can be eaten including things like almonds, malt loaf, yoghurt and boiled eggs. Table 1 compares the nutritional profile of different energy foods. It can be seen that a chocolate bar contains twice the calories of dried fruit or malt loaf. Some foods, such as malt loaf, also have a lower proportion of carbohydrate as sugars which means that they will release their energy more slowly. Boiled eggs, yoghurt and almonds provide higher amounts of protein whilst a handful of almonds provides an ample dose of mainly monounsaturated fats.
Malt is derived from barley and undergoes a series of six steps to form the loaves that we know so well.12 Malt is a rich source of B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate and vitamin B-6. B vitamins are essential for converting carbohydrates, protein and fat contained in food into energy.12 It is also a source of amino acids and natural source of energy.12 Before the abundance of foods that we have today, people used to regularly consume malt for its health and energy boosting properties.12 Today, malt loaf is available in many different forms and flavours, from traditional loaves to healthy snack bars and mini loaves in apple, banana and orange flavours.13
THE POWER OF MALT
Fatigue and energy slumps come hand in hand with modern life. Whilst we may want to be more physically active, we may just not have the energy to partake. As dietitians and health professionals, we should be encouraging patients to achieve standard activity guidelines in order to offset the risk of chronic disease development.1 So helping them to find ways to integrate activity within their daily lives, or guiding them to ensure they have enough energy to do this, is important.
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to use malt in baking. Using adapted methods, malt loaves have now been produced in the UK for 80 years. These were first created in 1938 by Mr John Rahbek Sorensen from Denmark. A baker by trade, he made a Sorensen Malt Cake which proved to be highly popular. This business was eventually taken over by Imperial Bakeries Limited and has been made in Manchester ever since. 11 46
DISCUSSION
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Table 1: Nutritional Profile of Energy Foods (per portion) Energy (kcal)
Carbohydrate (g)
Of which sugars (g)
Protein (g)
Fat (g)
Fibre (g)
Almonds (28g)
174
2.0
1.2
6
16
2.1
Banana (1 medium)
81
20
18
1.2
0.1
0.8
Boiled egg (1 whole)
143
Tr
Tr
14
10
0.0
Milk chocolate bar (30g)
156
17
17
2
9
0.4
Dried fruit (28g)
75
19
19
0.6
0.1
0.6
Energy drink (250 ml)
105
28
28
Tr
0.0
0.0
Malt loaf (per 1 slice)
65
13
6
2
0.7
0.9
Yoghurt (125g)
99
10
10
7
4
0.0
Key: Tr, trace; Source: FSA (2014). CoFID (2015)
Firstly, to help sustain energy levels throughout the day, we should look to ensure that the diet contains the four main food groups in the right amounts: 1) fruit and vegetables, 2) potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and starchy foods, 3) milk and dairy foods and 4) beans pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other non-dairy sources of protein. These can be delivered via the integration within main meals, but also as snacks, which we may not typically associate some of these food groups with.10 Snacks eaten throughout the day should also be tailored to an individual’s needs. For example, if a young female with fatigue presents low-energy levels, it could be that she needs more iron in her diet, so a fortified cereal pot mid-morning, or one to two slices of roast beef could help her to get enough iron. If a working male is training for a marathon, but has low energy levels at the end of the day, a slice of malt loaf may help him to get through his training. Finally, busy lives can mean that meals are skipped or eaten irregularly throughout the day.
Popping snacks into handbags or gym bags is a good way to ensure that clients or patients have a portable supply of energy. The average female needs 2,000 and average male 2,500 calories per day.10 So, if these energy requirements are not being met that could be another reason why energy levels are low. CONCLUSIONS
Physical activity is central to our health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, around half of us are not meeting weekly physical activity targets. There are a host of reasons underpinning this, such as low energy levels. Alongside following basic healthy eating guidelines and eating regularly throughout the day, the type and timing of snacks also has a role to play. Energy snacks extend far beyond chocolate and energy drinks/bars. Foods such as malt loaf which releases its energy slowly and provides B vitamins, can also provide a natural energy boost. Slices of roast beef, nuts, yoghurts and boiled eggs can also provide a healthy energy and protein boost.
Acknowledgement This review was supported by Soreen. The views expressed are those of the authors alone and Soreen had no role in writing the review. www.NHDmag.com December 2017/January 2018 - Issue 130
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