Do you hit snooze a dozen times in the morning or find yourself falling asleep after lunch?? The following 11 secrets from Sydney Scientific Naturopath, Catherine Pritchard could make all the difference to increasing your energy and vitality.

1. It’s all about your blood sugar! One of the top secrets to abundant energy is having stable blood sugar throughout the day. Many people don’t realize that low energy, moodiness and fatigue especially after lunch can all be related to poor blood sugar control. Your blood sugar is affected largely by the foods you eat, particularly sugar and processed carbohydrates such as white bread and white pasta as they cause your blood sugar to rise too quickly. In quick response your body secretes too much insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar and as a result, your blood sugar drops below normal. Since your brain uses the most amount of blood sugar, your brain is the first to experience the effects of low blood sugar. This is why you get fatigued around 3pm and crave sugar or caffeine to rapidly shoot your blood sugar back up. Blood sugar control is so important that many of the following secrets to increase your energy do so by directly stabilising your blood sugar.

2 Protein/Carbohydrate balance
This has an enormous impact on your energy due to it’s direct relationship to blood sugar control. When we are busy or stressed we can tend to focus on quick easy to prepare meals that are often high in processed carbohydrates. Your protein balance will make an enormous difference to your energy levels (provided there is no iron or B12 deficiency discussed in secret #8). A guide to the right balance is that when you look at your dinner plate, ¼ should be protein, ¼ carbohydrates and the other ½ vegetables.

4 Avoid sugar and processed foods Sugar is the enemy of abundant energy. Too much sugar directly results in big swings in blood sugar resulting in energy highs and lows. You end up in the sugar cycle where you crave sugar, eat sugar, get a sugar high, then come crashing down for a sugar low resulting in more sugar cravings to get an energy boost. Get out of the cycle! Avoid sugar altogether for a month. You may suffer with headaches or low energy for a few days as your body withdraws from sugar, but it’s worth it for your long term energy and health.

3 Rotate your fruit and veggies! We all know fruit and vegetables are good for us. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Different colours provide different nutrients. We tend to be creatures of habit and eat the same ones on a daily basis resulting in a limited spectrum of nutrients. Mix it up! Try new fruits/vegetables and rotate them around . Vegetables provide different nutrients to fruits therefore you need to be eating both, everyday!

5 Never go longer than 3-4 hours without a meal Prevent blood sugar dips by eating small meals or snacks regularly. Nuts and seeds, fruit and natural yoghurt make great healthy snacks.

6 Get tested for iron, B12 and folic acid Vegetarians are particularly vulnerable but even women who eat meat can still have low levels. No matter how healthy you eat, you will never have good energy if you are iron, B12 or folate deficient. You need to get both your hemoglobin levels and iron levels tested. Your hemoglobin levels determine whether you are anemic, but you can have normal hemoglobin levels yet really low ferritin (iron stores) resulting in fatigue. Your ferritin level should be above 45.

If you need to take iron make sure you go for iron chelate. Iron does not occur by itself. It is always bound to another molecule and this other molecule determines how well your iron is absorbed. Iron sulphate is poorly absorbed and causes constipation. Iron chelate however is rapidly absorbed and does not cause constipation.

7 Daily bowel movement If you aren’t going at least once per day to do number 2’s then this is going to affect your energy big time. Increase your fiber through vegetables, fruit, whole grain foods and water and avoid commercial laxatives. If you still aren’t going daily then consult a good naturopath.

8 Water, water, water!! You are 70% water. If you aren’t drinking 1.5 – 3L of pure, filtered water daily then you are dehydrated. Drinking water helps every body system especially your energy and the quality of your bowel movements.

9 Avoid energy drinks and avoid/limit caffeine You shouldn’t need caffeine to pick your energy up if you are following all of the above. Do an experiment, go for a month without coffee (or sugar), follow these principles and watch how you have great energy without relying on coffee or sugar! Filtered water, herbal teas, including green tea are wonderful alternatives. Beware of decaffeinated coffee. Most companies use chemicals to strip the caffeine from coffee so ensure you use a brand that uses a water process to de-caffinate.

10 Limit your alcohol Alcohol affects your energy and blood sugar. Drinking too often and too much puts pressure on your liver resulting in fatigue. Your liver is the most overworked organ of the body so it needs a rest!! Give the grog away for a month and watch how you bounce out of bed in the morning. Then limit your alcohol intake to 1-2 glasses, 3 nights per week.

11 Take a good quality multivitamin and antioxidant everyday These days it’s not enough to just eat healthy since our food is only as good as the soil in which it is grown. Australian soil is known to be deficient in certain nutrients, particularly selenium, a potent antioxidant that helps to prevent disease.