High Energy Foods for Seniors
What are High Energy Foods?
Quinoa is high in protein and rich in amino acids. It contains folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese. This nutritious source of carbohydrates is a long-lasting energy food.
Lentils are high in fibre. This stabilizes blood sugar levels and gets them high on the list of energy foods.
Beans contain protein that keeps blood sugar levels stable and their complex carbohydrates provide lots of energy.
Eggs contain high-quality protein. Whole-grain cereals are high in fibre and again slow down the release of sugars into the bloodstream. Yogurt, high in protein. Nuts, again protein, and healthy fats.
Salmon and other fish, high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Beef is also high in protein and amino acids.
The common thread here is; high in protein, high in fibre, and high in complex carbohydrates.
A lot of times we think we’re hungry because we are thirsty.
Drink more water. The amount of water you need varies with your level of physical activity and the environment you’re in.
The Four Food Groups
Growing up in Canada, we were introduced early in our education, on the importance of eating properly. This was presented to us in “Health Class”, and described as “The 4 Food Groups”, which were then further divided into portions or servings that constituted well-balanced meals and promoted good health.
The Four Food Groups are as follows.
- Dairy
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Meat and Fish, and
- Grains and Cereals
Why Should you Eat High-Energy Foods?
High-Energy foods fuel your body and feed your mind. Another bonus derived from eating well is clearer thinking and less illness due to overworking your body systems.
Healthy choices at the table build-up your immune system and make you less susceptible to illness and disease.
This results in greater productivity and more peace of mind. Daily exercise, such as walking, when practiced in moderation along with sensible eating habits are a sure-fire winning combination.
Your friends will soon be asking about the secrets of your newfound energy.
Eat well and walk every day!
It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Where can I find High Energy Foods?
Many of these high-energy foods are already in your house or refrigerator. If not, they are easy to obtain all the food markets.
Invest in a good book or go to your local library and learn about how your body works. This will energize you and grow your confidence.
A better understanding of how your body works is a great way to begin the new year.
It’s an easy and simple resolution and you don’t have to tell anyone about it.
When Should I be Eating these Foods?
I’m a traditionalist in many ways.
I believe that many of the “old ways” have brought us to where we are today.
I am a firm believer in 3 square meals a day.
This concept only needs to be adjusted slightly to fit into your lifestyle. If you’re overweight, begin by reducing your portions a bit, if you’re underweight increase them slightly.
Perhaps you’ve heard or seen this quote before. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper” by the well-known American author and nutritionist Adelle Davis.
A complete breakfast, that includes lots of protein, and that is high in fibre and complex carbohydrates will get your day off to a good start.
- Do not miss this most important meal.
- Eat lightly throughout the day, and stay hydrated.
Unless you are a professional athlete or you work hard physically in a hot climate, there’s no need to walk around with a huge bucket of water hanging down your neck. Remember, … moderation.
Who Should be Eating High Energy Foods?
In my last post, The Benefits of Walking for Seniors, I discussed all the good things that you earn, from adopting a simple and regular walking program. Now that you’re walking regularly, you have to pay close attention to what you put into your stomach.
You wouldn’t put junk gasoline in your vehicle, so why put junk food, into your body.
Exercising every day requires paying close attention to what you eat, after all, why top off this great accomplishment with “junk food”.
… and, … The answer to my question is …
Everyone should be eating high-energy foods,
everyone except the people that make “processed plastic foods”.
What Should You Eat?
Let me begin by describing what you should not eat.
- Stay away from processed foods, as much as possible.
- Always read the labels.
If you are looking at a jar of “good-for-you” fruit or nut spread and it contains 8-10 additives and/or chemicals that you cannot pronounce, that’s a sure sign that you should be learning more about The Four Food Groups that I have mentioned above.
- You should be eating more real foods.
- Real foods are foods that have not been overly processed.
- They are foods that come to the table (pun intended), very close to how they were produced in Nature.
- They do not contain a long of list of chemicals and additives, and other such “stuff” and crap, to make them better for you.
How Should I eat my High-Energy Foods?
I’ll make this one easy.
If you remember your mother telling you to sit up straight at the table, don’t talk with food in your mouth, and chew your food slowly while not making a lot of noise then I would love to hear from you.
A Few Thoughts to Consider
A friend of mine who flies small aircraft says, “I fuel my airplane BEFORE I leave on a trip, not during the trip or just before I get to my destination”.
This philosophy should also be applied to the beginning of your day. Fuel-up before you begin the day. In this way you’ll be more productive, your tank will be full and you won’t be thinking about food all the time or hearing funny noises coming from your stomach.
Let me know if you agree with my routine and if you apply any of these in your day to day activities.
I welcome your comments.
This is really educative,I enjoyed reading this post and everyone seeking for good health must also read this.I take food randomly,i don’t really place preference on the nutrients I’m getting from the food I eat .After this I’m bothered because I now discover I may be doing my body a lot of harm by doing that.My question is that what are the effects of not taking high energy foods?.
Happy New Year, Lok Which.
The food that you put into your stomach should be very high on your list of priorities.
You are correct in stating that many foods are very harmful for you.
The effects of not eating these high-energy foods is devastating to your body. IMO, these foods are mostly all natural foods that are also less expensive than the processed foods that you replace them with.
Processed foods are almost always high in sugar, high in salt, high in calories, and full of additives and chemicals that play havoc on your liver, stomach, and your entire body.
Paul
This is the first and best article I get to read in 2019! Since one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to eat healthier, there’s a lot I can learn from this blogpost. Although my mom is over 60, she does much better than me by being more active, taking a walk almost every day and eating healthy. We just talked about eating healthy a few minutes ago and I just promised I would try to change my eating habits this year. What do you think about eating junk food in general? How often is someone who wants to lose weight and stay healthy allowed to eat fast food like McDonald’s?
Happy New Year, Ruya.
I’m pleased to hear that you want to eat better in 2019.
This begins with learning about food. Get a good book on food and one on food recipes. There is a ton of free information and recipes on the web.
Start your day with a good breakfast and you won’t be thinking about junk food all day.
The dictionary says that JUNK
is anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash.
Why would you want to put trash in your stomach.
The answer to your last question is as close to NEVER as possible. Of course, we don’t always eat what’s best for us, but it should be a top priority in your day to day living.
Make a tasty and healthy meal for your mother today.
She deserves it and you can do it!
Paul
in Canada, in health class, students are taught there are four food groups. but how about legumes? or egg? or honey? some foods have been left out. but I think legumes are uncommon in Canada. you listed some foods as high energy, but if one has a food allergy to these foods, they can drain energy. like whole grain cereals contain gluten, so they make celiacs and NCGS sufferers sick. when i was young, i learnt about food pyramid. it was a USDA food guide.
Happy New Year, Dom.
All excellent concerns, so let me address them as best as I can.
Legumes include soy nuts, black beans, lentils, kidney beans, Lima beans, and peanuts. All good sources of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Eggs are an excellent source of protein and honey is a natural sweetener that produces few negative effects when used in moderation.
Of course, many foods have been left out. How could I list ALL the foods on this planet in a short blog.
If you read closely, you will see that I am a big fan of “learning all you can about the food you put into your body”.
People who suffer from food related irregularities such as peanut allergies, gluten issues, lactose intolerance, and others are even more in need of “food studies”.
The more you know about food, the better you will be able to control your diet and feel better.
This applies to Celiacs and NCGS sufferers even more so. By learning what foods contain gluten they can avoid them like the plague and find suitable replacements to maintain proper health.
Food groups and food pyramids are only means of simplifying the science of food and eating for better health.
Paul
You have a very informative website. I especially enjoyed your page on “High Energy Foods for Seniors” Being a senior myself, I found your information very useful. I do try to eat well now that I’m older. I use vitamins to supplement my diet. I walk as much as I can and swim to. I think swimming is the best exercise as it allows you to use all your muscles. You have some great articles too on hiking and camping. Great stuff for the outdoorsman!
Thanks, Mick, for getting my New Year off to a good start.
As we mature, we become less “bulletproof”. I know that this is the case for me.
Good food and exercise are must for every one. Swimming is a real classic, and I’m pleased to hear that you swim as well as walk. Swimming is easy on the body and great for building endurance.
Thanks for looking over some of my other posts.
Paul
Hey Paul,
I learned quite a bit from your post about some of the foods you listed. Thanks for providing some great reading and recommendations on where to find some ideas. I know you believe in 3 squares a day, but I’m curious, how do you feel about things like intermittent fasting and ketogenic diets? Thanks
Happy New Year, James.
I’m a big fan of learning about food and how it affects your body.
Once you learn about how food fuels your body, I have no problems with “tweaking” your diet a bit.
For me though, jumping from diet to diet every time one shows up on the web, is not a safe way to eat properly.
Athletes who cut weight fast can sometimes be excluded from this way of thinking, but they usually suffer tremendously. Boxers and Mixed Martial Arts fighters are sometimes so drained and weakened by drastic cuts in weight that it kills their ability to perform well and very often defeats their purpose.
The foods that you eat, and let’s call that your diet, can be almost any Natural food. Lots of very healthy Carnivores, Vegetarians, and Vegans as well. My friend tells me that most Ultra Marathoners are vegans.
Good Natural food in the right-sized portions for your body weight and level of activity, IMO, are the right way to go.
I have never fasted very much, but I am considering short bouts of it in 2019.
Paul