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CancerHow Can I Get More Energy With Nutrition?

How Can I Get More Energy With Nutrition?

Just like you can’t drive a car without fuel, your body needs fuel to function. Instead of petrol, however, what gives us energy is certain nutrients from the diet.

Nutrients can give us energy either as a substrate converted to ATP in our cells or by otherwise contributing to ATP production. Just like gasoline, the quality of the food you eat will have an effect on the performance of your “vehicle”. 

If you’d like to know what to eat for energy, and which foods or nutrients you should avoid when more energy is the goal, read on.

What gives us energy?
The answer to this question is going to vary depending on your concept of “energy”. 
In very literal terms, glucose is what gives us energy. The simple, natural sugar molecule found in all fruits, vegetables, and grains, is the body’s preferred source of fuel for energy production. When absorbed by cells, mitochondria turn glucose into ATP: the cell’s energy molecule. 

Typically, the more work a tissue has to do (think muscle tissue vs fat tissue) the more mitochondria are present, the more glucose is being absorbed, and the more ATP is being made.

When no glucose is available, the body does have ways to make ATP from other sources. These include stored glucose (glycogen), fatty acids, or ketones. However, none of these energy sources are as efficient as glucose and all require energy to break down [1]. If your goal is more energy, maintaining steady, balanced glucose levels is best.

Of course, the answer to feeling energetic is not: eat more sugar. In fact, eating great quantities of sugar all at once or too often throughout the day can do serious, lasting damage to your body [2]. 

To keep energy levels consistent, create a slow and steady absorption of glucose by consuming variably digestible foods (we’ll come back to this). You must also consistently provide your body with the machinery (vitamins, minerals, and amino acids) it needs to keep turning glucose into energy, and metabolize that energy once created.

Conversion of fuel
Aside from glucose, our bodies also need minerals, vitamins, protein, and even a little bit of fat. Without enough of each, we can never function to our full potential.

When we think of dietary protein, we may think of athletes, but everybody needs to eat protein! Athletes typically need to consume a higher protein diet than the average human, as the material to build new muscle has to come from somewhere. That material is dietary amino acids (found in protein). 

But protein is important for so many things outside of muscle building. When humans eat protein, the body breaks it down into amino acid building blocks that can be reconstructed into new cells and cell parts, hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and other physical components of the body. Yes, amino acids are important for feeling energized during the day.

Vitamins are required for certain biological processes to function efficiently. For example, the creation or activity of those hormones, neurotransmitters, and enzymes made of proteins, also require the presence of specific vitamins in minimum abundances. Other vitamins must be present for the absorption of nutrients from the diet. 

Certain vitamins are more important than others when it comes to their proximity to energy metabolism, but any deficiency can take a toll on your energy levels. 

Minerals, too, contribute to our physical structures (i.e. bone), but they are also essential for other important reasons. The balance of minerals in cells and in circulation regulates everything from hydration to cell signaling, brain function, detoxification systems, and blood pressure [3]. If you thought minerals had nothing to do with your energy level…think again.

Eat for Energy
Ok, so you read you need vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, and “variably digestible glucose sources”. But, what does that mean? Which ones? What food should you eat for energy?

What to eat
While we need glucose, we want to get it from complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones. When we eat simple carbs like white flour and sugar, it causes a blood sugar spike and crash, not sustained, stable energy. 

When we eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, some glucose is released immediately, thanks to food prep and chewing (physical/manual digestion), but more is released slowly over time as the more complex food structures and proteins are broken down by stomach acid and other enzymes (chemical digestion). 

B vitamins (B-12 especially) are some of the most important when it comes to powering the mitochondria [4]. Unfortunately, many healthy eaters don’t get enough B vitamins, because they are most abundant in animal protein sources (meat and dairy). A B-complex supplement in the morning is a great way to fill any nutritional gaps, regardless of your diet.

Iron is important for energy too [5]. Even borderline anemia can drain energy levels, and vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from our food. Eating bright vegetables like bell peppers, or citrus fruits, with animal protein and dark, leafy greens can help you keep your iron levels healthy.

While saturated fat should stay on the “avoid” list, a little bit of healthy fat is important. Fat helps us stay full longer, allows for the absorption of some important vitamins, and contributes to cell membranes and neuronal integrity. Find healthy fats in fruits like bananas and avocados, legumes, nuts, and seeds. 

Water is essential for digestion, absorption, and activity of nutrients. While juices and sports drinks contain water, they will also contribute to a rush and crash like all sugar products. Caffeinated coffee may support your energy levels, but it is also dehydrating [6]. Try chasing every cup of coffee with an extra glass of water.

How much to eat
Portion control and the timing of a meal is also important for a related reason. Energy is sent where it is most needed. Because it requires energy to digest food, the more you eat, the more energy your digestive system needs to break it down. Eat too much and you’ll have less available energy for activities like prepping for your important work pitch or your work out. 

Think about the term “food coma”. You don’t get a food coma from a handful of almonds or having a garden salad with grilled chicken, right? When we eat a giant portion, not only do we feel physically uncomfortable, our digestive system has to work overtime to get enzymes and stomach acid and bile moving through the food we’ve consumed. It can be exhausting!

An easy rule of thumb here is to wait until you feel hungry to eat, and when you’re hungry serve yourself a small portion. Then, wait 20 minutes before serving any more. It takes about that amount of time for the satiation signals from a full belly to register in your brain [7]. If you eat too fast, you might eat more than you needed to. Go slow and you may find you’re satisfied by less food than you thought.

When to eat
Eat breakfast! Unless you have a medical reason (they do exist!) for intermittent fasting, start your day with a small-but-satisfying balance of complex carbs, protein, and healthy fat. Eggs in a whole wheat tortilla with avocado, or oatmeal with fruit and nut butter are examples of filling breakfasts that provide lasting energy. 

If you just aren’t hungry when you wake up, make yourself a superfood smoothie and sip it as you move through your morning. Metabolic Detox Complete is a delicious meal replacement powder that can be blended into smoothies. It also contains a full-spectrum multivitamin, right in the mix. 

You’ve got to eat something to provide your cells with fuel for energy after the fast of sleeping. Also, by not waiting until you feel queasy from hunger, you are less likely to reach for something unhealthy out of desperation.

Speaking of which, eat throughout the day, but don’t eat constantly all day. Try for a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours. This is enough time in between meals to use your energy for activities other than digestion, but still provides enough input for consistent energy output. 

Stop eating with time to spare before bed. If you fall asleep while the digestive system is still working hard, your body isn’t truly at rest. As you digest and absorb energy-promoting nutrition, you may find yourself unable to stay asleep or wake feeling tired in the morning.

What is the best supplement for energy?
You can’t beat starting your day with a B-complex vitamin supplement when it comes to energy. B-12 specifically, is both great for energy support, and likely to be lacking in your diet if you eat a mostly plant-based diet or are over 50. This is because B-12 is found most abundantly in animal products. Our bodies stop producing as much stomach acid and protease/digestive enzymes as we age, so it is harder to break down some foods well enough to absorb the B-12 from within. 

A B-complex, as opposed to B-12 alone, is great because the B vitamins tend to work as a team [4].

Another powerful nutrient for energy-making is coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10; ubiquinone). CoQ10 is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like nutrient found naturally in nearly every cell of the body. The more energy a cell typically needs or uses, the higher concentration of CoQ10 you are likely to find. Unfortunately, this is yet another nutrient whose production declines naturally as we age.

CoQ10’s roles in the cell are related to energy metabolism and antioxidant activity. This means CoQ10 prevents and repairs cellular damage while also contributing to the conversion of glucose to ATP. When we supplement CoQ10, we replenish the lack of endogenous CoQ10, restoring cells’ energy production and antioxidant activities.

L-Arginine is an amino acid that can support energy production. As an important precursor for nitric oxide (NO), arginine supports the oxidation of energy substrates, both fatty acids and glucose. L-Arginine supplements are not only supportive of a healthy cardiovascular system, they also complement exercise for weight management. Arginine supplements may encourage the body’s use of excess energy to favor muscle-building over fat synthesis [8].

References

Tirone, Thomas A., and F. Charles Brunicardi. “Overview of glucose regulation.” World journal of surgery 25.4 (2001): 461.
Palacios, Orsolya M., Melvyn Kramer, and Kevin C. Maki. “Diet and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus: beyond weight loss and exercise.” Expert review of endocrinology & metabolism 14.1 (2019): 1-12.
Campbell, J. D. “Lifestyle, minerals and health.” Medical hypotheses 57.5 (2001): 521-531.
Schellack, Gustav, Pamela Harirari, and Natalie Schellack. “B-complex vitamin deficiency and supplementation.” SA Pharmaceutical Journal 83.4 (2016): 14-19.
McKay, Alannah KA, et al. “Iron metabolism: Interactions with energy and carbohydrate availability.” Nutrients 12.12 (2020): 3692.
Zavvos, Athanasios, et al. “The Effect of Caffeine Intake on Body Fluids Replacement After Exercise-Induced Dehydration.” Nutrition Today 55.6 (2020): 288-293.
Zelman, Kathleen. “Slow Down, You Eat Too Fast: Eat less and enjoy it more with mindful eating”. Web MD. 2004. https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/slow-down-you-eat-too-fast#:~:text=It%20takes%20approximately%2020%20minutes,full%20translates%20into%20eating%20less
Jobgen, Wenjuan, et al. “Dietary L-arginine supplementation reduces white fat gain and enhances skeletal muscle and brown fat masses in diet-induced obese rats.” The Journal of 

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Cancer Fatigue

Cancer-related is one of the most common side effects of cancer and its treatments. Like fatigue, cancer fatigue is whole-body exhaustion that you feel no matter how much sleep or rest you get. Cancer fatigue takes exhaustion a step further: You feel physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted most of the time. Cancer fatigue may last a few weeks (acute) or for months or years (chronic).

To improve energy effectively, we provide modalities ranging from mindfulness-based cognitive therapy therapies, to herbal medicine and targeted nutritional interventions.

Pain Management

Providing quality care and services to our patients is our utmost commitment. Our approach prioritises a holistic and integrative method to health and wellness, ensuring that each patient receives personalised and effective treatment.

Our acupuncture services, including traditional acupuncture, medical acupuncture, and laser acupuncture, are designed to stimulate the body's natural healing processes, reduce pain, and improve overall health. In addition to acupuncture, we provide specialised physiotherapy services aimed at restoring movement, improving function, and alleviating pain Our commitment to quality care is reflected in our dedication to continuously improving our services and staying abreast of the latest advancements in medical and complementary treatments.

We are devoted to helping our patients achieve the best possible health outcomes through compassionate, comprehensive, and patient-centred care.

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Recovery

Helping you to thrive into enduring wellness after the conclusion of cancer treatments is our goal. At Vitawell Wellness we understand that an optimised immune system comes from a foundation of basics. Quality of sleep, exercise, enjoying nature, and practising meditation are incredibly important elements to aid in your recovery.

Our holistic approach focuses on rebuilding all the components that form your unique profile, from weight and movement to mind-body connection; from good energy to healthy weight; from sleep to finding happiness in small things.  Recovery also depends upon restoring imbalances in your immune system, nervous system, neurotransmitters, gut health, adrenal and hormonal systems. At Vitawell Wellness we will provide you with the essential tools and the appropriate program to achieve and to maintain optimal health and enduring wellness.

Stress Management

The state of mind impacts health through the mind-body connection. We believe that  that body and mind are one, that the mind feeds the body just as the body feeds the mind. Since emotions, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, actions, and behaviour impact and literally shape wellbeing, we provide the necessary tools to  strengthen your mental and emotional inner life.

We strive to help you cultivate and maintain hope, calm, optimism, and inner-peace. We want to know how you feel; we listen and support you in regaining power with positive actions, step-by-step into wellness. 

Clinical Detox

After the conclusion of cancer treatments, we strongly recommend that you follow our clinical detoxification program. At Vitawell Wellness we are aware tht some common side-effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy treatments can have lasting effects such as brain fog, loss of energy and gastro-intestinal dysfunction.

We strongly believe in the power of detoxification as a method of steadily reducing toxins` accumulation and regaining strength, balance, and imporve wellness. Our personalised program is sensible, gentle but effective, and includes stress reduction technique and lifestyle changes.

Personalised Diet

The relationship between cancer, diet, energy, muscle mass and optimal weight is extremely important. At Vitawell Wellness we focus on addressing your current nutritional status and develop the right diet for you.  "One size does not fit all" principle applies to your diet. Each person is unique and therefore variability exists between nutrient-sense diets.

We provide personalised and appropriate dietary plans before, during and after cancer treatments. We provide 7 day menu plan, shopping lists and recipes that reflect food preferences and sensitivities. The menu plans are easy to follow. Each food is selected for its specific content of nutrients. Healthy foods positively support your whole person wellness.

For some, reaching wellness means improving body weight, muscle mass, digestion, assimilation and gut microbiome. 

For some, reaching wellness means reducing body weight, improving muscle mass, digestion, bowel function and gut microbiome. Obesity and overweight have been shown to increase cancer risk.

Preventive Care

The Functional Medicine model is an individualised, patient-centred, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together and to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness.

Functional Medicine is gaining attention as a new approach to care in large institutions and Universities around the world. This is leading to new approaches to investigate ways to research outcomes of Functional Medicine designed to discover and remedy root causes of problems instead of suppressing symptoms. Random controlled trials are beginning to be conducted, and a new body of literature is beginning to emerge in this realm as a result.

Nutritional Medicine

Nutrition medicine is a personalised medicine that deals with primary prevention and addresses underlying causes instead of treating symptoms for serious chronic diseases. By shifting the traditional disease-centred focus of medical practice to a more patient-centred approach, nutritional medicine individualises the patient's nutritional needs based on genetic, environmental, and personal considerations.

Nutritional medicine focuses on shifting dietary habits to optimise personal health stimulating the powerful inert healing mechanism within each person by providing nutrient protocols and specialised diets for each individual need.

Herbal Medicine

Herbalism today is based on remedies and techniques tried and tested through generations of use, but increasingly re-evaluated in the light of modern medical refinements. A key feature of herbalism is that remedies are used to support and modify disturbed body functions.

Herbal medicine is the oldest and still the most widely used system of medicine in the world today. It is medicine made exclusively from plants. It is used in all societies and is common to all cultures.

Herbal medicine is increasingly being validated by scientific investigation which seeks to understand the active chemistry of the plant. Many modern pharmaceuticals have been modelled on, or derived from, phytochemicals found in plants. Increasing research on herbal medicine demonstrates that liquid botanicals play a critical role during, before and after a diagnosis of cancer.

Individualised Plans

Cancer requires negotiation and navigation. Decisions must be made. Directions must be pursued. The decisions and directions often occur in the middle of stress, fear, trauma, and many other challenging emotions. The skills with which people negotiate and navigate their cancer journey are better supported by combining conventional treatments with evidence-based natural medicine.

At Vitawell Wellness, we design individual programs to support you regardless of your diagnosis and the stage of your cancer. We collect all critical information about your state of health and help you in your decision-making process with the wisdom and the experience that comes from years of clinical practice. We work in alignment with what you think, feel, say, and do. In this way, we honour your self-awareness, your knowledge and views and integrate them in safe practices.