Energy to spare

Until three weeks ago, I always drank two cups of coffee a day. And once I finished my coffee, I would move on to tea, drinking about a cup each hour. That stopped a few weeks ago, when I realized I was thinking about what kind of tea I would make myself once I finished my coffee.

Duh! Why was I drinking coffee when I was dreaming abou tea? Another habit gone.

I still get a dose of caffeine, but not in the amount I was getting from the coffee.
I have just as much energy as I did when I was drinking coffee, plus I am sleeping so much better.

Today, I read an article on SparksPeople, about foods that will give you just as much get-up-and-go as a cup of coffee. They list 10 foods with one thing in common: heavy on carbs, which is our body's preferred energy source. The key, they say, is to keep carb levels on an even keel to avoid sugary spiike.

That means eating more frequent,smaller meals, since blood sugar drops four hours after eating. We need to concentrate on low-fat, high-fiber foods and complex carbs, which are broken down slowly and steadily. The result: Energy throughout the day. So what are these 10 super foods:

1. Whole wheat pasta
2. Oatmeal
3. Fruit smoothies made with low-fat yogurt
4. Peanut butter
5. Dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, raisins, figs)
6. Yams
7. Beans
8. Apples
9. Carrots
10. Chickpeas

And some more tips:
* Eat breakfast, which gets your day off to a good start.
* Avoid grease and high-fat dairy foods.
* Focus on whole grains -- good sources of vitamin B, which aids the metabolic production of energy.
* Add some iron, the energy boosting mineral.