Lockdown spikes reliance on unhealthy energy boosters – Energy expert discusses spring cleaning diets and boosting energy naturally

Spring Clean your diet after a reliance on unhealthy energy boosters in Lockdown

Brits have developed habits to maintain energy over lockdown: 38% feel depleted despite coffee, energy drinks, and supplements. John Nolan-Neylan, Co-Founder of high performance energy brand Revvies provides tips on developing natural methods to boost energy

With lockdown lethargy having swept the nation, reliance on coffee and energy drinks has spiked and new national research from high performance energy experts Revvies highlights that 38% of the population are feeling depleted of energy at the end of the week consequentially. This results from the fact that while coffee and energy drinks release boost of energy short term, the sugar and additives these contain triggers a crash in these levels shortly after. As such, a spring clean of our diets in Britain is necessary to adapt healthier methods of maintaining our energy and cut out our reliance on coffee and energy drinks to get us through our days.

Revvies has discovered that 37% of people are feeling more tired than ever, and that 1 in 5 people have developed an addiction to coffee and energy drinks. These addictions and maintained low energy levels have left Brits reliant on unhealthy consumption patterns to keep their energy up in a way that is entirely unsustainable in the long term as we return to normal. As such, Brits are turning to dieticians and energy experts to identify healthier patterns of behaviour to boost our energy and get back to normal with a moral natural, holistic approach.

Key stats:

37% of Brits agree (17.4million people) that their energy levels are the lowest they have ever been

20% agree that they are locked in an addictive cycle of consuming coffee or energy drinks

38% agree (8.3 million) that despite purchasing supplements to replenish their energy levels, they still feel depleted every week

In light of this, John Nolan-Neylan, Co-Founder of Revvies – a high performance nutrition and energy brand shares some tips on how to spring clean our diets – using natural foods to boost energy, and cut out coffee and energy drinks to leave lockdown healthier and energised:

“Our research highlights the dramatic negative impact this past year has had on our energy levels. COVID induced lockdowns have caused millions across the country to remain confined to their homes, limiting opportunities to be active. Our energy levels affect every aspect of our day-to-day lives, be it our mood and mental wellbeing, how much we get done at work, or just how able we are to exercise.

With this in mind, here are some tips to help you get the most out of your day and boost your energy in a healthy and natural way.”

Magnesium from more green vegetables

Magnesium is a key part of your body’s ability to regulate energy levels, it is part of what is known as the Krebs cycle which, essentially, is the process of turning sugar and food into usable energy in your cells. Increasing your dietary intake of magnesium, therefore, is a great first step to ensuring that you can get back to normal and, with approximately 11% of the UK thought to be deficient. You can do this by eating more green vegetables, especially spinach, or any kind of wholegrain cereals or seeds, including wholemeal bread. Another great source are nuts such as peanuts, as well as some fatty fish, such as Salmon or Mackerel. If you can get your daily intake to around 400mg (around 320mg for women) you’ll be moving in the right direction, but it changes from person to person.

Iron from meat and leafy greens

Iron helps to preserve many vital functions in the body, including general energy and focus, the immune system, and the regulation of body temperature. Without realising, 46% of girls and almost 1 in 4 women in the UK have been found to have low iron stores, which leads to excessive tiredness, lack of energy, susceptibility to infections, hair loss, and insomnia, so it’s important to look to foods that are high in iron. The best sources for iron are red meat and offal, which is the combination of various non muscular parts of the carcasses of beef and veal, mutton and lamb, and pork. Although offal doesn’t sound too appetising, it can either be consumed directly as food or used in the production of other foods. Green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach are also another great source of iron and are very easy and cost effective to implement into your diet.

Folate/folic acid  from broccoli, chickpeas, and brussels sprouts

Folic acid helps make healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. If we do not have enough folic acid, the body starts to produce abnormally large red blood cells that do not work properly. This can cause extreme tiredness, muscle weakness and chronic fatigue. Increasing your intake of folic acid has never been more important for boosting your energy levels. You can find folate in a number of vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, peas, chickpeas and brussels sprouts. Another good source are wholegrain cereals and citrus fruits such as oranges. The recommended daily amount of folate for adults is 400 micrograms (mcg). Adult women who are planning pregnancy or could become pregnant should be advised to get 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid a day.

Vitamin D from oily fish and mushrooms

Surveys suggest that 1 in 5 people aged 19-64 in the UK have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. Symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency include an increased risk of bone and gum problems, muscle pain, constipation. Vitamin D is an easy nutrient to add to your diet as can be found in oily fish such as salmon and sardines,  and egg yolks. You can also absorb Vitamin D through the sun, so getting outside as much as possible is also a good means of increasing your levels. Mushrooms are also a great source of Vitamin D, but as they are usually grown in darkness, the only time they are likely to be exposed to light is during picking under fluorescent lights, which usually emit little or no UV radiation. A great trick here is to leave your mushrooms (either wild or button) in the sun for an hour, so that they can absorb Vitamin D through the sun.

About Revvies

Revvies is a high performance nutrition company, working with Olympians and elite endurance athletes to help them perform at their peak. Revvies Energy Strips are changing sports nutrition by providing a faster, more convenient boost that can be taken without water, immediately before and during exercise. Revvies Energy Strips are gluten and sugar free and are vegan friendly, providing a natural and effective energy boost.