Free Diet Tips to Increase Energy and Burn Fat

Quick. Name your usual tiredness fix. If you said a cereal bar or a coffee drink, you're not getting an effective boost and may even be setting yourself up to crash later on. "The food you eat is like the gas you use to fuel your car," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Without enough of it -- or the right kind -- your energy will stall."

Luckily, certain foods can help fight fatigue. Here are three top stamina sappers you may encounter and what to eat and drink more of to stay sharp, focused, and energized all day.

Minimize stress tension. -- Whether it's caused by your job, kids, or caring for aging parents, stress triggers a surge in hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to fatigue and related symptoms like headache and back pain. A stressful lifestyle may also leave you with little time to prepare energizing, healthful meals. Eat more carb-rich, healthy treats, such as half of a whole wheat English muffin with fruit spread, that is rich in carbohydrates, which can boost your levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical.

Nibble on a few squares of dark chocolate. -- It's packed with caffeine and theobromine, which according to researchers are energy-boosting stimulants. Build a high-energy salad "just a salad" is a common lunch request by weight-watching women, but a plateful of not much more than lettuce hardly qualifies as energy food, even for rabbits. "A typical lunch should be 400 to 500 calories, so salads usually just aren't enough," says Debra Wein, RD, co-founder of Sensible Nutrition Connection in Hingham, MA. Instead, Wein suggests making your own lunch salads with energy in mind. "Choose dark leafy greens, which are higher in nutrients and fiber," she says. "Add a variety of colorful vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli. And always include a low-fat source of protein such as chickpeas or grilled chicken to round it out."

Focus on whole grains. -- Scan the ingredients list for the word whole before grains like wheat, corn, barley, rye, and rice. Millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats are also whole grains. Whole grains sustain energy because they keep blood sugar stable. Daily goal: At least three 1-ounce servings of whole grains. Eat iron-enriched foods. Look for 1.8 mg or more per serving. Without enough iron in your blood, your cells don't get the oxygen they need which causes fatigue, says Nancy Clark, RD, author of "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook." It's especially important to add iron-enriched packaged foods to your diet if you don't eat red meat. Daily goal: 18 mg for ages 50 and younger; 8 mg for ages 51 and older.

Eat more fluid-filled foods. -- Staying hydrated is one of the simplest ways to keep energized and focused. A recent study of athletes found that 92 percent felt fatigued after limiting fluids and water-rich foods for 15 hours. They also had lapses in memory and reported difficulty concentrating. To eat for energy, avoid dry packaged snacks such as pretzels, which lack sufficient fluid to aid hydration. Instead, opt for water-rich snacks, including fresh produce and consider Juice Plus (buy it athttp://www.juiceplus.com/+cp17876 ) if you aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables! . Foods that swell up during cooking, such as oatmeal or pasta are also smart choices because they are nearly 65 percent water.

"Food accounts for about 20 percent of our daily fluid intake," says Samuel N. Cheuvront, PhD, RD, a principal investigator with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Drink more tea. -- A recent report found that pairing caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, both present in tea, decreased mental fatigue and improved alertness, reaction time, and memory. What's more is black tea varieties can help you recover from stress, according to researchers at University College London. In their study, adults who drank tea four times a day for six weeks had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after a tense moment, compared with those who drank a tea-like placebo. And try Suntheanine, they are chewable tablets that deliver the amino acids found in green tea and give you a great calming sense of being AND help curb cravings! A dieters best defense from the vending maching munchies! Learn about it at www.NaturalFactors.com

Dieting calories are literally units of energy. -- Without the proper amount of fuel your cells need to perform, you'll feel weak and light-headed. Your challenge: Trim enough calories to lose weight but get the appropriate amount to keep energized.

Eat more frequent meals. -- Small, regular meals and snacks instead of a few large ones every three to four hours give you sustained energy and dampen hunger by keeping your blood sugar on an even keel. When researchers at the National Institute on Aging compared middle-age men and women who ate only one meal a day with those who consumed three squares, they found that the one-meal-a-day group had larger spikes in blood sugar. As a result, eating less frequently may cause energy levels to soar and then plummet.

Eat more fiber roughage-rich foods. -- These foods slow digestion, keeping energy stable. They also help fill you up so you eat less. Choosing foods such as onions, bananas, and whole wheat may help you keep up your stamina and control your weight because they are rich in insulin, a prebiotic fiber meaning it encourages the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. The substance may keep unwanted pounds at bay by regulating some of the hormones that control appetite, according to researchers at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center. Right now there's no recommended intake of prebiotic fiber specifically, but getting small amounts throughout the day is a strategy that can help you meet your daily 25g of total fiber and drop pounds. (add MoreFiber to anything you bake! PGX Slim Styles shakes; Chocolate makes awesome brownies or the granules of PGX can go in anything you are baking! www.PGX.com to learn more ) and don't forget to save money when buying PGX, use your VBD coupon!!! http://www.vicebustingdiet.com/pgx-coupon.html

Drink more water and unsweetened beverages. -- Staying hydrated will keep you energized and may help you shed weight. Even mild dehydration can slow metabolism, according to researchers at the University of Utah. Just avoid artificially sweetened beverages. Although they contribute few calories, a Purdue University study released earlier this year revealed that artificial sweeteners may interfere with your brain's hunger signals, prompting you to eat more. If you don't like water, try another energy-revving drink that will hydrate you without increasing your appetite or adding excess calories, such as tea or sparkling water. Try using homemade, frozen 100 percent fruit juice cubes for flavoring.

Sleep deprivation -- When you're tired, you may feel hungrier than usual. Lack of slumber disrupts hormones that signal your need for nourishment. Eating the right foods can help boost your energy and keep you satisfied without overeating. Eat more sleep-promoting nutrients "Certain vitamins and minerals have a profound effect on the quality of our slumber," says Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of "Food & Mood." "Getting adequate amounts of vitamins B6 and B12, calcium, iron, and magnesium can help you maintain healthy sleep patterns." One key player is vitamin B12, which we don't absorb as well when we age. The nutrient helps fight fatigue by building strong, healthy red blood cells. Several studies reveal that vitamin B12 may improve chronic insomnia by influencing melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep cycles. Because B12 is found only in animal foods, such as turkey and milk, vegetarians and vegans may need to eat fortified foods or take a supplement. (check out Tranquil Sleep by Natural Factors, I swear by it!!!!)

Eat more carbs at night. -- Before you turn in, try a small bowl of oatmeal or a handful of whole grain crackers for their comforting carbohydrates. An all-carb snack increases levels of mood-lifting serotonin, which may help promote sleep.

Drink more small doses of caffeine. -- Frequent mini-servings of caffeine, about 8 ounces of coffee or less will keep you awake, alert, and focused for longer than a single jumbo one would, according to sleep experts. "When you quickly drink a large coffee, the caffeine peaks in your bloodstream much sooner than if you spread it out over time," says Harris R. Lieberman, a research psychologist with the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Start your day with an 8-ounce coffee (the "short" size at Starbucks). Or, ask for a large half caf. Then keep the caffeine lightly flowing with a lunchtime cappuccino (it has only 75 mg -- about one-quarter of what you'd get in a 16-ounce coffee), followed by a small mid-afternoon latte. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to avoid caffeine in the afternoon, or altogether. Not a java junkie? Tea works also though it is lower in caffeine.

Eat your meals at the same time every day. -- Your body's caloric needs are closely tied to its other daily rhythms, including when you get up and go to bed and when you expend the most energy during your late-day fitness walk, for example. "What will make you tired is if your body expects a 7 o'clock breakfast and a 12 o'clock lunch and you skip one of those," says Donald K. Layman, PhD, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois. "Chaotic eating leads to greater hunger and overeating."