What type of energy is in your food?

May 1, 4:06 PMPortland Nutrition ExaminerKendall Scott

Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Portland Nutrition Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

We all know that different foods either give us energy or drain our energy. Consider coffee - it gives us a morning pick-me-up for a couple hours, but is usually followed by a drop in energy later on.

Have you ever considered what type of energy your food is giving your mind, body and soul? The type of energy in your food depends on many different factors including:

• The source – where did your food come from?
• Is it organic?
• Is it raw or cooked?
• For veggies and fruits – did they grow high on a tree near the sun (apple) or deep into the ground (carrot)?
• For animal products – consider how the animal was treated, its food and living conditions.

Remember the saying “You are what you eat?” Well, believe it. If your chicken breast came from a free-range chicken that walked around eating fresh grass and bugs in the sunshine all day long, that healthy unstressed energy will be absorbed by your body. Now consider the alternative – a chicken cooped up in a tiny cage for its entire life. What kind of energy is that giving your body?

Here’s something to try when you’re feeling a little scatterbrained (yes, we all have those days). Eat some root vegetables. Think about how carrots, parsnips, turnips and sweet potatoes grow. They solidly spread their roots deep into the ground, absorbing vitamins and minerals in the soil. Eating root veggies will help center and ground you on your ditsy days.

One of my favorite restaurants in Portland is Fore Street. The menu consists of local foods, many of which are organic, free range and wild-harvested. Not only is their food fabulous on the palate, but it’s also giving you a good, healthy kind of energy for your entire body.