By Sunita Patmanathan
Are you tired of being tired? Do you sit in bed in the morning feeling like you can’t possibly wake up and do anything? Well, I sometimes have those days. Sometimes, this is cause by emotional stress, but most of the time its fatigue. Fatigue is basically a feeling of mental and physical tiredness or exhaustion, which makes you feel sick, dull and restless. The only good things about fatigue is that it’s not really a sickness and it can be cured by just changing the way you eat and getting a bit more sleep.
I know so many people who skip breakfast or lunch while at work and by 2 in the afternoon they’ve had enough of the day. That’s not how you want to live your life right? Dragging yourself through life from one day to another tired and hating every moment of it. NO! NO WAY!! A simple diet change can improve almost everything in your life.
The 5 Superfoods I have listed below is not only yummy but also easily found in any grocers. Once consumed, it releases energy slowly to your body while giving you the long lasting boost to maintain that even energy levels throughout the day. So, just make sure you get some of these next time you are out grocery shopping.
1) Oatmeal – Super high fibre content with protein and vitamins that gives your body the good kind of energy. Best to eat it in the morning for breakfast and set yourself for a good day ahead. Remember to always add fresh fruit to make it extra special.
2) Beans – High in fibre, protein and other vitamins and low in fat. There are so many different kinds of beans from chick peas to kidney beans that can be made into any delicious meals. You could make salads, stews, topped on bread, boiled or roasted as snacks and so much more. And if you are into healthy drinks, you have to try some cold soy milk!
3) Spinach – These green leaves are packed filled with iron and calcium and extremely rich with antioxidants. Did you know that spinach help the body cells produce energy by sending more oxygen to them? Such a trooper! In other words, try and add spinach to your daily meals for a healthier body and mind.
4) Yogurt – A good source of protein that releases energy slowly into the body. I always go for natural yogurt rather than the sweetened or flavoured ones which contains stuff the body does not need. Add your own toppings to it, fruits, nuts, even oatmeal and it will be a 2 in 1 super food dessert. You could also make fresh yogurt fruit smoothies.
5) Nuts and Seeds – Just like beans, it’s high in fibre and protein and very low in fat. It is also packed with vitamins and fatty acids that not only help with fatigue but also other issues with the body. A bag of mixed nuts is a great snack.
Now obviously just eating this 5 superfoods is not going to be enough, you need to get a good amount of sleep or rest, make sure you drinks a lot of fresh water and a little exercise goes a long way too! A balanced lifestyle is only way to make sure you have good health.
In honour of these 5 superfoods, I would like to share my Sweet Potato, Cannellini Beans and Prawn Masala recipe. It was absolutely delightful with some hot steamed rice and gave me the right amount of energy boost that I needed.
All you need is:
1 Sweet Potato – diced and marinated in turmeric and salt
250g Raw Prawns – cleaned
1 large can of Cannellini Beans
1 red Onion – diced
3 cloves of Garlic – chopped
1 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds
1 teaspoon of Cumin Seeds
½ teaspoon of Chilli Powder
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala mix
1 Bay Leave (use curry leaves if you have)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Handful of Coriander – chopped
This is how you make it:
1) Heat the pan up to medium high, add a few spoons of oil, fry the sweet potatoes and keep aside.
2) In the same oil, add onion, garlic and bay leave. Stir for 1 minute.
3) Then add the mustard seeds, cumin and prawns. Stir another minute or so.
4) Add the chilli powder, garam-masala and cannellini beans. Stir all together and add the sweet potato. Remember to add a few spoons of water if it gets too dry.
5) Check for salt and pepper and see if everything is cooked well. Add the coriander and serve immediately with steamed rice.
*You can also serve this with tortilla wraps, with some yogurt and lemon juice. You can find out more here
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