How can I improve my diet to stop feeling tired all the time?

I thought lack of sleep was the reason for being tired…...

You may have to elaborate, we don’t know if you eat fast food everyday or are just lacking in a food group.

Hmm sorry. I get at least the recommended 4 hours a day, mostly around 7–8.

I don’t eat fast food that much. I try to eat some of my bag of frozen veg every day (tis simple to cook) and have fresh veg every other day. I eat a lot of chicken, a fair bit of beef and various sausages. When I cook I pretty much always have some carbs – eg rice/potato/pizzadough.

I don’t get 5 of my 5 a day though, and I tend to only eat one meal a day as I only tend to feel hungry around 4–5pm. I tend to last up til then on like a packet of crisps or a bit of chocolate.

After meals I usually have a sugary dessert or icecream. I make these mostly myself (bar the icecream). I should probably aim for more fruity desserts.

The only things I drink are water and squash.

You should probably get a work-up by a physician to determine why you are tired all the time. You should not supplement with iron unless you have been diagnosed as needing it.

Are you sure that you are getting enough sleep? Four hours a night is not enough. A minimum of seven is needed. Some people need more.

Eating one meal a day and snacking on carbohydrates before that meal is a sure way to have your blood sugar careening all over the place.

Divide up your food intake into 3–5 smaller meals. Start your day with food that includes some protein. Avoid eating carbohydrates without protein.

So, if you must eat crisps, have a piece of cheese or some peanut butter or half a sandwich with them.

Hm, I highly doubt that diet ALONE can be a contributing factor to tiredness. A good diet may help you feel better and healthier though.

There are also multivitamins out there, I recommend that for energy. Fatty foods, I noticed, can contribute to a persons tiredness right after eating, and so can eating too much.

A nice walk in the morning would be a great way to increase energy. Wake up earl,y do some stretches, eat a banana and drink some OJ. Eating a good breakfast is VERY important for energy through out the day. Skipping that might be part of the reason for feeling tired during the day.

Cut out all the sugar you can. Juices, flavored waters, sodas, whatever. You’ll be cranky for a good month but if you make it through then you’ll notice you not only won’t crave the sugars as much but your cravings for salt and carbs will go down too.

I suffer from insomnia but lessening the sugars helped my moods tremendously and made the catnaps I get feel like a lot more. Oh yeah, I also droped about 12lbs in the first month I did this and then no weight loss for a few after that but then it started up again until I got back to my fighting weight. Woo hoo! This was in 2007 and I’m still an advocate.

@Neizvestnaya is right. Start with the sugar. And if you say to yourself, “I don’t do that much sugar” you are probably underestimating. ONE sugary drink a day is too much. Fruit juice is not a good idea.

How old are you? If you are under the age of 22 , 7 or 8 hours of sleep is probably not enough, 4 hours is an extremely small amount of sleep.

As far as food goes, the trick is to eat a lot of little meals to keep your sugar levels even. A good balance of carbs, protein, veggies. The more whole grain the carbs the better, they digest slowly. White foods like pasta, white rice, crackers, potato chips, start breaking down in your mouth, immediately delivering sugar to your blood stream. Brown rice, whole grains, legumes, will break down much slower and steady your blood sugar.

By the way OJ has as much sugar as coca cola, if you want to limit some sugar better to eat the whole orange rather than have a glass of juice.

I am not in favor of no and low carb diets, carbs are very important for the nervous system and energy, but I am in favor of healthy carbs and limiting total calories to maintain a healthy weight.

Major mistakes in your diet. Cut out all or greatly reduce the carbs..rice/potato/pizzadough… and eat 3–4 smaller meals to start. Think whole foods that you buy fresh and prepare. Meat portions should be 6–8 ounces max a day. Go for nuts, baby carrots or any in season fruits and veggies. More small meals throughout the day will keep your energy level up and maxed out…I guarantee it!! Cut back on sugar(y) juices and drinks or sweets. Yogurt, oatmeal, celery, olives, and avacados are some of my favs. Dried fruits and nuts are great to snack on and a small chuck of chocolate as a reward for a job well done.

Oh and get exercise everyday if you can….walks bike run, take the stairs and park far away are great ways to sneak in some added exercise.

About the iron. Have you been tested for iron and hemoglobin? If you are indeed low take a supplement. Getting your iron back into normal range will be life changing in terms of strength and energy, I promise. Don’t take more than a daily supplement plus iron (usually around 18 mg of iron in those) unless you know for sure you are dificient. Too much iron is dangerous. If you are low in iron take the daily vitamin with iron, plus a Slowfe (OTC iron supplements) every day, and get re-tested in a couple of months. Other tests I recomment are finding out if you are B12 or Vitamin D dificient.

In terms of cutting meals into 3–5 – can I just cook say my evening meal at 5pm and cut the thing in half so I eat half of it at 5pm and half at 8pm?

What I meant about the iron thing is that I wasn’t sure I was getting enough in my diet, so wanted to know some foods that have iron it it so I can increase it (if indeed I was correct). I have no desire to take multivitamins and tablets.

By sleep I meant I get 7–8 hours sleep. That 4 hour thing was only rarely.

And by squash I mean “no added sugar” squash and I only have like 1–2 cups a day.

So if I was going “all healthy” how often would you recommend that I reward myself with a sugary treat. I quite like my hot chocolate fondants but each one contains 25g of sugar, 25g of butter and 25g of dark chocolate. I guess I could ty reducing the amount of sugar in it or getting an artificial sweetener? Do artificial sweeteners work well with baking?

The cheese is an interesting item. I thought cheese was pretty fatty so bad to try eating every day?

You need to start your day with nutritious intake. A high protein bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit. An egg on whole wheat toast.

Cutting your evening meal in half would be OK, but not the times you are proposing. You need to eat more of your calories earlier in the day. You should not eat much if anything after 8 P.M.

A handful of nuts would be a good small meal.

Avoid simple carbs-sugars,and replace with fresh fruits and veggies

I used to be tired all the time=I guess from moving? It almost killed me. I eat anything i want, whenever I want. I do not try to “eat healthy.” I don’t exercise except for some yoga. I do take Alive! multiple vitamins and roots/herbs. Do you get at least 8 hrs sleep? I must have 8 or more hrs sleep so I take sublingual Melatonin, 3mg. I don’t Want to go to sleep; I Want to watch TV!
But I Have to turn the thing off or I’ll pay for it the next day.
Is your mattress soft? I think the new “firm” mattresses are some sort of trick. LOL Memory foam CAN be hard, jamming your shoulders and hips. Even the wrong pillow can decrease your quality of sleep. We use LATEX foam pillows (not memory foam) and a thick, SOFT, foam mattress. Gone are the days when I could just plop anywhere and sleep. I have to have everything just “so.” Pathetic.

Red meat has iron, basically all meats do, chicken, fish, etc. Liver has tons, but it will kill you with the cholesterol. Also Spinack and other dark green leafy veggies. I believe legumes like pinto and kidney beans have iron, lentils, things like that. Oh, and raisins.

Your GYN at your yearly appointment should be testing you for iron. Next time you go ask her for the results.

^ my what at the what?

Like @JLeslie says, processed foods with lots of carbohydrates break down quickly. You will get an initial burst of energy from foods like this, and then you will crash.

For an even energy level, you should eat snacks and meals that are more balanced. If you have a bit of protein with your carbs, you will feel better. My favorite breakfast is muesli, a combination of oatmeal, yogurt, nuts raisins, and fresh fruit. A small portion of that is light and filling but delicious. Instead of eating chips or chocolate, you’d probably feel better if you ate some trail mix. I also love to make a salad with romaine lettuce, walnuts, goat cheese, dried apricots or crasins, and vinaigrette. The balance of flavors is perfect and eating it makes you feel great. Most clear soups have a pretty good balance of vegetables, meat, and starch, too. If you get bored of salads, you can make wraps filled with plenty of vegetables. (My favorite combination is grilled chicken, avocado, lettuce, bean sprouts, and dijon mustard.)

Also, stay hydrated. You can’t believe what a difference that makes.

FWIW, I just read that dehydration makes you feel sluggish, and can often be mistaken for hunger.

Learn to love water!

Eat more raw foods in your diet. It has been proven to increase energy, metabolism, and the immune system.

Eat more protein and less carbs. A spoonful of nut butter or a piece of cheese will help when you have an onset of fatigue.

As Stratman said, WATER, WATER, WATER.

Walnuts or almonds give you a protein bump that is healthier than sugary foods for energy.

Your sleep seems to be lacking. I used to work on 4 hours of sleep. Now I get 6–7. It’s hard saying how much that helped with energy because I concentrate on my diet much more now too.

Protein for breakfast (egg)
Protein for snack (nuts)
Protein for lunch (turkey or pork)
Sugar for snack (fruit)
Protein for supper (fish or beef or poultry)
Sugar for snack (low fat ice cream)

Mix in plenty of vegetables with these proteins. When I feel tired or hungry, I try to suck down a pint of water first to see if that helps. I have dropped 32 pounds in 18 months, including 15 so far this year.

As stated by a previous caller, supplements should only be used if you have been diagnosed with a defficiency. I keep track of my foot intake on http://www.fitday.com

It’s free and easy and shows me what vitamin and mineral intake I lack. I then look for foods that will increase that lack.

Get some sleep!