To eat sugar for energy?

[BrittaPerry]

I knw I am anemic, I have an iron supplement and an appointment o go back in two weeks (the soonest non emergency appoitment)

The iron seems to be quite good, but I am so so tired today. Just typing is a big effort. I need to at tge cery least pick dd2 up frm nursery, but ideally go and deliver some stuff people have ordered from me. On foot, because my bicycle has a puncture.

So, wibu to make myself a massively sugary brew? I've already had a wispa gold, a mars duo and a bag of fizzy sweets, but that gave me the energy to work today, and now I am uteerly exhausted.

BrittaPerry you poor thing. It's horrible feeling like that. In my humble opinion, one of the reasons you are suffering is due to the high levels of sugar in your diet. Your snacks should be unprocessed, healthy options where possible. Good fats. Protein. Plenty of water. Ditch the 'Best of Both' which is full of sugar. Try oatcakes with sliced avocado and a bit of chicken, or a handful of walnuts for a snack.

Peanut butter is fine but only if it doesn't have added sugar. You'd probably be better off eating lots of leafy green veg rather than the berocca, as the veg is full of vitamin C and iron but without the artificial sweetners. Try (if you can bear it) to ditch any 'low-fat' products and where possible, eat full fat whole yogurt and whole milk. Skimmed products have more sugar than full fat ones and nowhere near as many nutrients. I know the Wispa sounds a lot more appealing, but you'll feel awful afterwards. High sugar products trick your body into thinking you're not full and you end up eating more than you need. If you eat this much sugar you crash hard afterwards.

If you have a mo, have a read of BIWI's 'Low Carb Bootcamp' threads in the weightloss thread here. They are totally brilliant, full of good ideas and recipes and information. Also I can recommend Dr Briffa's book Escape the Diet Trap. Not suggesting you need to lose weight, it's more about discovering a new way of eating that doesn't make you feel like utter crap. Breakfast - plain whole yogurt with cinnamon, nuts and blueberries (not too many though), lunch could be scrambled eggs with some good protein / oatcakes with avocado and cold chicken or naice ham, tomato, cucumber, handful of nuts? Dinner, the steak and veggies would be a great without the potato, perhaps asparagus or spinach instead? Couple of squares of dark chocolate for pudding? Even if you're sceptical, try it for a couple of weeks and see if you notice any difference? HTH.

I'm not sure I could manage without carbs - I'm from Lancashire... I grew up in a town where the signature dish is a pie with a potato filling, and school dinners were sausage rolls on toast or garlc bread with gravy...my idea of heaven is a chip barm...I like to feel properly full, especially in cold weather.

What are the healthiest carbs? Not arsed about losing weight so much - when I'm not half passing out from tiredness I actually have a fairly active lifestyle as my job mostly consists of walking/cycling, sometimes carrying heavy stuff, and I do a school run of 1.5 miles each way, picking up two kids in a bike trailer. I'm at the top end of normal BMI (according to the wii fit...) but i do get blated, which I suppose is diet again.

I just want to be awake enough to do my jobs, look after tge kids an house and study, which sounds like a lot but really isn't.

Oh, and I can't really chew, as my teeth are literally falling apart...

Is porridge ok? Or Weetabix?

Oh, and my joints are rubbish too, and I am on strong medication for mental illness.

Hmm, I wonder if a dietician coukd help? I'm reasonably clever, but this stuff just baffles me. Although last time I saw one, they just gave me a photocopued sheet of low fat foods (I had high cholestorol)

porridge is great. Add a banana while cooking it (we microwave ours) and its a really healthy sustaining breakfast.
Sounds like you need a really good overhaul!

Right, I'm gonna treat myself and start graze again. I stopped because I was putting on weight (I had a sit down job) but it was the only time I was snacking on nuts etc. I know it isn't the most cost effective way, but I'm like a child and will eat anything out of a small novelty box :-)

Which are the best things to get? Any nuts? Seeds? Dried fruit?