Eating for energy! Advice gratefully received!

[FragileTitanium]

I have a super active lifestyle made more active by the recent addition of a dog. We live in a city where you don't need a car and can bike everywhere, so we decided not to have a car. As a result, whenever I need to do anything, it's either the bike or walking, including the school run. This means I cycle at least 2 hours a day and quite often much more than that.

I also take the dog for at least two walks - another hour and a half. That's' before I do the cleaning, cooking, shopping, and I'm also completely redoing the garden and painting the interiors. Plus, looking after children etc, etc.

I notice that by the end of the day, I am truly physically knackered and starving, even after eating a very healthy and very large dinner. So I end up eating junk in the evenings.

My question is. Can anyone recommend quick, inexpensive healthy snacks that I can eat during the day that will keep me going. I've just stocked in a huge number of bananas and some energy bars, but more inspiring suggestions that are quick would be so much appreciated!

hard boiled eggs
roast turkey/chicken
tinned tuna/salmon
avocados
(all of above with a small slice of buttered rye bread if you feel you need it)

houmous with crudites
raw nuts and a few dried apricots
celery spread with peanut butter
greek yoghurt with berries (drizzle with honey if you want)
a couple of squares of dark chocolate

You are basically need more carbs and fat. (not protein listed above). Are you loosing weight? I'd recommend making yourself some flapjacks as they are dead cheap and have quick release and slow release energy fom the syrup and oats. A batch lasts about a week in an airtight container.

200g butter
115g golden syrup
330g oats
100g glace cherries chopped (optional) or other dried fruit.

Melt butter with syrup over a low heat then pour over oats/cherries in a bowl mix well. Line a lasagne dish with baking parchment. Cover with oat mix. Compact down with back of spoon/spatula. Bake for 25 mins at 170*c untik just toasting/browning lightly.

This is the important bit cut into fingers whislt still hot!!! Also to cool and enjoy! Store in a lock tight ontainer. This makes about 18-20 at about 250/350 calories.

Nice with a thick greek style yoghurt for extra energy boost.

Oats are very good or your heart so ignore the butter/syrup!

As above houmous good and nuts too!

*whilst, allow to cool, container....must learn to proof read before posting!

There are carbs amongst the foods I listed - just not processed ones. Although they provide energy, bodies need a lot less carbs than we have been led to believe, it is protein and fat that repair and maintain our bodies best. Flapjacks are a great idea too but it would be madness to start snacking on those several times a day, far too high in sugar, like the cereal bars and bananas. One a day alongside the other snacks would be great....

I agree but it sounds like she has a very high energy requirement in addition to the healthy food she is already eating.

Thank you very much for the fantastic suggestions. I've amended my Ocado order to include all of it!

Thanks again!

I am very active and I eat lots of peanut butter to keep my calories up. I have it on sandwiches, crackers or as a dip. I also do dried fruit and homemade scones.

oatcakes with a savoury topping, or just plain?
Have a look at the Graze website www.graze.com/uk/products for ideas if nothing else!

I've recently started purchasing these energy snack bars online, cannot recommend them enough. I usually eat one as breakfast when I'm in the office and I'm full until lunch and still full of energy by the time I get home. I would also say try to eat some more red meat in your diet if you're feeling tired as could be a lack of iron in your blood causing you to feel a bit weary. Eating toast to get fiber or porridge, this should help keep you going.

It sounds like you need a supper! If you know you're going to have a small, light meal in between dinner and bed, would that stop you snacking? A bowl of porridge would be ideal, or a good cereal. Brown toast and bananas and honey. I loathe peanut butter, but it's a good option too.

The other thing I would look at though is what you eat and when. If you're not eating enough at breakfast / lunch and doing all that activity I imagine you'll have that 'starving' feeling by tea and (personally) if I feel like that I find it hard to feel sated. So maybe you need to look at having dinner earlier, for eg.

Bloody hell Jones I've just looked at that website, I should hope you would feel full after one of those bars, they have masses of fat and sugar! . What weight is one bar?

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who posted. I've instituted a new eating regime over the past week and feel so much better, with much more energy. I have to say, it is scary the volume of food I'm eating now - 5 quite big meals a day. Full cooked breakfast every morning, lunch at 11am, big snack at 2pm, full dinner at 5pm and then supper at around 9pm. It's all very healthy stuff, no junk at all. I haven't put on any weight - in fact, have lost some, and feeling much, much better.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to post here. I'll keep checking back, so if anyone wants to add any suggestions, please feel free.