The struggle is real. Most people encounter feeling tired + battling fatigue in their daily lives. Stress, balancing work and personal life, exercise regimens + more can leave you feeling low on energy. Can what you put on your plate help get your energy levels up or even worse … make you more tired? Let’s learn together how we can fight fatigue with food. Can the right nutrition fight fatigue? Yes it can, and my list of fatigue fighting foods for vegetarians is a great place to start.
Feeling Tired vs Fatigue
It is one thing to feel a little tired + need some extra rest. It is another to feel completely drained and unable to complete daily tasks. Full-blown fatigue can be related to a variety of medical conditions, depression, anxiety, anemia, environmental factors, and lifestyle habits. This can be your body telling you that something is wrong. Some warning signs that you are more than just a little tired include exhaustion lasting several days, weeks or months, feeling withdrawn or unable to actively participate in normal activities, sudden sleepiness, excessive daytime sleepiness, weight changes, and body aches. In this case, you need to go to your healthcare provider, get blood work and a check-up. This is fatigue + needs to be worked up.
On the other hand, we all get a little tired. Some people are tired every afternoon, others in the early evening, and some are tired in the morning. Our bodies are so different, but one thing remains the same. We all get tired. I don’t know about you, but I like to do all I can to feel my best. If that means I can choose one food over another, I’m going to do it!
Can the Right Nutrition Fight Fatigue?
Yes! Your body + all of its intricate mechanisms run on what you give it. Food, exercise sleep, and hydration. It also suffers for what you don’t give it. Vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, exercise, and rest. When you think about what to eat to make you feel energized, focus specifically on vitamin B-12, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc, you will see big changes in your energy levels. This starts with eating more fiber, color, whole foods, and drinking more water.
Before you reach for a sugary pick-me-up, let’s talk about these high-energy foods that you can add to your meal plan to help you fight fatigue.
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
Tara’s Top 10 Fatigue Fighting Foods for Vegetarians
1. Water
not a food, I know, but if you are tired, ask yourself if you are also dehydrated.
2. Oats
plus other high fiber, complex carbohydrates including whole grains + vegetables.
3. Almonds
avocado, olives, and all nuts all are great sources of whole food fats that help fight fatigue.
4. Plant-Based Proteins
tofu, nuts, beans + legumes, protein powders.
5. Broccoli
foods high in vitamin C help you ward off low energy like tomatoes, citrus, and strawberries.
6. Vitamin B-12 Sources
plant-based milks, fortified cereals, nutritional yeast, eggs/dairy if not vegan.
7. Kale
and other leafy greens including spinach for magnesium, folic acid, iron + B vitamins + vitamins A, C, and E.
8. Chia Seeds
these little seeds are packed with fiber, healthy fats, protein + can be whipped up into a quick snack or breakfast.
9. Bananas
High in FIBER, potassium + complex carbohydrates!
10. Quinoa
as a plant-based complete protein packed with magnesium, fiber, and folate, this one packs a big fatigue-fighting punch.
Other Ways to Fight Fatigue
- Move more, sit less
- Avoid eating too much at any one sitting
- Try to keep a regular sleep-wake schedule (even on weekends!)
- Know your numbers + supplement B vitamins, vitamin D, and iron as needed
- Limit caffeine in the late afternoon/evening if you are caffeine sensitive
- Prioritize whole, real foods over processed + ultra-processed foods
- Try to get your stress + anxiety levels in check (social outlets, therapy, meditation, yoga, mindfulness practices)
- Keep excess sugar in check (being mindful of sneaky sugars in everyday foods such as granola, ketchup, sauces, protein bars, bread, and yogurts)
A Day of Eating for Energy
breakfast: one cup of steel cut oats with blueberries + walnuts, coffee with soy or oat milk
snack: chia pudding
lunch: hummus on sprouted grain bread with tomatoes + spinach
snack: apple + handful of almonds
dinner: quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes, tofu, and broccoli, and avocado dressing
Food For Thought
Whenever I feel tired more than usual, I go through a mental checklist of my recent habits. Is there something making me feel sad or anxious? Have I been drinking enough water? What have I been eating or not eating lately? Before I reach for another coffee or an afternoon snack, I do a quick check-in. When I am real with the answers, I can typically find the culprit. If you’ve been popping by here a lot, you know I am also a HUGE fan of finding purposeful movement. Every. Single. Day. Non-negotiable. For fatigue-fighting, disease-fighting, depression-fighting, hormone-regulating, and so much more. Find movement you love and move a little or a lot! Above all, enjoy a few good fatigue-fighting foods in the company of good people.
All the best,
Tara 🏃🏻♀️💚
My Favorite Fatigue-Fighting Recipes
Instant Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
Cranberry Peanut Butter Energy Bites
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