We are machines. The HUMAN machine, and our machines need fuel in order to survive. Technically that even includes Oxygen too, so make sure you breathe well or deep, and often!
However today the point of our conversation is eating, and what we should do to fuel our machines efficiently throughout the day.
I'm not going to go so much into diets or even what exactly you should eat. Although a lot of what I share might be my own diet ideal for example. I'm thinking in a matter of efficiency, and almost laziness. As I need to hit a certain point of energy, but I want to spend the least amount of energy and time to do it.
I for one don't have any appetite before 10AM, though I do notice that I often do a lot better throughout my day, when I find a way to eat in the morning.
Let's start off by determining the types of fuel:
- You have the caloric, food, and literal energy.
- That being protein, carbs, and fat.
- You have the coffee, tea, and other caffeine sources.
- Supplementation, from Nootropics to your daily Vitamins/Minerals.
Finally, I think the last fuel to think about is mental energy. Which we get from proper diet, sleep, and health. As some people call it, you only get so many "spoons" per day, or as I like to think of it "energy cells". As you do things that take effort and focus in your day, you use up those cells.
Sometimes you can get temporary bonus cells from food or caffeine, but they aren't the real energy batteries you normally have. Those can only be replenished when you sleep.
How do you get in your calories?
This is the first calculation you need to do. Caffeine and supplements don't matter if you don't have the right baseline.
I am a drinkie, as in I like my liquids, and so I often have a coffee/caffeine beverage with an additional drink. Those are usually how I get started, but need to start getting more nutrient dense caloric options. Like a smoothie or something of that nature. I'm thinking something like Huel might be a good option, or some quarters of the year I'll drink Carnation instant breakfast (although I don't like Nestle).
A lot of people use carbs as their sources, and I really think that has to do with your genetics. Depending on where you are from, your preferred option will change.
Depending on if you are trying to fast, or even go into Keto, then you will have to focus on a more Fat heavy diet. Protein can even turn into sugar in some cases.
Conversely, if you are simply trying to lose weight, and/or gain muscle, then a high protein diet with optimized caloric timing is the way to go.
You gotta be careful with carbs, at least in the sense of breakfast, as they are not always made in healthy ways for breakfast food.
Something I've talked a lot about to my clients over the years, is that It is not about WHAT you eat, but WHEN you eat.
A Cuppa of Joe
Alright so you have your caloric needs met, or at least optimized. Now you can get into the enhancement side of Fueling your energy.
How do you consume your caffeine?
I am something of a caffeine nut, and I have tried all of the ways you can think of:
Coffee, tea, dozens energy drinks, pre-workout, teacrine, supplement form, or going without caff altogether. Although with my addiction level going that cold turkey would be really painful literally.
Although I will say Teacrine can be a great replacement, especially when you're going cold turkey on Caffeine. Other people use it alongside caff as well.
Notice how I don't mention soda in the above listing, as it truly is not that big of a source of caffeine. Honestly it has the same amount as something of a decaf coffee would have. If you didn't know decaf doesn't mean without caffeine, it just means significantly less.
There are a number of ways to get caffeine into your system. Depending on your tolerance naturally, that will be a big factor in your choice. Some might say you don't need it at all, which is sort of true. However there are studies that show it is good for you as well.
What supplements do you take?
The key to supplementation is that they are meant to be addons, not replacements to your overall diet.
Now in a lot of cases people take certain supplements because they are missing a certain nutrient. That's totally okay, but it would be better to actually just get that from food if you can.
These are really hard to deal with sometimes as you often need to eat with your taking of certain supplements. Not to mention having enough water in you too. People don't realize this with Caffeine for example, which is one the most common supplements.
Another example is Creatine, often used by body builders, but it is even good for the brain. However both caffeine and creatine work by taking water from your central source, and using it in other places in your body.
Meaning they dehydrate you, and so if you were to get some sort of preworkout drink like Bang, then you are getting a beverage that double dehydrates you. Which is ironic since it is a liquid, but there isn't enough water in it. I'd say you'd need at least two cans worth of water alone to balance it out... at least.
Point is that this is a way of thinking that you can acquire.
I take mental supplements for focus. Nootropics are something I want to talk more about on this blog, and they work differently for every person.
What are some ways to maximize your mental state?
Given the amount of sleep you had the night before, that is probably the number one thing to account for. Make sure you get enough rest.
The other thing is the factors outside of your control, i.e. bad weather, external situations like a breakup, clinical depression, etc. Those will all have an impact on your mind, often as soon as you get up.
Know where you are starting, and try to find a way to maximize what you CAN do.
Again it all comes down to how many energy cells you have per day. Based on your diet, exercise, and sleep you can increase the amount of cells you have per day. However it takes time.
If you want to keep reading:
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
This was one of my "social articles", an experiment to create medium sized blog posts, akin to newsletters. Across a variety of social blogging networking platforms. Such as Medium, Vocal Media, and Linkedin. Since it didn't quite land; I decided to take these posts and remake them into more full length creations. I'll try to include any interesting links from the original, and sometime the full previous version as well if it makes sense.
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Dustin Miller - PolyInnovator
