Energy boosters for when it comes down to it

Your exam week is just around the corner. You have to pop. Up or down. Your days consist of working through fat pills and making endless summaries. No time to exercise, just have some fries and for extra energy you can knock back a cola. That can be different. Better. Finer. Healthier.

When you're very busy, you tend to cut corners when it comes to taking care of yourself. I'd rather have a frozen pizza than prepare a fresh dish. Rather have a Coke than conjure up the blender. And when you're done working, you'd rather plop on the couch a thousand times over than get dressed in sports clothes.

Understandable. But sin. Because you perform so much better when you are kind to your body. That is because:

- From all those quick bites and soft drinks you get a so-called sugar rush† You will be very good at that for a while. Until you notice that you can no longer concentrate. Conclusion: all those sugars make you hyper. And not in a good way.

Your body recognizes these sugars and wants to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Plenty of insulin is produced. Insulin ensures that the sugars are absorbed into your body cells. Once they're cleaned up, the familiar sugar dip† You feel tired, lifeless and sluggish. And you didn't even drink!

-To maintain your energy level and keep your engine running, you need food and drink that burn slowly. So no fast carbohydrates for you but unprocessed food that is slowly absorbed by your body. Keep that engine running!

-So say no to fast carbohydrates such as fast food, white bread, energy drinks, soft drinks, chips, biscuits, sweets ... and say yes to nuts, seeds, fruit and whole grain products.

-If you want to get the most out of it during busy days, eat enough fruit, now and then a handful of nuts, cook fresh, drink water and tea and take a good walk every day or even better: exercise an hour or so intensively. You can relax in the evening.