ENERGY FROM FOOD
Anything that moves needs energy, including the human body. It needs energy to work properly and stay healthy, as well as to do activities.
Food and drink gives your body the energy it needs for the important processes of life such as breathing or growing. But it also gives us energy for activities like walking, running or just talking. You use energy all the time. The more active you are, the more energy you use.
The body's energy needs
Whether a person is rushing around, or just taking it easy and relaxing, their body is using energy.
Different people need different amounts of energy, depending on their age, gender, size, health and how active they are. Some people live busy, active lives, exercise a lot and are rarely still except when they sleep. These people use a lot of energy so they need to eat more food to give them that energy. Other people are less active, preferring to read or watch tv, and need less food because they use less energy.
Energy through the day
The body has natural energy 'highs' and 'lows' during the day. This chart shows the energy levels for a typical 14 year-old.
The body needs enough food to keep it going during the day, and even out the energy highs and lows.
The best foods for giving energy contain carbohydrates. Find out more about different food groups and the importance of carbohydrates here. Bread and cereal contain carbohydrates, so that's why they are good for breakfast. ’Breakfast’ means that the meal breaks our night-long fast, giving the body the energy it needs to get going again.
Here’s how to keep your body topped up with energy through the day.
| Planning tip | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Make sure you eat breakfast. | Breakfast raises blood sugar and energy levels, which improves mental and physical performance. |
| Eat a high carbohydrate fibre snack mid-morning. | It counteracts the natural slow-down in metabolism and lowering of blood sugar levels that occurs by noon. |
| Always eat lunch. | Energy levels naturally drop around the middle of the day; eating lunch helps to keep your energy and stamina going. |
| Eat regularly. Don't have a gap of more than four hours between meals. | It prevents a dip in blood sugar levels and carbohydrate stores, so you keep your energy levels and stamina up. |
| Avoid high fat foods (such as crisps) before doing anything active. | Fats take longer to digest than carbohydrates; they stay in your stomach for longer and can make you feel heavy and sluggish while you exercise. |
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