{"id":921015,"date":"2026-10-08T20:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T20:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/921015\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T20:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T20:18:10","slug":"7-nutrition-hacks-to-help-boost-your-energy-this-autumn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/921015\/","title":{"rendered":"7 nutrition hacks to help boost your energy this autumn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\">The autumn nights are drawing in and we\u2019re feeling that annual seasonal slump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cThere\u2019s a real change that happens when the season turns,\u201d says Dr Flora Bailey, GP and metabolic health expert. \u201cWe\u2019ve been used to having appetite suppression that comes with being warmer, while being colder increases our appetite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cWe haven\u2019t got the sunlight in our eyes first thing in the morning, which makes us feel alert, and the shorter day signals to our bodies that it\u2019s time for hibernation, which makes us feel sluggish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cAnd for some people, they really don\u2019t like that back-to-school feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Bailey has some advice to stay energised this autumn<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">1. Swap refined for complex carbs<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe main mistake I see is that people build meals that are based around refined carbohydrates \u2013 cereal, sandwiches and pasta \u2013 which are delicious, but they digest really quickly, causing a spike then crash in blood glucose, which triggers an energy slump. This is when many people reach for a quick sugary boost,\u201d says Bailey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cAvoid this by building your meals around protein, fibre, complex carbohydrates, and plenty of vegetables. They slow your digestion down, keeping blood sugar stable, and give you a sustained energy that\u2019s slowly released throughout the day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">2. Eat seasonally for energy<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">We live in a global society where food is available all-year round, but Bailey explains that we\u2019re designed to eat seasonally to get the range of micronutrients that we need.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cIn autumn and winter, we see more root vegetables and less salad,\u201d she says. \u201cRoot vegetables such carrots, sweet potatoes, swedes and beetroot and dark, leafy greens are high in fibre, which supports steady energy release, and really high in vitamin C and beta carotene. These kinds of micronutrients are really helpful for sustaining our energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">We also need to be thinking about our vitamin D intake when the light starts to dip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cAlthough this summer\u2019s been crazy, we don\u2019t really get enough vitamin D exposure through our skin, and need to work hard to make that up in our diets.\u201d Bailey suggests eating more chicken and oily fish like salmon and mackerel, and adds, \u201cTinned fish is particularly beneficial because smaller fish tend to bioaccumulate fewer heavy metals than larger species like tuna.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">3. Supplement your diet<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Nutrition expert Bailey believes it is best to get your vitamins from whole foods, but she adds, \u201cI think judicious use of supplements help when many people\u2019s diets are lacking vitamins they really need. Any persistent tiredness, check iron, vitamin B12 or vitamin D levels with a healthcare professional.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Vitamin D \u2013 \u201cThis is essential for our bones, immunity and energy levels. Most people would benefit from taking it in the winter but definitely higher-risk groups such as the elderly, people trying to conceive, and postmenopausal women.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Iron \u2013 \u201cThis is needed for immune systems and making healthy red blood cells to give us energy. In my clinic, I have found many women are well below the optimal ferritin level and could benefit from an iron supplement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">B12 \u2013 \u201cMany people are low or deficient in B12. Check if your diet is rich enough in foods like dairy and eggs, and if you have persistent fatigue, try B12 supplements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Magnesium \u2013 \u201cThis is fantastic for our brains, helps to promote sleep, and is good for muscle function and digestion. Take a supplement called glycinate or bisglycinate 30 minutes before bed to improve sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">4. Eat more protein<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">To combat hunger spikes, the doctor advises, \u201cBuild a regular eating plan that works with you \u2013 there\u2019s no one size fits all, but consistency is key. Your body is very good at getting into habits, so if you\u2019re a person that likes to eat three times a day, keep the timings and amounts you eat the same.\u201d She adds, \u201cMake sure that there is protein with every meal. Protein is absorbed very slowly and is great nutritionally. I think many people are living off empty carbohydrates.\u201d Rather than protein bars, she advises eating natural sources of protein that aren\u2019t highly processed. \u201cMost people should eat between 1.6 to 2 grammes of protein per kilo of body weight. And it can be found in meat and fish, Greek yogurt, and beans and pulses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">5. Caffeine is a mask<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">While many of us drink several cups of coffee in the morning to keep ourselves awake, that caffeine could also be making us feel more tired.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cCaffeine blocks the receptors in your brain that register tiredness, but it only does that temporarily,\u201d explains Bailey. \u201cBut what we\u2019re doing is masking something when really your body is crying out for fuel like protein and complex carbohydrates.\u201d She continues, \u201cMany people drink several coffees on an empty stomach in the morning, but as the caffeine wears off and sort of unhooks itself from the receptors in the brain, people get an even bigger slump in the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">6. Don\u2019t forget to hydrate<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">We often associate being dehydrated with the summer, but it is easy to under-drink through the colder months because we don\u2019t feel as thirsty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Bailey says, \u201cGenerally we need about two litres of fluid a day, but that doesn\u2019t have to be just plain tap water \u2013 it can be anything that people enjoy drinking.\u201d The effects of being even mildly dehydrated can cause measurable drops in concentration and energy. She advises, \u201cYou\u2019ll know you\u2019re properly hydrated if you pass urine every few hours and that it\u2019s a pale straw colour.\u201d Reducing fluids at night may help with waking in the night to wee, but says Bailey, \u201cIf you are dehydrated, concentrated urine irritates your bladder and wakes you up quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu caption\">7. Easy snack swaps<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">Healthy snacks don\u2019t produce glucose spikes, provide us with valuable nutrients and stop us reaching for chocolate bars and crisps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">Bailey suggests, \u201cTry peanut butter or eggs on wholemeal toast \u2013 you\u2019re getting your protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrate so energy is released very slowly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"contextmenu Body Body\">\u201cNuts and seeds are great for snacking,\u201d she adds, \u201cand fruit is incredibly good for you in terms of the micronutrients, bananas especially. But be mindful that most fruits are high in natural sugar, and avoid shop-bought fruit juices or smoothies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The autumn nights are drawing in and we\u2019re feeling that annual seasonal slump. \u201cThere\u2019s a real change that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":921016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,137,532,44997],"class_list":["post-921015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-nutrition","tag-wow"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}