Claire Held is a personal nutrition coach and she joins me to talk about healthy eating to create energy and the foods that are helpful for mitochondrialRelated to the mitochondria. care. If you have low energy, low muscle tone and fatigueThe overall feeling of tiredness or lack of energy. It is not the same as simply feeling drowsy or sleepy. Being fatigued means having no motivation or energy., Claire will share resources and advice for how to improve these challenges.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
What is your health and professional background?
I was born prematurely and in and out of a children’s hospital many times with heart failure and kidney failure. Eventually I was diagnosed with LCHADD. In 2009 I went to college, studying metabolics because it’s such a young area of research and it’s a really important part of healthcare. I graduated with my degree in nutrition and dietetics in 2014.
How can what I choose to put in my body have a positive affect on health issues?
A lot of people with mitochondrial disease suffer from fatigue and low muscle tone, so it’s important to be aware of how you eat and to do moderate, low impact exercise. The more tired we are, the less we want to move, but doing this type of exercise will get the health rate up and help strengthen the muscles. We want to be mindful of how much of our diet is coming from simple carbohydrates or ultra-processed foods. These types of food will give you a quick glucose boost which is important to feel energized, but the crash is worse. For muscle pain, rest is important, but an increased protein intake can also help.
What factors most impact our overall feeling of exhaustion and fatigue?
There are 5 main categories: 1. External Environments (job, school, projects, political climate), 2. Internal Environments (home life, finances, relationships), 3. Biological Stressors (overdoing exercise, fighting off disease, infection or illness), 4.Weather (extreme heat, extreme cold, elevation, climate), 5. Diet and Nutrition (deficiencies, interventions).
What time-saving hacks do you have for those who don’t have the energy to meal prep in advance?
The prepared food is going to be highly processed, have excess fat and additives to preserve it. It’s tricky to not reach for prepared foods, but there are ways to ensure you’re preparing a meal that’s healthy and quick. Plan for go-to meals that don’t require you to think about the ingredients and preparation. Even if you can’t meal prep in advance, try to cut up vegetables or do other prep that will save you time later when you’re tired.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED
