Eating for everyday energy

Start with the part of your day when eating gets hardest. If meetings routinely push lunch back, decide what you can pack or pick up before the day gets busy. If you tend to get hungry between lunch and dinner, keep a snack you actually like within reach.

Calorie Deficit Tracker+ can help you log the meals and snacks you eat and check the serving sizes you used. Logging is optional. A short meal plan on paper works here too.

Plan around the day you have

• Morning: Choose something you have time to eat. Try oatmeal and fruit at home or pack yogurt and oats if you can keep them cold.
• Lunch: Give yourself a default for busy days. A hummus and vegetable wrap with fruit, or leftover rice and beans with vegetables, can be assembled from groceries you already buy.
• Afternoon: If you usually get hungry before dinner, put a snack on your packing list. The afternoon snack guide has options for a desk drawer, a work fridge, and a stop at the store.

Choose foods you enjoy and adjust the amount for your appetite and schedule. For more ideas, see the American Heart Association’s snack guide.

Compare the food you’re choosing

If yogurt is part of your plan, use the high-protein yogurt comparison or yogurt sugar comparison to check labels for the portion you expect to eat. Our Chobani and Oikos comparison shows how this works with two specific vanilla cups.

When tiredness deserves a closer look

If tiredness persists for several weeks without a clear reason or affects your daily life, speak with a clinician. The NHS guide to tiredness and fatigue describes when to seek advice.

Astrum Computing publishes this guide and Calorie Deficit Tracker+.