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Boost Your Energy With These 6 Superfoods

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Does your hectic schedule have you wondering how to get more energy to help you power through your busiest days? Adding these six tasty superfoods to your diet can help you gain more energy, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated to make the most of your summer!

Red peppers wake up tired adrenal glands. These gems are nature’s number one source of vitamin C—a nutrient that heals and strengthens the adrenal glands, ensuring they produce a steady trickle of energizing adrenaline and noradrenaline, say Arizona State University researchers. Nibble on one-half cup of red bell peppers daily and you could feel a noticeable uptick in energy and stamina in as little as 4 days. 

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Berries enhance nerve cell communication. Feeling foggy and groggy? Savor one cup of berries (fresh or frozen) daily and you’ll boost your mental energy and alertness by as much as 45 percent, according to researchers at Tufts University in Boston. That’s because the anthocyanins that give berries their cheerful color also energize neurons to improve cell-to-cell communication in the brain.              

Onions activate the liver to flush toxins. Whether you enjoy them raw or cooked,onions are loaded with compounds (sulfur and kaempferol) that activate detoxification enzymes in the liver, flushing fatigue-triggering waste from the bloodstream. Add these flavor boosters to your daily diet and British scientists say you could chase away sluggishness within 72 hours. 

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Mushrooms stabilize blood sugar. Eating two-thirds cup of mushrooms a day lowers risk of fatigue by 42 percent in three days, say Canadian doctors. Credit goes to their beta-glucans— compounds that prod tissues to release stored glucose when blood sugar dips, warding off energy- draining blood-sugar lows. 

Brown rice triggers beta brain waves. Women who enjoy a one-half cup serving of brown rice every day have 45 percent more energy than those who avoid it, UCLA researchers report. Why? The grain is rich in manganese, selenium and phosphorus— nutrients that prod the brain to produce energizing beta waves— plus lignans, compounds that help muscle and liver cells convert excess blood sugar into energy. 

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Sweet potatoes flip on the energy enzyme. These tasty spuds are packed with beta-carotene—a nutrient that Yale University researchers report soaks into cellular mitochondria to rev the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body’s key energy enzyme. The effect is so powerful that eating a 1⁄2 cup serving can boost your energy for 4 hours. 

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