The Human iPHONE

When you look at your phone and a window pops up that says low battery – 10% of battery remaining – most of us feel a little panic and find a charger immediately.

Thoughts may run through your head such as “what if my phone dies” or “how will I get home,” or “send emails?” How can I LIVE without my phone?

That full bright green rectangle in the right hand corner of your screen is pure bliss.

When your phone is at 100% battery it has the maximum amount of energy to work efficiently, and last throughout the day allowing you to keep opening and utilizing multiple apps.

What if you charged your body in the same way? What if the “apps” in your phone were comparable to the organs in your body?

For example if your brain is an app, and is “opened” all day you need a recharge. We charge our brains by eating regular balanced meals and snacks, so we can think optimally and perform tasks efficiently.

How do you fuel your body to sustain energy all day long?

Think of mid afternoon at work, and you’re dragging, and just want to go put your head down on your desk and go to sleep…but you can’t. You have a few choices. You can choose the candy bar from the vending machine and crash later or choose a nutrient dense snack that will recharge your battery till dinnertime.

You might hope your lunch will last till dinner, but physiologically you may need to eat every 4 hours to maintain blood glucose levels. Maintaining even keeled blood sugars is essential for normal brain function and is responsible for keeping our metabolisms up and running. It can keep us from unwanted stress, fatigue and poor food decisions, which lead to negative outcomes.

So what would a nutrient dense snack look like to prevent those “hangry” (hungry plus angry) moments you want to avoid? How do you keep your battery on green the whole day and dodge the 3 pm crash? Similar to how an iWatch reminds you to stand when you’ve been sitting at your computer, setting an alarm in your iPhone to have healthy snack can set you up for success.

A nutrient dense snack combines protein, healthy carbohydrates, fat, and fiber to keep you satisfied until your next meal.

Here are some iSnacks:

• Hummus + carrots/celery
• Natural peanut butter/ nut butter + apple/celery
• Individual nut packets (almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower/pumpkin seeds)
• European/Grass-Fed cheese + fruit
• Homemade nut mix

It might require just five minutes out of your day to toss a few snacks in your bag, or put them in the fridge at work for refueling.

Those nutrient dense snacks can be the charger to your human iPhone allowing you to never run out of battery energy ever again.

This blog was co-written by Susan Dopart and RD intern Elizabeth Wluka

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