Answer: Has your get up and go, gone up and went?  Try these tips to boost your energy and prevent the mid day blahs:

• Eat breakfast  - it sets the tone for the entire day.  Eating breakfast fuels your brain and your muscles to wake you up and maintain your energy for the morning.
• Don’t eat right before bed – going to bed on a full stomach can keep you awake and prevent you from getting a good night sleep.  Instead of relaxing, your brain is focusing on digesting your food.  As well, it can exacerbate heartburn and reflux.
• Don’t severely restrict calories.  You need food/calories for energy and to function.  If you don’t eat enough, your metabolism will slow down, making you tired.
• Don’t skip meals.  Again, if you go long periods without eating, your metabolism will slow down because it doesn’t have the calories to keep going at full tilt.  You may even benefit from regular light snacks.
• Eat complex carbohydrates, and skip the candy.  Complex carbohydrates digest very slowly, giving you long lasting energy.  Candy and other simple carbohydrates digest very quickly, causing you to lose your food energy quickly.  Plus, eating simple carbohydrates contributes to cravings and weight gain – so bad all around!
• Exercise regularly.  You will build up muscle mass, thus increasing your metabolism, giving you energy all day.  So snap out of it and get moving!
• Ensure you are getting enough iron, magnesium and B-vitamins.  One sign of deficiency in these nutrients is fatigue.  Eat a variety of foods from all 4-food groups and you should get enough of these nutrients.  If you are concerned, see your doctor for a blood test.
• Stay hydrated.  Drink lots of fluids, especially water, throughout the day.
• Avoid caffeinated beverages and energy drinks. They just mask the problem and usually make it worse.

If the fatigue continues, visit your doctor, just to rule out something more serious.

Answer provided by Kimberly London, Registered Dietitian.

Do you have a question for our Dietitian? Ask below.

DISCLAIMER: This information is for entertainment purposes only. The recommendations may not work for you, and should not take the place of the recommendations made by your own medical personnel. We are not responsible for the outcomes of any recommendations. Do not make any drastic changes to your diet without the supervision of your doctor/dietitian. For more information, please see a Registered Dietitian in your area. To find one, visit dietitians.ca.

Ask a Dietitian appears every Wednesday in the Eating Well blog.

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Answer: Many restaurants are offering healthier choices for meals.  If we want to see these options stick around, we have to ORDER THEM!  The following are some tips when eating in restaurants, no only to help maintain a healthy body weight, but to get more vitamins and minerals in your diet.

• Look for the following words: steamed, poached, grilled, roasted, barbequed, baked, stir fried, or broiled.  These indicate a healthier choice. 
• Avoid foods that are deep-fried, pan-fried, ‘crispy’, or battered – they are usually cooked in fat.
• Add more veggies to your pasta, pizza, burger or sandwich.  Try a vegetarian meal using soy or beans as the protein source.
• Get veggies/salad on the side instead of fries, onion rings or a loaded baked potato.
• Skip the breadbasket.  Why do you want to fill up before your meal even arrives?
• Skip dessert – or order the fruit cup.  Dessert can have just as many calories/fat as an entire entrée!  Yikes!
• Split an entrée with a friend.  Or better yet, ask for half of your meal in a doggy bag before you even start.  Or better yet, order a kids meal!  Restaurant meals tend to be at LEAST twice the size of a meal cooked at home.
• Plan your meal before you head out.  By knowing what you are going to order before you arrive, you will be less tempted by unhealthy options, and less influenced by what your friends/family order.
• Get condiments on the side.  Salad dressings, sour cream, etc tend to be high in fat and calories – so by ordering them on the side you can limit your portions.
• Choose lean meats, such as skinless chicken and fish, and avoid processed meats.
• fortified yogurt

The best choice of all?  Eat at home!  You control the portions, the ingredients, and the cooking method.

Answer provided by Kimberly London, Registered Dietitian.

Do you have a question for our Dietitian? Ask below.

DISCLAIMER: This information is for entertainment purposes only. The recommendations may not work for you, and should not take the place of the recommendations made by your own medical personnel. We are not responsible for the outcomes of any recommendations. Do not make any drastic changes to your diet without the supervision of your doctor/dietitian. For more information, please see a Registered Dietitian in your area. To find one, visit dietitians.ca.

Ask a Dietitian appears every Wednesday in the Eating Well blog.

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Answer: Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation, protect against some forms of cancer, and improve your immune system.

There are two types of omega 3’s – short chain (ALA) and long chain (EPA and DHA).  Long chain omega 3’s have been shown to have greater health benefits than short chain.  EPA and DHA are found primarily in fish.  You can also find these long chain fats in fortified products, such as yogurts – just make sure the label says ‘DHA/EPA”.

ALA comes from vegetarian sources, such as flax, canola oil, walnuts, soybean oil, omega 3 eggs (chickens are fed flax), and many non-hydrogenated margarines.  The body can turn ALA into DHA/EPA, but this process is very limited.

Just another reason to eat more fish!

Answer provided by Kimberly London, Registered Dietitian.

Do you have a question for our Dietitian? Ask below.

DISCLAIMER: This information is for entertainment purposes only. The recommendations may not work for you, and should not take the place of the recommendations made by your own medical personnel. We are not responsible for the outcomes of any recommendations. Do not make any drastic changes to your diet without the supervision of your doctor/dietitian. For more information, please see a Registered Dietitian in your area. To find one, visit dietitians.ca.

Ask a Dietitian appears every Wednesday in the Eating Well blog.

From our friends at slice.ca: Looking for advice? Slice.ca's experts are ready to help with your questions -- fitness, nutrition, wedding planning, dating, marriage and more. Ask the slice experts.