Natural Energy Boosters: Foods & Habits That Helped Me Skip the Afternoon Crash

I sat in the front row, excited to hear what this energized older man had to say. I’d met him at breakfast that morning. He didn’t let on about what he would share, but his talk was one of the highlighted events of a three-day health conference I attended in Southern California.

Lino Stanchich was charming and full of life. He told us that his father had survived a World War II concentration camp. They were given thin gruel and one piece of bread in the morning. Sometimes it was the only food all day, yet they were expected to perform hard labor. His father began chewing his food as long as possible to make it feel more filling. He even “chewed” his water to keep it in his mouth longer.

Something surprising happened. He had more energy. He felt better. He shared the practice with others, and they noticed the same thing. According to Stanchich, those men were the only ones who survived that camp.

As a boy growing up in Hungary, Stanchich heard the story but didn’t give it much thought until years later, when he found himself in a work camp as a young man. The chewing practice worked for him, too.

Stanchich handed each of us a tiny cracker and told us to chew it 100 times. I thought it was impossible. I didn’t even make it to 50. Then he challenged us to experiment: chew each bite going forward as long as possible, for three days.

I went home and tried it. It was bonkers. At first it was amusing. Then it was hard. Then something shifted. I felt energized in a way I’d never experienced, like I didn’t need sleep, or won an energy lottery. I’ve repeated the experiment a few times since and always notice the effect.

Natural Energy Boosters: Hacks You Can Adopt Right Now

The below natural energy boosters are habits that, with consistency, made an impact on my life. They’re simple enough to start trying today. First, get a look inside my experiences and learn the science that plays a part in the boost in energy.

The power of chewing (yes, really)

Interestingly, there’s science behind this. Chewing stimulates the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in digestion and energy regulation. It also signals the body to release digestive enzymes and stomach acid, helping nutrients become more bioavailable. Slower eating has been shown to improve satiety hormones, stabilize blood sugar and reduce the energy drain caused by poor digestion. In short: digestion begins in the mouth, and when it works better, everything downstream does, too.

That experience was at the beginning of a major shift in how I eat.

Removing energy drains from my plate

Another energy boost came not from adding something, but from letting things go.

I grew up on dry breakfast cereals, pastries loaded with sugar, breads, bottled dressings and frozen foods where sugar is added. It wasn’t working for me. I gave up cane sugar and dairy completely. That was decades ago, and I’ve never looked back.

Highly refined sugar is known to cause rapid blood sugar spikes followed by crashes, which can feel like fatigue, irritability and brain fog. Dairy can be inflammatory for many people, especially those who have difficulty digesting lactose or casein. Once I removed both, the roller coaster stopped.

I still love sweets. I just use fruit, rice syrup, honey and other less refined sweeteners. I eat whole grains instead of bread at most meals. It sounds simple, but it was a big shift.

At first, I didn’t notice much. Then one day I realized I was still energized around 4 p.m. while everyone else around me was crashing or reaching for cookies. I slept better. My mood evened out. I wasn’t Wonder Woman, but I felt grounded, steady and strong. My food experiments haven’t stopped since.

Mushrooms: nature’s unexpected pick-me-up

If you’ve walked through a farmers market lately, you may have noticed a trend: mushroom stands seem to be multiplying.

I’ve tried many varieties such as lion’s mane, pink oyster and shiitake. Cordyceps surprised me the most. I started by tasting them raw. Slightly sweet and nutty, with bright orange strands, they were fun to snack on. I ate them like potato chips.

The effect was immediate. I felt alert, energized and without jitters. Why might this be? Cordyceps have been studied for their ability to support cellular energy production by increasing ATP, the molecule that fuels our cells. They’ve also been associated with improved oxygen utilization, which may explain the clean, sustained energy I felt.

When I later cooked them in a stir-fry, the effect was milder but still noticeable. Heat can reduce some of their active compounds, which made sense to me after experiencing both versions.

I quit coffee

I loved coffee. Big mug, milk, something sweet. When I cut out dairy and sugar, I switched to alternatives. Frothed soy milk with honey tasted like a fun new cappuccino.

I didn’t plan to quit coffee completely. I just started cutting back. Daily became weekly. I stopped buying it for home and only had it out. Then I skipped a week.

When I tried it again, I felt awful. I blamed a possible cold. I tried again later. Same reaction. I switched to decaf – worse. After a few more attempts, I realized it wasn’t a fluke.

Caffeine stimulates cortisol and adrenaline. For some people, especially those with sensitive nervous systems, the stress response can outweigh the benefits. Coffee can also irritate the stomach lining and interfere with mineral absorption. Once I stopped, my energy stabilized and felt stronger. I discovered herbal teas and never looked back.

I embraced breathwork

Most health conferences I attended included morning yoga. I grew up with a dad who did yoga, complete with headstands in the living room and alternate nostril breathing. I would try to join him but often rolled my eyes.

But yoga was offered as an energy practice, not a performance. We were told that controlled breathing increases oxygen delivery, improves circulation and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the “rest and restore” mode that actually supports sustained energy.

I tried many styles: Hatha, Iyengar, power yoga. I eventually landed on Naam yoga, which pairs breath with rhythmic movement and music. I now do the yearly practice on my own, each morning.

I only notice how powerful it is when I skip it. That’s when I feel scattered or hit an afternoon slump. Sometimes both.

Amazake: The gentle energy drink you’ve never heard of

My most delicious energy discovery is amazake, a traditional Japanese fermented beverage.

I make my own. It’s economical and simple. You add koji, a fermentation starter, to warm, freshly cooked grain. Millet is a favorite of mine, as are all types of rice. You let it sit in a warmish place for eight to ten hours, then blend it with water.

Amazake is often used as a workout recovery drink. Fermentation breaks complex carbohydrates into easily absorbed sugars and amino acids, making nutrients more accessible. I experience it as a gentle lift. Less power surge of energy and more the quiet disappearance of fatigue.

Sometimes I add spirulina. The color alone feels energizing, and nutritionally it adds minerals and protein that support endurance.

In Summary

The best thing about all of my energy hacks is that the older I get, the better I feel. We’ve been taught to think it’s the opposite. Perhaps at some point I will need to do more to achieve feeling so alive. But right now I am sure that following Lino Stanchich’s lead is the way to go. He was full of energy in his eighties and thoroughly enjoyed life.