When you're on your feet all day it's not always possible to take time out to eat on demand. The key to having lots of energy – and making it last steadily right throughout the day – is through your blood sugar levels.

When the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood drops you feel it as fatigue and often hunger or craving for sweet or starchy foods. The quick-fix solution is to eat something that will quickly raise your blood sugar (usually something sweet).

When you give in to the craving, the sweet food causes your blood sugar to jump up dramatically, which your body responds to with a chain of reactions that causes the blood glucose to drop very rapidly so you get a sudden and big sugar-low, following the sudden and big high. This leaves you back at the beginning again, feeling low in energy and in need of something to eat quickly. And when you are in the practice and can only eat at fixed break times this is impossible.

How to stop the roller coaster

The best way to prevent this pattern is to eat regularly (eat something at each break) and to avoid those foods that send your blood sugar soaring. Avoiding (or cutting down) on stimulants like tea, coffee, chocolate and cigarettes also helps.

Certain foods make your blood sugar rise much more slowly than others and if you eat these foods, your blood sugar stays steady for longer, and you won't get the dramatic response which causes sugar to come crashing down. This means that you are less likely to crave sweet foods and feel tired.

When you have to eat your meals and snacks at fixed times it is particularly important to eat the right foods that will supply you with enough energy to see you through to your next break and not leave you craving sweet foods.

Steady Energy Foods

You should try to avoid sugary or refined starchy foods as these are the ones that make your blood sugar jump up. High fibre foods produce a slower, more controlled release of energy and since fibre tends to be removed in processing, the more processed a food is, the more it will make your blood sugar jump around. So when choosing what type of bread to eat, for example, remember that wholemeal bread is less processed and contains more fibre than a French baguette and so will keep your energy levels up for longer. The presence of protein in your meal also makes food slower to digest and so teaming your bread, rice or potatoes with fish, beans or lean meat will also give you more sustained energy.

What to eat

It is a good idea to eat something at every break, even if you don't feel hungry because if you go too long without eating, when you next get the chance to eat, you will probably feel starving and make the wrong food choices – opting for the instant fix rather than the steady supply.

B vitamins

These are essential for the conversion of food into energy your body can use. Whole grains are a good source of B vitamins, as well as being high in fibre and so wholemeal bread will give you both steady energy and a good source of these important vitamis.

If you follow this advice you're less likely to crave sweet foods, and more likely to make it through the day without fatigue or the need for unscheduled breaks.boxed-text