Business owner has tips for powering through season

Date: 11/29/2022

WESTERN MASS. – If you find the holidays exhausting – all the shopping, wrapping, food prep and partying – you’re not alone. Burnout by New Years Day is a common complaint, especially for busy parents.

Are there ways to keep your energy stocked? There seem to be plenty of suggestions and remedies for flagging energy – TikTok has dozens of videos that offer everything from specific juices, to exercises, to diet dos and don’ts that purport to keep the inevitable slump at bay. And we all know the tried-and-true basics – get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat balanced meals.

But let’s face it, it’s the holiday season and we don’t always have time to do the right thing – or blend that special juice or do the energy-boosting exercises.

So, what can we do now to make it through that next mega-shopping trip or marathon wrapping session?

Crystal Jimenez, owner of Elite Nutrition, 130 Shaker Rd. in East Longmeadow and the newly opened EL Nutrition at 194 East St. in Ludlow, said one of the mistakes is relying on traditional caffeine sources like coffee or cola drinks to keep your energy boosted during the busy holiday season.

“To get you through the holiday you need a replacement for coffee – you drink coffee and you get a crash … within a couple of hours you want to go home and you only half of your shopping done,” Jimenez explained, adding that there are alternatives to traditional sources of caffeine that can help keep you going all day. Green tea and guarana are two examples of alternative energy boosters, she said.

A medical receptionist before launching Elite Nutrition three years ago, Jimenez said she initial-ly began experimenting with the caffeine alternatives in teas at home in an effort to improve “my own health.”

She was also looking for an energy boost that wasn’t derived from coffee. “I never liked coffee, I wanted something that tasted good,” she admitted. She now brews her teas “to help people feel good about themselves and for wellness.”

The energy teas Jimenez creates for Elite Nutrition use green tea – which, according to WebMD clocks in at one-fourth caffeine of coffee yet provides a stable energy boost (https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-green-tea) and Brazilian guarana – naturally rich in anti-oxidants and popular for its ability to reduce fatigue and improve focus (“12 benefits of guarana (plus side effects” https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/guarana-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2) – to help keep energy levels steady and avoid the post-caffeine afternoon crash.

The teas she blends, Jimenez explained, come with varying levels of caffeine, from energizing, with about 85 mg. of caffeine, to boosted with 150 mg. of caffeine, to lit with about 200 mg. of caffeine.

“Compared to a cup of coffee, lit is about two cups, boosted is about 1 ½ cups [of equivalent coffee caffeine],” she said. Flavor profiles for the teas – which are mixed cold using ice and water – include choices such as pomegranate, lemon and cinnamon for energizing, and blue breeze, watermelon splash and mango tango for the boosted and lit varieties. The teas are sweetened with Stevia, making them sugar-free, which removes another ingredient that can contribute to an energy crash. The full menu of teas is available online at https://www.facebook.com/ElitenutritionEL.

“People who love the same tea [flavor] come in and get it premade, everything is powdered and it’s something they can make at home,” Jimenez said. “We have one guy who comes in and buys 14 drinks [at one time].”

Another energy trap, according to Jimenez, is relying on a quick meal of fast food to keep you going during the holiday crush. To keep energy steady, she said our bodies need a good source of protein. In her search to find a protein resource that helped her keep her own energy steady, she also experimented with creating protein shakes, something Jimenez has also brought to Elite Nutrition.

Her shakes are low in sugar – 9 to 12 grams depending on the toppings customers choose – pack 24 grams of protein and generally come in under 300 calories. She and her mother initially used them as part of a weight loss plan to help improve their health, Jimenez added. “We started making [the shakes], we lost weight and we felt great,” she said.

“You can grab a shake and keep going,” she added. “Our shakes are going to keep you full and you’re not going to feel bloated” as she said fast food meals sometimes do.