Eat more whole grains and cut simple carbs. Whole wheat bread, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, and brown rice are all excellent sources of energy and sources of nutrition. Combined with the right combination of proteins and vegetables, whole grains are perfect all-around nutrition.[5]
Simple carbs are things like white bread, processed flour, and white sugar. This gives you energy quickly, but then comes with a crash. It gets transferred into fat very quickly.
Substitute whole wheat flour or oat flour into pancakes or baked goods. You might need to add additional leavening ingredients, like wheat gluten. Put barley in your soup instead of rice or try a pilaf with barley, wild rice or brown rice.
Eat only naturally-occurring carbohydrates instead of processed carbohydrates. Avoid processed foods, like white bread, semolina pasta or crackers, or processed sweets like candy bars or sugary vegetables.[6]