Why Sunlight Energizes You More Than Food Ever Could
The Forgotten Nobel Discovery That’s Helping Thousands Reclaim Their Energy – Using Nothing But Light
Let’s be honest: you’re doing everything right—clean eating, exercise, supplements, sleep. Yet, you still wake up feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck.
You’re not alone.
Millions of health-conscious people are realizing there’s a missing piece to the energy puzzle—one most doctors don’t even mention.
And it’s not a supplement, superfood, or secret workout.
It’s light.
Read on to learn how sunlight energizes you more than the food you are eating ever could.
The Breakthrough That Changes Everything
It dates back over 80 years to Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi—the man who discovered Vitamin C. But his most profound insight wasn’t about nutrition. It was this:
“We live by a small trickle of electricity from the sun.”
He meant it literally.
The 33/67 Rule: Energy From Food vs. Light
Cutting-edge research shows that:
🧬 Only 33% of your body’s energy comes from food.
☀️ The remaining 67% comes from light—specifically, photons absorbed by your mitochondria.
This explains why you can do everything right with diet and still feel exhausted: you’re starving your cells of light.
How Your “Cellular Batteries” Actually Work
Inside your cells are mitochondria—tiny engines that produce ATP, your body’s energy currency.
For decades, we believed they only needed fuel (food) and oxygen. But now we know there’s a third essential input: light.
When mitochondria absorb red and near-infrared light (660–1000 nm):
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ATP production increases
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Cellular repair accelerates
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Energy efficiency skyrockets
This process is called photobiomodulation (PBM)—charging your cells using light instead of calories. Want to learn more about photobiomodulation and the X39 patch, click here
The Light Crisis in Modern Life
Here’s the problem:
You spend 93% of your life indoors under artificial lights that are:
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Up to 500x dimmer than sunlight
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Heavy in blue light (which increases oxidative stress)
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Lacking in red/infrared wavelengths that fuel your mitochondria
Even worse, windows, sunglasses, and sunscreens often filter out the beneficial light your body needs, while allowing the harmful ones through.
Here is my protocol for my clients who are struggling with insomnia and health issues
Morning: Outside in time for Sunrise with naked eyes, then UVA rise. Download the circadian app to know when this is.
Mid morning :15-minute sun break for vitamin D and nitric oxide
Mid day: 15 minute break outside with naked eyes and bare feet if possible
Evening: Watch the sunset to align nighttime hormones
After Sunset: Wear blue blocking glasses, check my website for discounts and the companies I love to recommend, or simply click here.
The Science Behind the Shift
Natural light impacts your body at every level:
Morning Sunlight
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Increases cortisol by 35% (healthy metabolic boost)
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Sets your circadian clock
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Improves glucose control all day
UVA Exposure
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Boosts nitric oxide (improves circulation)
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Elevates serotonin (enhances mood)
UVB Exposure
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Triggers vitamin D production
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Releases feel-good endorphins
Red & Infrared Light
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Powers mitochondria
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Reduces oxidative stress
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Accelerates healing
Summer: Nature’s Energy Reset Button
Right now, you have an incredible opportunity.
Summer gives you:
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Longer daylight for circadian entrainment
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Stronger infrared light for mitochondrial support
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More UVB for vitamin D
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Consistent routines to build lifelong energy habits
This is the season to recharge your cells—naturally.
The Missing Half of the Equation: Nighttime Light
Getting sunlight by day is only half the story.
To restore true energy, you must also reduce blue light exposure at night.
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LED screens and bulbs tell your brain it’s daytime
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Melatonin production drops
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Sleep quality and metabolic repair suffer
In fact, studies show that sleeping with even dim ambient light can:
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Increase insulin resistance
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Raise heart rate
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Disrupt fat-burning
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Promote weight gain
It’s not just about what you eat or how much you move—when and how you’re exposed to light matters just as much.
Your Sleep Reset- Sign up here for my 7 Day Online Sleep Challenge to Cure Insomnia Naturally!
The Simple Truth About Energy
Your ancestors lived by natural light.
🌞 Bright, full-spectrum sun by day.
🌑 Total darkness at night.
And they had energy, strong immunity, deep sleep, and balanced hormones.
You can too—by restoring your light environment.
P.S. Got questions? Drop them in the comments and we’ll answer them in the next blog!
About Shirley
I'm Shirley Plant, nutritionist and cookbook author. My passion is helping you figure out which foods fuel your body and which ones deplete it.
Shirley's Cookbooks
Finally... Food I Can Eat!
A dietary guide and cookbook featuring tasty non vegetarian and vegetarian recipes for people with food allergies and intolerances. Recipes free of gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, wheat, nightshades, sugar and yeast.
AVAILABLE NOW FROM
Finally... Paleo Food I Can Eat!
Paleo recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, and dessert. Recipes free of grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, eggs and almonds. Plus, chapters on the mind body connection by Dr. Eva Selhub M.D and healing your body from chronic illness with Dr. Terry Wahls. M.D.
