If you’re feeling particularly low on energy, you might want to be less concerned with how much you’re doing throughout the day and more concerned with what you’re consuming!
Obviously, your diet has an enormous effect on so many aspects of your health. However, one of the biggest things that most people often forget about it is the fact that our diet has a direct effect on our energy levels!
Whilst there are a number of logical reasons why we may feel a little sleepy after eating a meal, you shouldn’t be left feeling drained by the foods that you’ve eaten, and you certainly shouldn’t be feeling drained through the day!
So, if you want to try and take a look at your diet to figure out why you feel so drained of energy, or you’re looking to improve your energy levels by ensuring you avoid certain foods, in this article we are going to explore it all!
Why Do We Feel Tired After Eating?
Before we dive in and take a look at the 8 food that drain your energy, it’s important to understand why we may feel lethargic after eating, as well as be able to understand when feeling drained of energy isn’t normal and needs to be further investigated.
So, let’s first take a look at why many of us often feel sleepy after eating.
There are a number of reasons why you may feel tired after eating a meal.
Firstly, research has shown that once the food is digested, blood flow to the small intestine increases, and therefore as this blood is pushed towards the gut, blood flow to the brain decreases – this can produce feelings of fatigue.
Secondly, the body has to work harder when it’s eating than it does when not since it’s changing macronutrients into energy.
When food is broken down into glucose in the digestive system, this obviously requires energy and this may make you feel tired.
Thirdly, hormones are released when food is digested, some of which can promote feelings of sleepiness, such as serotonin.
Serotonin not only calms us down and promotes sleep, but it promotes the release of melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep.
So, there are many logical and normal reasons why you may feel sleepy once you’ve eaten! However, it’s not always normal to feel low in energy…
When Is It Not Normal To Feel Low In Energy?
Although feeling slightly tired after eating is normal in most cases, feeling so tired that you want to sleep or lose your energy completely after eating is concerning. The same goes for having low energy levels throughout the day.
If you are experiencing any of these feelings or you feel like your energy levels are unusually low, there may be an underlying problem.
Tiredness throughout the day and excessive tiredness after eating could indicate:
- Food intolerances or allergies
- Diabetes
- Celiac Disease
- Underactive Thyroid
- Chronic Fatigue – Check out my story of CFS here
- Anemia
If you are concerned about your energy levels you shouldn’t just focus on the food that you’re eating and remove energy-draining foods from your diet, but you should seek the advice of a medical professional.
8 Foods That Drain Your Energy
Although different people react differently to different types of food, these are the top 8 foods that drain most people’s energy when consumed.
So, if you want to improve your energy levels, you’re best to stick away from them!
1White Bread
White bread is made of processed grains, meaning that the fiber-containing layer of the grain (the bran), is removed.
Therefore, because of this, processed grains contain much lower levels of fiber and are therefore more quickly digested.
Therefore, when you consume white bread, your blood sugar and insulin levels will rise quickly, and then your energy levels will drop off in the long run.
Additionally, processed grains also do not contain the germ of the grain, which is the part that contains essential micronutrients that support energy levels.
Therefore, you should be avoiding white bread and processed grains, and eating whole grain foods instead!
2Energy Drinks
Energy drinks definitely provide energy, but only a short boost of energy!
Since energy drinks contain high levels of sugar, you will experience a boost of energy initially, but after this boost, your energy levels plummet dramatically.
Therefore, after you’ve consumed an energy drink, you will most likely feel more tired than you did in the first place. then drop sharply, potentially causing you to feel more tired than you did before consuming the drink.
Additionally, due to the fact that energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, you may experience fatigue, headaches, jitters, and anxiety after consuming them.
3Breakfast Cereal
Although we all grew up being advertised breakfast cereal as the perfect thing to have in the morning to wake us up and give us energy for the day, it’s actually one of the worst things we could consume.
Most types of breakfast cereal contain high levels of sugar and refined carbs.
Sugar boosts your energy quickly and then dramatically lowers it.
As for refined carbs, they are stripped of vitamins and minerals, and fiber, meaning they’re digested quickly and have a high glycemic index – leading to spikes in both sugar and insulin levels.
Therefore, breakfast cereal is one of the worst things you can consume as your first meal of the day!
4Fried Foods
Fried foods drain your energy because they are typically high in fat and low in fiber. High amounts of fat and low amounts of fiber slow down digestion.
When your digestion is slower, the micronutrients from food are being broken down and turned into energy more slowly! Therefore, there’s a longer delay between eating and feeling more energetic.
Fried foods also offer very little amounts of vitamins and minerals, so they’re empty-calorie foods that make you feel overly full, bloated, and fatigued.
5Coffee
Whilst coffee (and caffeine in general) can boost your energy and provide physical and mental benefits when consumed in moderation when coffee is consumed in excess, it can negatively affect your energy levels.
Caffeine is a stimulant, meaning that whilst it provides a short-term boost in energy, if it is consumed in excess or if people regularly rely on it, it can be problematic.
Caffeine blocks adenosine, helping you feel more alert. However, once the caffeine wears off, the build-up of adenosine is released and makes you feel tired.
Additionally, caffeine can negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
Combat poor sleep with these recommended nootropics to help you sleep.
6Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the worst things you can consume if you’re wanting to boost your energy levels.
Alcohol suppresses the central nervous system and has a sedative effect. Therefore, it promotes sleep.
This might sound positive in the long run since it promotes sleep! However, even if you do sleep after consuming alcohol, it negatively affects your sleep.
Alcohol reduces the quality and quantity of sleep, lowering energy levels in the long run.
7Yogurt
Although natural, organic, and unsweetened yogurt can provide you with beneficial probiotics, the standard type of yogurt that you buy from your local supermarket is not going to be benefitting your health!
The pasteurization process akes away enzymes and other micronutrients that naturally exist in yogurt. Additionally, sugar is typically added during this process.
Therefore, since the natural benefits of yogurt are taken away and sugar is added, there are no benefits to consuming this type of commercial yogurt.
In fact, high sugar levels in yogurt will give you a quick spike in energy levels but then give you a crash, making you more tired than you were before consuming it.
8Red Meat
Although lots of people decide to increase their consumption of red meat in an effort to boost their iron and energy levels, it can actually be detrimental.
Whilst red meat may provide high levels of iron, it also contains high levels of fat. Fat is not only difficult for the body to digest, but it slows digestion.
This causes digestive issues such as constipation and bloating, and leads to fatigue.
Do Your Best To Stay Away From Energy-Draining Foods!
If you’re trying to stay at an optimum state of health and both mental and physical, you’re going to want to have as much energy as possible!
So, ditch the 8 foods in this list, eat more whole foods, and use natural supplements to improve your energy levels.