Do you know the midday slump after lunch? But where does it come from? Why are you tired after lunch and can you do something about it? We clear up!
I have blood group A and cannot eat potatoes, they make me tired. This is what an acquaintance told me recently. Can that be true? Not really, says a nutritionist.
Because whether or not you have a midday slump does not depend on your blood type. What you eat, however, does have an influence on whether you feel tired after a meal.
But let's start from the beginning.
Every one of us knows the feeling of wanting to take a nap after a meal. The concentration does not play along and somehow you feel mega limp.
That's nothing unusual at first. Almost everyone knows this phenomenon, which, by the way, is also called "schnitzel coma". Sometimes it is stronger, sometimes weaker and sometimes not there at all. But what's the cause?
Table of contents
Why you are tired after eating
We are hungry. We eat. Now we should be really full of energy. But the opposite is the case.
The stomach and intestinal tract are responsible for this. Because even if we don't notice it, digestion needs every bit of our energy. As soon as the first bite lands in the stomach, this process begins.
The parasympathetic nervous system now begins to divert blood and oxygen to the stomach. To do this, the heart rate and blood pressure must be lowered.
So, in order for our food to be broken down into individual parts, the digestive organs are supplied with more blood.
The morsels are transformed into food pulp and this into its individual basic building blocks. To do this, the food must always be passed with muscles on the stomach and intestinal wall.
This is a very strenuous process for our body.
Because we do not have more blood available because of this. So it is missing in other places, like our brain.
As a result, less oxygen can be transported to the brain. We feel listless.
When we eat very heavy and fatty food, we feel tired after eating. After a kebab, the slump is much greater than after your soup and a salad.
Guaranteed not to make you tired: Quinoa salad with sweet potatoes!
What foods make you tired after eating
Some foods have a particularly bad reputation. Carbohydrate-rich Food such as noodles, cakes and the like cause the blood sugar level to rise rapidly. We feel invincible and have plenty of power.
However, this only lasts for a very short time. Just a short time later, the opposite is the case.
Why? The body reacts to the many carbs and releases the hormone insulin. When the carbohydrates are digested, sugar is produced. Insulin promotes the absorption of this sugar into the cells.
You want to become a vegetarian? Here comes the instruction!
Just as quickly as the blood sugar level has risen, it now drops again. Our brain is again undersupplied and we become tired. Some are so severely affected by this that there is even a technical term for it. "Reactive hypoglycemia" is what it is called when you become extremely tired after eating carbs.
With which foods does this happen? All foods that contain simple carbohydrates. The best-known "bad" carbs are found in white flour and table sugar.
After eating these foods, you feel dead tired. You have no energy and you can't concentrate either. And what's worse, you have sugar cravings!
If you give in to sugar cravings, the vicious cycle starts all over again.
Discover 3 delicious vegetable pans here!
Meat, fish, eggs
The same goes for meat, fish and eggs. Although for a different reason, but the effect is the same: we get tired after eating.
In these foods it is at the Tryptophan. This is an amino acid that is converted in the brain to the happiness hormone serotonin.
Serotonin makes you feel good. But it also makes mega sleepy. By the way, tryptophan is also used as a sleeping pill in high doses.
Meat in particular is also enormously difficult to digest and remains in the stomach and intestinal tract for a long time. Our body needs a lot of blood and power for this.
My personal experience: Since I no longer eat meat, I no longer feel so limp after lunch. Of course, I am also sometimes tired after eating, but the low is nowhere near as strong.
So we hold: white flour products, sugar, meat, fish and eggs make tired after eating. Milk, cheese and nuts are also fatigue-inducing.
This zucchini recipe is guaranteed not to make you tired!
If you know which foods cause fatigue, then you can trick your body. It's not that difficult, and you'll notice some pretty blatant effects.
If you follow these rules, you will not be so tired after eating
- Don't eat too much. If you eat less, you have to digest less. Eat so much that you are full but not more.
- Eating slowly helps. When you eat slowly, you feel full faster and you chew better. As the saying goes: well chewed is half digested!
- Stay away from fatty foods. High-fat food requires a lot of energy for digestion.
- Eat only a few simple carbs. Instead of pasta or bread made from white flour, choose whole grains. You should also replace white rice with whole grain rice. Whole-grain foods cause the blood sugar level to rise only slowly, and the midday slump is much weaker. The same applies to potatoes, by the way. Thus, the claim of my acquaintance is disproved. :)
Try this delicious baked potato with salad!
The best tips against fatigue after a meal
So: You can avoid these foods. But you can do much more. Some before you get tired after eating and some when the tiredness has already occurred.
1. the lighter the food, the better
Logical, right? If you only eat hard-to-digest food for lunch, you will quickly get tired. Especially high-fat food and meat occupy the stomach for a long time.
Thus, the rest of the body lacks resources.
By the way, cabbage, onions, peppers and very spicy fried foods can also be digested slowly.
So you finally get more energy in everyday life!
2. eating regularly helps
If you get food cravings in the morning, then you are clearly hypoglycemic. This is because your body hasn't had solid food for a while.
So it's worth getting up a little earlier in the morning and having a few bites. Provided it is not white bread with jam or other simple carbohydrates.
By the way, studies have shown that people who eat breakfast eat less at lunch. Their blood sugar levels remain more constant, which means they get tired less often.
By the way, because you get tired after eating, you should not give up eating. That is exactly the wrong way. Because you'll get tired from it too and won't be able to concentrate.
Get your circulation going today!
3. drink enough
Drinking is one of those things. Especially when working in the office, we often don't drink enough. Yet it's mega important for our bodies to get enough fluids.
If you make sure to drink a lot in the morning, you won't be as hungry at lunch. The reason for this is that you confuse thirst with hunger. This is the same for everyone who drinks little.
This makes them eat more, which in turn requires more energy for digestion.
After a meal, your body's digestion will run more smoothly if you drink water regularly. You also boost your metabolism.
You really need to drink that much water per day!
4. pay attention to the timing
No matter what you eat, you will be tired. Our body always needs energy for digestion. Give it this time quietly. If you have the opportunity, you can also take a little nap.
15 minutes is optimal. During this time, the body can start digesting and you will feel fitter afterwards. However, the nap should not last much longer, otherwise you will be even more tired.
The nap works best if you get some fresh air afterwards. Then you'll be ready for the afternoon!
5. get fresh air
You don't think much of digestive walks? You should rethink that. Because a short walk outdoors works wonders.
Fresh air provides your brain with new oxygen. If you're tired after lunch and don't have a chance to go for a walk, at least open the window and let fresh air into the office regularly.
6. move
If you sit down at your desk directly from the dining table, the midday slump is particularly severe. The blood is invested in the digestion. But if you move a little now, you can escape this problem.
Exercise boosts circulation and digestion and speeds up the process.
How about 20 squats or 20 lunges?
Even a few jumping jacks can help the blood circulate better in the body. Be creative :)
This is how you strengthen your circulation in the long term!
7. do not drink too much coffee
The only thing that keeps you going is coffee? It can indeed have a stimulating effect, but only if you don't overdo it.
Coffee makes our body release adrenaline. We get a really nice energy kick. However, if you drink too much coffee, you may get tired from it.
Tip: Wait at least 15 minutes after eating before drinking coffee. The caffeine in coffee worsens the absorption of iron. And those who have an iron deficiency are known to be even more tired.
Our conclusion
Whether you get tired after a meal and how strong this tiredness is depends on what and how much you eat. Hold back a little and watch what ends up on your plate, then you can counteract the midday slump quite well.
All the best to you and enjoy! :)
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