Foods that can make you feel sluggish

Preety Tyagi

Our diet has a significant impact on how we feel during the day, so it’s important to be aware of what we’re consuming and to sustain ourselves with the right, healthy foods while avoiding those that deplete energy reserves.

Many foods can make you feel sluggish and exhausted, and these are frequently found in our diets because they are easy, convenient, and common.

This is something that all of you would surely want to avoid while going for an exam or an important class or even while preparing for your crucial entance tests.

It’s true: we are what we eat; if we stuff our faces with sugar, caffeine, and greasy foods in the middle of the day, we’re more likely to feel jittery and then exhausted later. Rather than consuming foods that are detrimental to our health and well-being, it is much more prudent to seek out foods that energise us. Making a more balanced meal and snack options will have significant long-term benefits, so making time and budget to plan healthy meals and maintain high energy levels should be a top priority throughout the day. Avoid these foods that can make you feel slow.

Sugary foods

The Best example of foods that cause fatigue that nobody ever doubts is sugary foods. People consume sugary foods thinking that these are going to help them feel more alert and awake. But the reality is the other way round. Consuming added sugar in your foods can cause you to feel tired and cause an energy slump. It can cause your sugar levels to spike, leaving you with a lot of instant energy, leaving you feeling tired and worn out. To prevent yourself from having a sluggish start to a day, try relying on sugar-free coffee or tea and foods that don't contain added sugar.

Bakery Items

Other types of foods that can cause you to feel sluggish are white bread, bakery items. Because most of these foods contain flour and added sugar which contributes as a major irritant to our gut and hence, causes your energy levels to dip down instantly after consumption.

Caffeine rich foods

High caffeine foods are also a trigger for causing energy levels to spike and dip down instantly. It’s best to avoid caffeine abuse and stick to a low quantity of these in your daily diet.

Cherries

Although cherries are good, they’re best served at bedtime rather than in the middle of the day because the tryptophan content can make us sleepy and sluggish, and we need to keep our energy levels high throughout the day to be most efficient and mentally alert. For best results, eat cherries before bed, and for an afternoon snack, exchange the stone fruit for plums, peaches, or apricots, and mix with protein.

Energy bars & granola

Energy bars and granolas are often high in carbohydrates, fats, and sugar, and all of the manufacturing may result in a high concentration of additives that can cause blood sugar imbalances. It’s important to read the labels on these bars and granola blends to determine which ones have the least sugar, unhealthy fats, and calories, and to avoid those with excessive portion sizes and sugar content. Artificial sweeteners, which can be found in abundance, should also be avoided.

Pasta

The “carb coma” is a real thing, and there’s nothing like a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs to get you tired. While it is always better to eat whole wheat pasta over white pasta since whole wheat is a complex carbohydrate that keeps us fuller for longer, it is not the best option if you want to get to work or go for a run. To counteract the effects of pasta, limit portion sizes and make the majority of your meal protein, iron, and vitamin B rich.

Fried foods

Heavily processed foods and fried foods are responsible for causing low energy level issues. The best is to avoid these if you want your body to function at its maximum capacity, without feeling tired, energy depleted.

—The writer is Lead Health Coach, Nutritionist and Founder of MY22BMI