Aside from making you feel your best, eating a healthy diet can actually affect you more than you probably think. Certain foods can increase your focus and motivation, while other foods can sap your energy. These stamina-draining foods are typically processed and overloaded with sugar and other undesirable ingredients, so the less you consume them, the better you will feel.
The key to avoiding feeling drained and sluggish throughout the day is by eating a balance of different healthy foods, but if you are feeling lethargic and think that your diet has something to do with it, take into account these following foods that might be draining your energy.
7) Energy Drinks
Designed to work short term, an energy drink fills your body up with bewilderingly high doses of sugar and caffeine. However, once those unhealthy stimulants wear off, your blood sugar drops to a level that is even lower than before, leaving you feeling lethargic and tired. Another downside of consuming energy drinks is that it causes dehydration, which will make you tired even more.
6) Red Wine
Drinking a glass of red wine before bedtime may seem like a nice way to relax before hitting the sack, but it can actually have a bad effect on your sleep which causes you to wake up feeling tired and unrefreshed in the morning. You might drift off to sleep faster, but once the alcohol is metabolized, your adrenaline will spike, causing you to more likely wake up in the middle of the night. For a more restful night, cut yourself from alcohol 3-4 hours before going to bed.
5) White Bread
The downside of eating white breads and rice is that their glycemic index is high but they do not have a lot of fiber, which means they are easily broken down by the body, causing their energy to be used up quickly. If you want an energy boost that will last longer, eat whole grains as it takes more time for the body to absorb them.
4) Fried Food
Deep-fried and fatty foods take more time to be digested. The body, sensing that there is a lot of work to do in the digestive system, directs the blood from your extremities straight to the internal organs, leaving you feeling sluggish and lethargic for the next few hours.
3) Coffee
If consumed in moderation, coffee is good for the body. But once you start to rely on coffee to keep you going instead of sleep or rest to re-energize, you might be depriving yourself from a good night’s rest. The same thing happens when you drink coffee before bedtime. Remember that caffeine is a stimulant and if you want a good night’s sleep, you should stop drinking coffee 4-6 hours before bedtime.
2) Low-Calorie Meals
The not so great thing about eating low-calorie meals is that it causes your body to go into “starvation mode”, which slows down your body’s metabolism and decreases your energy levels. To avoid this, consume a sufficient amount of calories at regular intervals and be sure to avoid skipping meals as intense hunger can trigger your body’s “starvation mode”.
1) Low-Iron Foods
One use of iron is that it converts calories into energy, so if it is missing from your diet, you could start feeling drained. To avoid this, consume foods rich in iron like meat, nuts, lentils and edamame beans.
