Contents:
- Medical Video: Feeling Tired All the Time? Try These Natural Energy Boosters
- Various foods that drain your energy
- 1. White bread, pasta and rice
- 2. Breakfast of cereal, yogurt and other foods with added sugar
- 3. Coffee
- 4. Energy drinks
- 5. Fried foods and fast food
- 6. Low-calorie foods
- 7. Alcohol
Medical Video: Feeling Tired All the Time? Try These Natural Energy Boosters
Various factors can affect your energy ups and downs. This includes sleep needs, stress levels, levels of physical activity and the food you eat. Generally, food or snacks tend to fill your energy needs, helping you feel more energized. However, there are some foods that drain your energy. Some foods may make you lose energy quickly. Anything? Check out the answer here.
Various foods that drain your energy
1. White bread, pasta and rice
Grains are rich in carbohydrates, which are the best source of energy for the body. However, processed grains like those found in white bread, pasta, and white rice can actually cause more harm to your energy level.
This is because a portion of the fiber layer in the grain, known as bran, is removed during processing. Because of this, processed grains contain less fiber and tend to be digested and absorbed more quickly than whole grains (whole grain).
For this reason, eating or snacking that is rich in processed grains generally results in a rapid increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, and is followed by a decrease in energy.
Conversely, whole grains help you regulate blood sugar levels and help keep your energy stable throughout the day.
Therefore, avoiding processed grains or replacing them with alternative whole grains can give your body more nutrients and prevent energy peaks.
2. Breakfast of cereal, yogurt and other foods with added sugar
Many foods on the market are filled with added sugar, which if consumed too often, can affect your energy level.
Many people think that breakfast with cereal is a healthy and energizing breakfast for you. However, it really isn't.
This is because most cereals contain very little fiber but more amount of added sugar. In fact, sugar makes up as much as 50 percent of the total carbohydrates found in cereals.
This combination of high sugar and low fiber content can increase blood sugar and insulin levels, which causes an increase in energy.
What's more, some studies show that eating foods high in added sugar can increase the likelihood that you want other sweet foods, which can potentially create a cycle of energy removal.
Other breakfast foods that tend to contain high levels of sugar and include energy-draining foods, namely yogurt, juice, muffins, granola bars and even some types of bread.
3. Coffee
When consumed in moderation, coffee can increase energy levels and provide many additional benefits. However, drinking coffee regularly will cause your body to build tolerance, which will reduce the strength of its effects. More importantly, regularly relying on coffee rather than getting the right nutrition or sleep can drain your energy quickly.
Too much caffeine can also have a negative impact on the quality of your sleep, which can reduce your energy level in the long run.
Therefore, you should limit your coffee intake to around four cups per day.
4. Energy drinks
Energy drinks can provide a short-term boost in energy levels. However, the high sugar and caffeine levels can reduce the duration and quality of your sleep and cause your energy levels to decrease, making you feel tired.
5. Fried foods and fast food
Fried and fast food also includes foods that drain your energy. This is because generally these foods are high in fat and low in fiber, two factors that can slow down your digestion.
Slower digestion can reduce the speed of nutrients entering the body, delaying the increase in energy you might expect after eating.
In addition, fried and fast food tends to be low in vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients. Foods that are rich in nutrients help increase and maintain your energy level, but eating too often fried and fast food can have the opposite effect.
6. Low-calorie foods
Eating foods that are too few calories also includes foods that drain energy. Eating these foods can increase hunger. This can cause you to eat too much at the next meal, making you feel too full and slow.
Low-calorie foods are not effective for increasing your energy level. This can also cause you to consume fewer calories per day than your body needs, disrupt hormone balance and metabolism, and make you feel tired.
7. Alcohol
Consuming too much alcohol, especially around bedtime, can reduce the quality and duration of your sleep, possibly causing you to feel more tired the next day.
