As we go about our day, your energy level slightly fluctuates and is influenced by a variety of factors including sleep quality, stress levels, physical activity and the food you eat.
If you find yourself feeling sluggish mid-afternoon, then the quality and quantity of food you are eating can play a crucial role in the ebb and flow of your energy levels.
Having a meal or snack should refuel your tank and help you feel more energetic. However, some foods actually drain your energy, of which some of the tops ones are covered here.
White Bread, Pasta and Rice
Grains can be a good source of energy for the body. However, refined grains such as white bread, white pasta and white rice may actually crash your energy levels.
This is partly because refined grains contain less fibre, due to the fibre-containing outer layer, called the bran, being removed during processing.
This causes the grains to be digested and absorbed faster creating a spike in blood sugar levels — and subsequent fall — which can make you feel exhausted (1).
Instead, consuming whole grains can help regulate your blood sugar levels and provide a sustained release of energy throughout the day (2).
By refining grains another important part of the grain, the germ, is also removed. The germ contains important nutrients such as B vitamins which play an important role in creating energy.
Food With Added Sugars
Many foods on the market are loaded with added sugars including seemingly healthy foods like breakfast cereals, yoghurts and smoothies.
For example, many people consider a bowl of breakfast cereal to be an ideal energising start to the day. However, many varieties contain very little fibre yet significant amounts of added sugar (up to 50% of total carbs) in many popular breakfast cereals (3, 4, 5, 6).
The combination of low fibre and high sugar content can spike blood sugar and insulin levels, creating a rise in energy, quickly followed by a drop.
Added sugar can be found in everything from flavoured yoghurts, smoothies and juices, cereal bars and even bread.
Researchers have found that if you eat high sugar foods, you are likely to crave other sugary foods later in the day, sending your blood sugar levels out of control (7).
Many of these foods are still a sensible option, but look for varieties without added sugar that contain at least 4-5 grams of fibre per serving.
Coffee
Coffee today is big business, with over 50% of the population needing a caffeine fix to get their day started. Caffeine is one of the most popular performance enhancing substances in the world.
But with this performance, comes the responsibility to respect the effects it has on the body. Sure, coffee does have health benefits when consumed in moderation, but regularly drinking grande sized cups of coffee will cause your body to build up a tolerance, and reduce the effects of caffeine.
This tolerance causes people to start adding extra espresso shots to get the same kick, but this exacerbates the problem. This can over stimulate your adrenals too and negatively affect the quality of your sleep, and compound your energy deficiency over time (8, 9)
Energy Drinks
As is the case with coffee, the proliferation of energy drinks in your local store further highlights the demand for higher-dosed caffeine products to satisfy people’s caffeine tolerance.
Packing up to 5 cups of coffee, up to 80 grams of sugar and various other substances people are chugging these monstrous sized cans with their lunch and feeling “wired” all evening.
Energy drinks stimulate the body in the same way as coffee, without any of the beneficial antioxidant properties. The added sugar spikes your blood sugar temporarily, then crashes, leaving you feeling worse than not having it at all.
Those who consume energy drinks regularly may build up a tolerance to caffeine, thus require higher amounts of caffeine to get the same energy-boosting effects (10). This can then impact your sleep, as research shows energy drinks may affect sleep quality, leading to reduced energy levels (11).
Fried and Fast Foods
Fast food may be quick, easy and cheap and does taste damn good, but eating them too frequently can have negative effects on your health.
These calorific foods are typically high in fat and low in fibre, two factors that can slow down your digestion and absorption of nutrients into your body (12). So that chicken and fries combo may have satisfied your hunger but you’ll likely feel sluggish, bloated and drained of energy.
Consuming foods like fried fish, french fries, breaded chicken, pizza and burgers tend to be low in vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients, which can lead to deficiencies and other health issues.
Low-Calorie Foods
Some people believe that low-calorie versions of their favourite foods are a better option than the original. However, switching to these products can often present health issues.
Firstly, food manufacturers reduce the fat content of these foods, which contributes a lot to taste, and they try to enhance the taste by adding sugar. We know by now what impact sugar has on our health!
Consuming low-calorie foods can also present risk of eating fewer calories than your body requires which can create hormonal imbalances, slow down your metabolism and increase cravings for bad food.
Remember, you consume calories to provide your body with energy to perform basic functions such as moving, breathing, thinking and heartbeat.
References
1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3078018/
2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17127465
3 – http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/1711/2
4 – http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/1702/2
5 – http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/1555/2
6 – http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/breakfast-cereals/10277/2
7 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
8 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21531247
9 – http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/11/6/432.full
10 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777290/
11 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16574171
12 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26176421
13 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28530498
14 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26841435
15 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25098557
