Feeling unmotivated, tired, and lazy can be caused by many factors. They can be caused by psychological reasons, physical, or you may have an underlying health issue that’s causing you to feel tired all the time. In some instances, it could be the food you’re eating.
While we use food to give us energy throughout the day, there are certain foods and drinks that zap our energies away. They make you feel sleepy, fatigued, and overall unproductive.
If you have no idea what kinds of foods are considered to be energy zappers, then this list will help you understand which foods cause laziness. Here are 15 foods that you might want to reconsider if you’re tired of being lazy.
1. Pasta
Whole grains like pasta, rice, oatmeal, white bread, muffins, and pastries are all made of carbohydrates that give you a jolt of energy but take it all back at the end of the day. These refined carbohydrates cause a surge in blood sugar levels but with a plunge in insulin levels right after, causes weakness, fatigue, and makes you feel lazy the rest of the day.
2. Bananas
Bananas are notorious for making you feel sluggish. While bananas are packed with potassium, which helps in nerve function and boosts heart health, they’re actually very high in magnesium, which is an essential mineral your body needs to help you sleep. It also contains tryptophan that converts into the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is then converted into melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it’s time to sleep.
Additionally, magnesium is also known as a muscle and nerve relaxant, which will make you want to lie in bed all day. Skip the banana at breakfast and have it in the evening instead.
3. Red Meat
Red meat may be high in protein and iron which are energy boosters, but they also contain high amounts of fat. It takes your body more energy to digest fat, which will leave you feeling tired, and therefore, making you lazy after a full meal of fatty steak.
4. Turkey
Turkey and other poultry meat such as duck and chicken contain tryptophan, which mentioned earlier, is a precursor to serotonin, which in turn, converts to melatonin. Its fatigue-inducing effect is especially true when you eat turkey with whole grains such as rice and pasta.
Have you noticed during Thanksgiving, after a huge meal of turkey and potatoes, you’ll have a natural inclination to just want to lie down on the couch and watch the day go by? Well, it’s the deadly combination of turkey meat and carbs that make your body want to sit still and lie down all day.
5. Fried Food
When food is fried in oil, it is subjected to high temperatures that create harmful free radicals. These free radicals cause inflammation and bloating, and are known to cause chronic fatigue syndrome. After eating fried food such as fried chicken and french fries, you’ll find yourself feeling lethargic and bloated.
6. Processed Food
Processed food such as hotdogs, hams, bacon, canned goods, and cereal is packed with high amounts of sodium and sugar. Sodium causes bloating in the body, which makes you feel heavier than you are, and salt is known to give you a surge of energy with a deep plunge right after. This combination of salt and sugar both work together to make you feel tired and unproductive.
7. Nuts
Fancy a healthy nut snack in the middle of the day? Err, not so fast. Some kinds of nuts will actually make you sleepy, rather than give you a healthy dose of energy in the middle of a workday. Almonds are notorious for making you sleepy because they feature the perfect mix of tryptophan and magnesium, which are both natural muscle and nerve function relaxants. Almonds will prevent you from wanting to moving around to get things done.
Walnuts, on the other hand, are one of the best sources of natural melatonin, as well as magnesium. and as we’ve mentioned earlier, melatonin will tell you it’s time to sleep, and of course, magnesium is another nerve relaxant that makes you feel tired and lazy.
8. Candies and Sugary Snacks
We all know that candies and sugary snacks are bad for us, but if you’ve always thought that a dose of sugar will give you the energy boost you’re looking for, it’s not exactly the best idea.
While yes, a dose of sugar can give you a spike of energy, it’s all taken away once your insulin levels plunge. After that boost of energy, you’ll feel incredibly drowsy and lethargic right after.
9. Sugary Drinks
A can of soda or bottle of juice might seem like a great idea to give you a quick boost of energy in the middle of the day, but they act just like candy and sugary snacks in the way it gives you a pick me up but slows you down later.
Plus, most sodas and juices are void of nutrition, which means you’re consuming something that will make you think you’re full, but then you’re actually consuming empty calories. Empty calories can make you crave more sugary sweets and snacks, and lead you into a cycle of crashing and burning.
10. Coffee
If you need to drink coffee to help you get through the morning, it implies that you’re not feeding your body the proper nutrients and rest it needs to function on its own.
Coffee is a stimulant, which means it will help to keep you up, but once the boost of caffeine wears off, you will feel incredibly sleepy afterward.
Coffee is also known to disrupt sleep, and sleep deficiency is one of the major causes of fatigue.
11. Junk Food
Junk food is known to contain high amounts of sodium, sugar, preservatives, and high-saturated and trans fat. All these chemicals together in one food can make you feel tired, unhealthy, and lethargic. Not only is junk food bad for your health, but it’s also bad for your productivity levels, too.
12. Alcohol
Alcohol is a downer, which means you’ll feel relaxed and sleepy once you drink a glass. It also interferes with sleep, making you wake up several times in one sleep cycle.
While wine or beer can help you sleep faster, it won’t give you good quality sleep, which can make you feel tired once you wake up, even though you had 7 to 9 hours of slumber.
13. Cherries
Cherries are one of the best natural sources of melatonin. If you have trouble sleeping, pop a cherry or two and it will help you sleep faster and give you better sleep quality. However, if you eat cherries in the morning or in the middle of the day, it will make you feel sleepy and too tired to finish your tasks.
14. Salmon
Salmon is a fatty fish that is touted as a superfood, but did you know it can make you feel tired? It features Vitamin B6, which is needed by the body to produce melatonin, as well as Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D which all work together to induce sleep, making you feel tired and drowsy throughout the day.
15. Lettuce
And lastly, lettuce. Yes, lettuce has been known to have sedative properties that are similar to opioids. This sedative substance found in lettuce is called lactucin, which has been studied in mice to stimulate calming and pain-relieving effects.
Lettuce has been said to make you feel calm and relaxed, making you want to sit on the couch or lie in bed.
Have you been eating or drinking any of these foods and wondered why you have been feeling tired, fatigued, or sleepy? Then you’ve found your answer. If you want to have more energy, then it’s time to reconsider taking these 15 foods out of your diet.