We all count on food to power us through the day, but some meals may be doing just the opposite. New research shows certain foods can spike your energy and then suddenly drain it. Whether it\u2019s in the office, or in class, food is fuel, until it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody’s in a rush. Everybody wants fast food and everything,\u201d said Rukhsana Shanbhag, Registered Dietitian.<\/p>\n
Studies show up to one in four Americans experience excessive daytime sleepiness and what you eat may be a big factor. So, which foods are energy zappers?<\/p>\n
First, fruits like bananas. If they\u2019re overripe, they\u2019re full of sugar and can cause a quick spike, followed by a crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re going to get a lot of sugar and that again, will do the same thing as eating, you know, some candy or something,\u201d explained Shanbhag.<\/p>\n
Those carbohydrate meals can fill you up fast \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will raise your blood insulin levels to clear it out and then sometimes people have a drop in your glucose levels and then that can make you sleepy,\u201d said Shanbhag.<\/p>\n
Salt-dried snacks and pickled vegetables can leave you feeling sluggish too.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much salt can make you thirsty and they can dehydrate you,\u201d explained Shanbhag.<\/p>\n
Dietitians say the best way to beat that midday slump is to fill up on energy-boosting foods like oatmeal for steady carbs, eggs for protein, leafy greens for iron and nutrients, unsalted almonds for healthy fats, and apples for natural, slow-release energy. These choices keep your blood sugar stable and your focus sharp.<\/p>\n
Shanbhag recommends balancing lunches with protein, healthy fats, and vegetables. She says roasted chickpeas or avocado toast are great snack options. They won\u2019t spike your blood sugar and can help keep your energy steady. And here\u2019s a tip, if your banana still has a touch of green, it\u2019s actually a starchy food that\u2019s good for your gut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We all count on food to power us through the day, but some meals may be doing just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":570169,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[61345,8107,97,61346,89769,269,3234,73970,73971,89770,69987],"class_list":{"0":"post-570168","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-_homepage_top_stories","9":"tag-berks","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-lehighvalley","12":"tag-life-lessons","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-pennsylvania","15":"tag-poconos-coal","16":"tag-southeastern-pa","17":"tag-sunrise","18":"tag-western-newjersey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/570169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}