A balanced and healthy diet is not only important for the body, but also for the brain. If we don’t supply our gray cells with enough vitamins and minerals, our concentration and attention will plummet. Even if we actually slept enough and should be rested. If you can hardly get out of bed in the morning and almost fall out of your chair in the afternoon, it doesn’t necessarily have to be due to a lack of sleep. It can also be the diet that makes them flabby and sleepy.
These Foods Make You Tired/ Awake
Foods That Make You Tired:
Sweets
Yes, we know it’s so hard to resist them! The crunchy muesli for breakfast, the fruit yoghurt in between, the chocolate bar in the evening. All of these sweet temptations are real energy drainers and make you tired. Because they are full of industrial sugar, which causes the blood sugar level to skyrocket quickly, but also causes it to drop again just as quickly. The consequences: We fall into a deep hole – and feel weak and tired.
White flour
White bread, wheat rolls, toasts, but also pasta and pizza: eating white industrial flour makes you tired. And for similar reasons that also apply to sweet foods: white flour is composed of sugar or short-chain carbohydrates, which give the body a brief energy boost, but immediately cause the blood sugar level to plummet again.
Greasy, fried food
Burgers, fries and pizza are literally heavy on our stomachs. In order to optimally digest food, the body pumps blood into the stomach. The problem: In order to process heavy, high-fat food, the body needs a lot more blood than with plant-based or low-fat products. And it is precisely this blood that is missing in our heads: we practically switch off and get tired.
Fruit Smoothies
Sure, the colorful drinks are popular and are great as a small shot of vitamins for in between meals. When you reach for the supermarket shelf, you should also take a look at the list of ingredients, because in addition to fruit, smoothies contain a lot of sugar – which in turn drains the body of energy.
Foods That Wake You Up:
Spicy foods
How about a ginger shot in the morning? Or a fiery minced meat stew for lunch? Spicy food and drinks invigorate body and mind because they stimulate and activate circulation in a matter of seconds. This is due to the ingredient capsaicin, which is not only good for your health, but also boosts our heat production and fat burning and makes us fit and awake.
Nuts
Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and co. are perfect snacks and energy suppliers. The ingredients magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins blow away stress, nervousness and tiredness because they keep the blood sugar level at a constant level and are considered true “brain food” that get us through the day in a concentrated manner.
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate wakes you up? That can’t be right, can it? You’re right! And in the case of dark chocolate. From a very high cocoa content of at least 60 percent, it contains the active ingredient theobromine, which has similar stimulant properties as caffeine – and without the subsequent drop in performance as with the bean drink.
Citrus Fruits
It doesn’t matter whether it’s lemons, oranges or grapefruit: As the ideal source of vitamin C, citrus fruits keep us on our toes. The natural stimulant has an invigorating effect because it stimulates norepinephrine production and thus increases metabolism and concentration. In addition, plenty of vitamin C also strengthens the immune system and promotes the absorption of the blood-forming mineral iron.