Seven Foods that take a toll on your energy

For running a car, you would need fuel, similarly for keeping your body active and healthy, you would need food rich in vitamins, proteins, iron, carbohydrates and all other essential multi-vitamins to keep you energetic. However, you must have felt yourself exhausted, tired and sluggish at times after having meals, have you ever thought the food that you are taking is actually providing you the required energy or is it an energy drainer?

Certainly, even after having high calorie food and beverages in your diet, you feel exhausted, sleepy and tired. What you eat and drink determines your state of health and activeness and alertness levels. Here are 7 foods items that take a toll on your energy levels.

Fast/fried foods

Meals that are high in fat, such as potato chips, burgers, cheese and fried foods are a good source of energy drainers and cause fatigue in the short run. This is apparently especially true for meals that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates, as well as a diet that is high in both saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. Because fried foods are very fatty, it takes much more energy to break them down during digestion. Rather than fuelling your body, these foods make your body work overtime for digestion. This can lead you to feel sluggish and tired after indulging.

Alcohol

Excessive intake of alcohol or especially red wine can take a toll on your energy levels. In a study published by Forbes magazine, findings showed that alcohol suppressed the release of glutamate, and excitatory neurotransmitter, which typically works to increase brain activity and energy levels. The reason for this is that alcohol actually slows down central nervous system of your body. This causes you to feel completely wiped out and drained.

High sugary food – doughnuts, sweet rolls etc
High sugary food intake makes you feel that it will boost your energy but in fact it provides you with the energy boost instantly but crashes it the very next moment. Thus you feel sluggish and sleepy. That is because when you first eat them; your blood sugar levels rise way up. However, your body then instinctually releases insulin and the blood sugar levels drop rapidly. What is the result? You crash as you run out of energy.

Coffee

You would be wondering why coffee? Although caffeine helps us feel energized and awake. Unfortunately excessive caffeine intake can also increase our anxiety levels, a development that can cause increased stress, and chronic fatigue.

White bread

White bread is one of the most common breakfast component in every household, because of its easy to prepare and usage. But this is one of the food and beverage items that kills your energy levels. White bread is typically composed of refined carbohydrate that produces high level of insulin. This insulin drains the sugar absorbed from your blood streams and stored as fats under your skin. Thus making you feel less energetic.

Cereal

Most cereal is a combination of high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and genetically modified (GM) corns are the worst energy drainers. However, even "healthy" adult cereals are better off avoided, as they're nothing more than refined carbohydrates.

Soda

Most sodas contain too much sugar and artificial sweeteners. The chemical aspartame, which is used as a sugar substitute in soda, has over 92 different side effects associated with its consumption including diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.