If you feel more tired after a meal, you could be affected by a process called reactive hypoglycaemia or low blood sugar after meals. Shortly after a meal that contains carbohydrates, such as pasta, the body will secrete a hormone called insulin. This hormone lowers glucose or blood sugar that is coming from the food digested in the gut.
In some people insulin is mis-timed and/or over-secreted, especially if the carbohydrate content of the meal is high.
This mis-timing and over-secretion can cause the blood glucose to go lower than normal and the body does not like this at all. Hence the post-pasta naps, ‘food comas’ and feeling hunger even after recent eating.
This can be highly frustrating if this happens at work, when you’re running to pick up the kids (it can make you super grumpy too) or if you are trying to concentrate in a uni lecture.
This post-meal reaction can be fixed if you understand the reason your body is responding in this way to food. It could be too many carbohydrates, the wrong form of carbohydrates for your body type, eating too fast, eating while distracted, or your metabolism could be out of balance.
To understand the reason why this might be happening for you, it is essential to have someone guide you through the process to identify what is happening in your body. This gives you the greatest chance of getting the best performance out of your body and avoiding the ‘food coma’!
Adrian Adams
BHSc Naturopathy & Nutritional Medicine
Click here to book a 10 minute introductory call with Adrian >
