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Avoid a afternoon sleepiness - 5 life-changing lunch tips that will keep you going in the afternoon.
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The lunch break is such a strange thing. We look forward to indulging in this moment after an often somewhat stressful and busy morning. We are looking forward to the short break, something delicious to eat and to just clear our heads a bit.
On the other hand, we often know beforehand that there won’t be much left to do with us afterwards. Actually, after the break, we need another break to help us digest and regain energy for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, we often don’t have this time and return to work more tired and unfocused than when we left.
But what to do? Nothing more to eat? Quitting work at 14h? Everything a bit difficult.
So what can you do? One of the reasons, elevated blood sugar levels, is not only responsible for our afternoon sleepiness, but also has a strong influence on our aging process.
Not only does it promote inflammation, but it also affects the health and stability of your blood vessels as well as your kidneys. At the same time, it inhibits us when we want to lose a few kilos.
But there are other reasons that send us into the afternoon sleepiness, and we’ll show you what they are and what you can do about it.
Regularly elevated blood sugar levels gradually do us harm and age us faster.
But don’t worry, we don’t want to completely change your day. But if you want to avoid the classic afternoon sleepiness while doing something to stay young longer, it makes sense to adopt some routines that give you more energy at lunchtime instead of draining it.
That’s why we want to give you our 5 lunch tips that will help you avoid a afternoon sleepiness and make you feel younger and healthier.
5 golden lunch tips
1. relax
Even though we look forward to our lunch break, we don’t always take the time to enjoy it in a relaxed way. Maybe because we already have another deadline, have put too many tasks in the break or just want to finish work faster. But that’s already problem number one.
In order to digest, our body needs energy. A lot of energy. The less time we take to chew properly and consciously eat the right amount in peace, the more energy our body will need to digest what we have eaten.
That’s why it’s important that you take time to eat. Conscious chewing is especially important to stimulate saliva production. This is because digestion and the decomposition of food into carbohydrates, proteins, as well as the activation of the right amount of gastric acid already begins here.
Smoothies are not so good because we just gulp them down or activate digestion. At the same time, they often contain a lot of fructose, which causes our blood sugar levels to rise unnecessarily. Soups should also be chewed, even if they are liquid.
2. listen to your body
Due to time pressure, chatting with colleagues or lack of concentration, we often eat too fast and too much, which also costs our body a lot of energy.
Even if you eat a salad or something else healthy for lunch, it may still make you tired then.
Our tip is, to order small portions or split your meal. Just put 20% aside and eat only 80% for now. Unfortunately, our feeling of satiety only sets in after about 20 minutes, far too late to realize that we are actually already full. You can then eat the remaining 20% later when you get a little hungry again.
This way, your digestion isn’t immediately overwhelmed and you don’t fall into a afternoon sleepiness.
3. keep your blood sugar level low
We’ve all heard that it’s important to make sure that blood sugar levels don’t rise too quickly, because then they drop again quickly, which in turn makes us tired.
Especially when we are stressed, our bodies crave quick energy like sugar and short-chain carbohydrates like in pasta, pizza, and white bread. But just because it asks for it doesn’t mean it’s what’s good for it. It first gives you a short-term energy boost that you needed, but the crash often follows quickly after. Besides that, elevated blood glucose levels as well as sugar and gluten have pro-inflammatory effects at various levels and promote the development of zombie cells.
When choosing ingredients for your lunch, look for a good mix of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Whole grain rice, quinoa, or millet as a side dish provides you with healthy nutrients and goes perfectly with vegetables and salad.
Image by: julie aagaard
4. tea ritual
Our ultimate tip is to make tea an after-meal ritual. Not just any tea, of course, but a tea that stimulates your digestion and thus gives you back the energy you need.
The optimal herbs for this are artichoke, black cumin, fennel, anise, and milk thistle.
These herbs stimulate the pancreas, prevent a bloated belly and
just make you feel lighter. If you need a little energy boost later, you can grab another Jerba Mate Latte . Also, this not only has a positive effect on digestion but also contains a good portion of caffeine, and has an antioxidant and cell-protective effect.
5. go for a walk
If you can somehow, go out to eat or treat yourself to a walk afterwards. Especially when the sun is shining, you should take the chance. Just 15 minutes of exercise and fresh air will give you energy and stimulate your digestion.
Especially when you sit at a desk all day and in a closed room, a dose of oxygen is all the more important.
What can you take from here
You see, it’s not that hard to keep your energy even in the afternoon. Use these 5 things and make them part of your routine. You will quickly notice that you are more focused and have more energy throughout the day without getting tired too quickly.