If you’re wondering how to avoid food coma, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find helpful tips on how to keep portion sizes in check, how to maintain blood sugar levels, and how to avoid high-fat, high-carb meals. The key to avoid a food coma is to eat moderate amounts of fruits and vegetables. A low-glycemic index food is best, and complex carbohydrates and proteins are better for your body’s glucose levels than high-carb foods.
Fruits
The first step in avoiding a food coma is to eat smaller, frequent meals. Fruits are high in fiber and water, which can help prevent the effects of food comas. When you overeat, your body will switch to the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heartbeat and gets to work on the digestive system. This can result in a feeling of extreme sleepiness. However, you don’t have to avoid all fruits if you want to avoid a food coma. Instead, you should stick to a nutritious diet and drink more water and other liquids.
Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables will help keep you fuller longer. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated after a meal when a mass forms in the gastrointestinal tract. This state helps the body conserve energy and break down the nutrients. Eating fruits and vegetables is an easy way to avoid a food coma. Fruits contain natural sugars, which can help with digestion.
Keeping portion sizes in control
One way to control your portions is to eat smaller, more frequent meals. A serving size should be three to four ounces of meat or fish, one cup of starchy carbohydrates, and one to two tablespoons of fat. In addition to smaller meals, try to include an activity before meals. Exercise will help you burn calories and stimulate your circulation. Eating a small portion at a time will also keep you from indulging in a binge.
A balanced meal is best, so choose food with complex carbohydrates, a balanced protein and fibre content. Try to limit your alcohol intake. Staying well hydrated is also important. A 15-minute walk can help control digestion. You can also drink a cup of coffee or take a nap to avoid the feeling of a food coma. If you do experience a food coma, follow these steps to stay awake and alert.
Keeping blood sugar levels in check
Keeping your blood sugar levels in check is essential to prevent the “food coma.” Eating small portions of low-glycemic-index foods and high-protein foods is key. Proteins, in particular, are vital to blood sugar stability. And don’t forget exercise. Exercising will also help transport excess blood sugar to your muscles, preventing food coma.
If you’re having trouble controlling your blood sugar levels, you can also keep a food diary. People who keep food diaries lose two times as much weight than people who don’t. Not only will it give you a better idea of what foods affect your blood sugar levels, but keeping a diary will help you avoid mindless snacking. Keep one at home or use an app to record every bite you eat.
Avoiding high-fat, high-carb meals
It is possible to prevent a food coma by choosing smaller portions of complex carbohydrates and fiber-rich foods. In addition, try to avoid overeating and indulging in sugar-soaked desserts and alcoholic beverages, which can trigger a food coma. It is a medically recognized condition, also known as post-prandial somnolence.
Eat more complex carbohydrates. They help control blood sugar levels and prevent a food coma. Aside from adding fiber, fruits and vegetables also slow down the digestion of carbohydrates in the gut. Studies have shown that eating large portions of high-fat foods can contribute to daytime sleepiness. Consequently, you should make an effort to eat a balanced diet that contains a variety of complex carbohydrates and fibre.
Drinking coffee
Besides avoiding high-fat, high-calorie foods, you can also avoid the symptoms of food coma by avoiding coffee. In addition to being a stimulant, coffee also helps focus your nervous system. It is a good alternative to tea, as it serves as a natural immune booster. Taking a nap after a heavy meal is also beneficial to ward off food coma, but you must do so within a reasonable time after eating.
Caffeine causes a spike in blood sugar, which makes your body release insulin to compensate. The body releases more insulin, which stimulates the production of serotonin, the hormone responsible for sleep. Thus, drinking a coffee after a meal counteracts the sleepiness effect of carbohydrates. It also helps with digestion by making the intestinal muscles contract more frequently. This helps move waste along. However, if you are sensitive to caffeine, you should avoid drinking coffee if you want to avoid food coma.