You've probably heard the old adage, "You are what you eat.
"There's a lot of truth to this saying because the food we eat has a direct effect on how our body works and how we feel.
To be specific, there are certain foods that make you unable to focus because you feel exhausted or lightheaded.
If you don't want your ADHD symptoms to feel worse, consider avoiding these foods.
Turkey Turkey is one of the more healthy meats out there but it's also one of the most potent "sleepy" foods.
The reason why turkey has this effect on the body is because it is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan, which relaxes the body.
A simple turkey sandwich won't contain enough tryptophan to make you pass out, but do limit your servings if you have an entire roast turkey in front of you.
Sugar Candy, soda, and other sugary foods give you a short burst of energy for a short time, but they'll leave you feeling more worn down than when you started.
These foods contained refined sugar, which increases your blood sugar levels drastically, which causes a sudden increase in energy.
To balance things out, the body instinctively secretes insulin, which makes you crash and burn when your energy sources go low.
Fried food Passing by a fast food joint for a burger and fries might be a convenient way to get lunch, but it will make you too sleepy to work by the time you get back.
Fried food contains high amounts of fat, which takes more energy to digest them.
Eating fried, fatty food is a sure way to leech energy off your body.
Red meat Another reason why you shouldn't eat a burger for lunch is because red meat takes much longer to digest than other types of meat.
This means that your body will need to consume far more energy to digest red meat than a slice of fish.
Coffee Most of us need a cup of coffee to kick-start our day, but too much of it will actually make you feel lethargic.
Coffee contains caffeine, a nervous system stimulant that will trigger a false feeling of energy.
Relying too much of caffeine will make your body go on a rollercoaster ride, where your energy levels rise and then crash rapidly.
As with sugar, a caffeine crash makes it difficult for you to sustain attention and concentrate on what you're doing.
So you reach for a second cup of joe, which only repeats the vicious cycle.
Energy drinks Energy drinks are not the best way to keep your productivity upeither; most contain sugar and caffeine to keep you going.
Even if the energy drinks of today contain ingredients like green tea, ginseng, and taurine, they are only available in minuscule amounts - too small to provide any real benefits to your health.
Wheat Ever wonder why eating a slice of bread makes you feel sedated? That's because pasta, bread, and other wheat-based foods contain gluten, a protein that cannot be easily digested by the body.
When partially-digested, gluten forms a substance called opioid peptides, which have a morphine-like effect on the brain.
Additionally, wheat foods are very starchy.
Starch works just like sugar on the body, and a sudden increase in starch will trigger the release of insulin, which brings your blood sugar levels down and makes you experience a "crash".
"There's a lot of truth to this saying because the food we eat has a direct effect on how our body works and how we feel.
To be specific, there are certain foods that make you unable to focus because you feel exhausted or lightheaded.
If you don't want your ADHD symptoms to feel worse, consider avoiding these foods.
Turkey Turkey is one of the more healthy meats out there but it's also one of the most potent "sleepy" foods.
The reason why turkey has this effect on the body is because it is rich in an amino acid called tryptophan, which relaxes the body.
A simple turkey sandwich won't contain enough tryptophan to make you pass out, but do limit your servings if you have an entire roast turkey in front of you.
Sugar Candy, soda, and other sugary foods give you a short burst of energy for a short time, but they'll leave you feeling more worn down than when you started.
These foods contained refined sugar, which increases your blood sugar levels drastically, which causes a sudden increase in energy.
To balance things out, the body instinctively secretes insulin, which makes you crash and burn when your energy sources go low.
Fried food Passing by a fast food joint for a burger and fries might be a convenient way to get lunch, but it will make you too sleepy to work by the time you get back.
Fried food contains high amounts of fat, which takes more energy to digest them.
Eating fried, fatty food is a sure way to leech energy off your body.
Red meat Another reason why you shouldn't eat a burger for lunch is because red meat takes much longer to digest than other types of meat.
This means that your body will need to consume far more energy to digest red meat than a slice of fish.
Coffee Most of us need a cup of coffee to kick-start our day, but too much of it will actually make you feel lethargic.
Coffee contains caffeine, a nervous system stimulant that will trigger a false feeling of energy.
Relying too much of caffeine will make your body go on a rollercoaster ride, where your energy levels rise and then crash rapidly.
As with sugar, a caffeine crash makes it difficult for you to sustain attention and concentrate on what you're doing.
So you reach for a second cup of joe, which only repeats the vicious cycle.
Energy drinks Energy drinks are not the best way to keep your productivity upeither; most contain sugar and caffeine to keep you going.
Even if the energy drinks of today contain ingredients like green tea, ginseng, and taurine, they are only available in minuscule amounts - too small to provide any real benefits to your health.
Wheat Ever wonder why eating a slice of bread makes you feel sedated? That's because pasta, bread, and other wheat-based foods contain gluten, a protein that cannot be easily digested by the body.
When partially-digested, gluten forms a substance called opioid peptides, which have a morphine-like effect on the brain.
Additionally, wheat foods are very starchy.
Starch works just like sugar on the body, and a sudden increase in starch will trigger the release of insulin, which brings your blood sugar levels down and makes you experience a "crash".
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