Lately I've noticed, or rather I've taken the TIME to notice.. whenever I eat potatoe's, pizza, etc (carbs).. i get super sleepy within an HOUR of eating them.. for instance last night we went to Pizza Hut.. by the time we got home, I was ready to nap...had to have a coke to stay awake to watch a movie...
Today.. we had pizza for lunch (frozen pizza).. and sure enough.. I got sleepy within an hour.. last week.. I had a baked potatoe for lunch.. and was sleepy after that... an hour ago I had oh so nutritious potatoe chips.. and peanut butter sandwhich with jelly..and..yup..I'm sleepy.

What is going on with me? It's been this way for a long time, I just never realized it was after eating such things... I decided last week to start figuring out what I did in my routines that were making me so sleepy.. and nothing else was consistent except what I ate.. Now I know some carbs can make you sleepy, but REALLY. What am I suppose to do? Not eat ANY carbs now? :shock:

I'm wanting to change how I eat to healthier ANYWAY, so any advice you all might have about nutrition plans to follow that would not only be healthy, but kick this tired stuff in the butt, would be great.. but note: I don't need to lose weight.. just eat healthier..and not be drop dead tired afterwards...

Thanks in advance!

This is just a wild guess, but I personally am sensitive to flavour enhancer (sodium glutamate). Most frozen or (cheap) restaurant foods contain it - I get dizzy/sleepy and get a headache and flushed cheeks from it. Chinese food is probably the worst in that regard ... if it's the glutamate for you than most Chinese takeaway type of food should knock you out right away.

The only thing you mentioned that doesn't fit would be the baked potato unless you had something else than pure sour cream with it that may have contained glutamate.

One company over here recently launched a product range of various frozen foods with full declaration (every single ingredient and spice listed with its origin), no colour additives, artificial flavours or flavour enhnacers ... guess what lazy me has been living on for the last few months (apart from sushi that is) :rolleyes:

Hi Madeline!
Well.. I eat my potatoe 3 different ways when its baked:
With A1 steak sauce..
With Ranch Dressing
or
With butter & sour cream...

I haven't had the A1 in about a year (!), but I know both of the other ways make me sleepy... It's really annoying to be so sleepy after eating something like that!

Too many carbs can make some people drowsy, especially if they're highly processed like white flour and sugar. Most of your carbs should be coming from non-starchy veggies, fruit, and whole grains. Adequate protein and healthy fats are important too. Since you don't need to lose weight, I wouldn't recommend a strict low carb plan. You might want to look into reading Sugar Busters or Protein Power.

bunniee

Bunniee:
hey! I knew you'd have some info for me! :) Sugar busters or Protein Power eh? Gonna have to check those out. ANYTHING to keep me from feeling so tired. *sigh* Any preference on which one is better? Or are they about equal?

Carbs will do that to me. Since I've lowered my carb intake I'm doing much better. I don't fall asleep driving to work anymore!

Try it for a week and see if you still are sleepy after a meal.

Snippet:
I think i'll try that! I started this morning. Are there certain carbs I should avoid or make it a point to eat less of? (beside yummy potatoe chips? LOL)

Bunniee:
hey! I knew you'd have some info for me! :) Sugar busters or Protein Power eh? Gonna have to check those out. ANYTHING to keep me from feeling so tired. *sigh* Any preference on which one is better? Or are they about equal?

I follow Protein Power (or try to anyway!) but I have 20 lbs left to lose. Sugar Busters allows more carbs, so it may be more suitable for someone that wants to maintain weight but improve their diet & health. You could certainly follow Protein Power at a higher carb level though. Some of the patients profiled in Protein Power were not overweight, but had health problems such as high blood pressure or cholesterol that were helped by reducing carbs.

It can be very hard to break the sugar & junk food habit. I fell off the low carb wagon for awhile, and returned after I realized it was the only diet I ever felt good on.

hth,

bunniee

Thanks bunniee!!
Sounds like something I definetely need to go look at.. hmm maybe I can head over the bookstore today.. i'm trying to low carb with what i have at home, which is about nill... gonna have to hide the cheetos! :shock:

but definetely either of the plans sounds like it's something I should look into.. is Protein power, very hard to follow? I mean, I know.. giving up all the junk foods is HARD, but I mean, in general..