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Hasn’t it ever happened to you that you’re at work and all of a sudden just after having rice in your meal, you struggle to keep your eyes open? You relate to it, don’t you? because you’re feeling lazy and lethargic! Well, it’s not your story alone! But have you ever wondered why consuming rice is so often followed by a sudden urge to take a nap?
We’ve not just got an answer for you, but also a solution, thanks to celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija, who recently took to Instagram to share how rice causes drowsiness and what’s the solution to avoid the unwanted sleepy, tired and sluggish feeling.
The relationship between rice and sleep
Globally, a lot of people eat rice as a part of their staple food. One wonders if the the variety or quality of rice is responsible for the sleepiness, but no. Rice is comfort food and has a place in a healthy diet as it is high on carbohydrates.
Pooja explains, “Any carb is going to have a similar effect because the carbs are converted to glucose, and glucose requires insulin. Once the insulin surge increases, it prompts the brain for the essential fatty acids of tryptophan to enter.” And guess what? “That process causes melatonin and serotonin to increase which are the calming hormones that cause drowsiness,” she adds.
Pooja also mentions that this is a very normal nervous response so that the body can slow down whatever it is doing and focuses on digestion.
Check out her Instagram post here:
You must be thinking that that means consuming rice for lunch is surely a bad idea. But there’s a way to manage it, and there’s no need for you to ski[ rice. Pooja suggests ways to beat drowsiness caused by rice. So, if you don’t want to feel tired or lethargic mid-day, these are the two solutions:
1. Avoid large meals
The basic problem with eating rice is that one tends to eat more of it, compared to rotis. Controlling the portion is the first solution, according to Pooja. The quantity of the meal should not be very large. The larger the meal, the larger the effort to battle the fatigue. Less quantity of the rice is the way you can prevent the sleepy hormones from being released in the bloodstream, causing tiredness.
2. Eat fewer carbs
Make sure you eat fewer carbs in your meal. Pooja advises, “Your midday meal should have 50% of vegetables, 25% protein, and 25% carbs.” Go less on proteins also because they will contribute to your tryptophan levels and you don’t want that, do you?
So ladies beat your drowsiness with these hacks suggested by Pooja Makhija!
