In common jargon everyone calls it “abbiocco”. This is the classic drowsiness that assails us immediately after lunch. That irrepressible desire to close your eyes and take a nap. A condition that worsens especially in summer due to the heat.
On vacation we can also afford to take a nap, but for most of the year we have to be ready and quick to get back into the office super efficient.
The cause
Discarded pathological causes such as hypothyroidism or diabetes, it is usually what we eat that causes us postprandial sleepiness. In fact, many foods contain tryptophan, an amino acid that induces sleepiness.
Here are some specific cases.
We often eat them for lunch but we shouldn’t because these 3 unsuspected foods make you sleepy
White rice
From one studio conducted in Japan, at Kanazawa Medical University, then published in “Plos One”, it turns out that white rice is a highly tranquilizing food.
The reason is due to its high glycemic index which emphasizes the effect of tryptophan.
If we really love it and can’t give up a creamy risotto or a fresh rice salad, it is better to prefer brown rice or Venere rice (the black one). The latter is also suitable for classic summer rice salads. In this article, here is a refined recipe.
Cheese and dairy products
As can be seen from the authoritative website of the Veronesi Foundation, even milk and cheese have a “sedative effect”. Excellent sources of calcium and, therefore, very useful for bone health, even milk, cheese and all its derivatives (such as yogurt) contain tryptophan. Nutrient which, thanks to the presence of calcium, is assimilated very quickly by the body.
Pay particular attention to aged cheeses, such as parmesan and pecorino. By containing greater amounts of calcium, they make you feel even more sleepy.
If you really can’t resist a portion of cheese, it is better to opt for the leaner ones such as ricotta, crescenza, mozzarella and primosale. A this link some idea of the side dishes to match.
And finally the white bread
Speech similar to that made for rice. The carbohydrates contained in rosettes, slippers and baguettes cause glucose levels to soar. Then when these, over time, begin to decrease, you immediately feel a sense of exhaustion that leads us to close our eyes. Therefore, it will be better by far to prefer wholemeal bread or with cereals: they are also tastier and more satiating.
So we often eat them for lunch but we shouldn’t because these 3 unsuspected foods make you sleepy.
Better to prefer them at dinner especially if we suffer from insomnia. In this way, then, they can come to our aid.
Regardless of the food, the rule of having a light meal and drinking a lot, obviously water, is still valid.
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(We remind you to carefully read the warnings regarding this article, which can be consulted who”)
