How to avoid energy crash after lunch?

Insulin which regulates the glucose in the blood makes that. When you run low on it is the time the regulation is over. (Takes roughly 3 hours. You can avoid that by :

- Eating food with low GI (cook your pastas al dente)
- Mixing some vegies with your plates

go to bed earlier

I eat snacks between breakfast and lunch so that I don't over indulge at lunch which then leads to a crash for me after lunch. I also try to eat a lot of veggies and protein at lunch and stay away from pasta. When I start to feel tired, I go outside in the sunshine for a 10 minute walk.

ETA: That first sentence is confusing - if I over-indulge at lunch I crash after lunch. If I eat snacks mid morning, then I'm not starving my lunch and I don't over-indulge.

Avoid the simple carbs and sugar at lunch. Eat a protein based meal and follow up about 30 min later with water!!!!

Crashing is either carb or sugar issue. Eat protein which gives you real engery, no crash!!!

Oh and get rid off or really cut back on the diet soda.......

Best of luck!!!

Maybe go for a run on your lunch break? or some other type of activity. I used to have the same problem before I started running on my break. It's a great energy/mood boost for the day.

Reduce simple carbs and up protein at lunchtime.

As a recovering Mt. Dew addict, put down the pop! Seriously, I quit drinking it by downing a glass of water first thing in the morning. That way when I had my Dew on the way to work I wasn't actually thirsty. Sure enough, by about day 4 I wasn't even finishing my can of Dew. I don't know if you drink pop in the morning but I always did and it turns out (DUH!) my body was just thirsty from not drinking all night. That trick resolved the morning Dew issue. Next, I quit buying it at home and I carry my water bottle with me AT ALL TIMES! I keep one in my freezer as well about half full. It freezes, I add water and constantly have ice cold water at home. After a couple weeks I didn't even miss it. I still have a soda here and there but even when I have one I usually don't finish it and I'm getting a water instead. It has made a huge difference for me and I no longer have the caffeine crash that comes with pop! My head used to start drooping at my desk around 3 everyday. This has stopped since I quit drinking pop. Coincidence?? Maybe but I like to think it was the soda. Good luck!

I am often very tired after lunch. Right now I feel like I can hardly stay awake. I about 1 1/2 hours ago. A bit about me...I am 36 (37 next month), have four kids (youngest is 6 months and wakes up quite a bit at night still), weigh 148 and am 5'0" tall. I had gestational diabetes and my fasting BG has been high for the last month (usually high 90's or low 100's). I go in for a fasting glucose tolerance test next week. That being said, what are some general food rules for avoiding a crash after lunch? Here is what I have eaten so far today:

Breakfast--Quaker weight control oatmeal and an egg muffin cup (about 3/4 of an egg, a bit of sausage and onions and peppers).

Lunch--I was very hungry (still am)--homemade pasta fagioli soup (1 cup);yoplait greek yogurt;carrots, snap peas and grape tomatoes; Zone simple perfect energy bar; and I just ate a piece of string cheese.

Any suggestions?

Are you eating all your calories, or running a higher deficit in the hopes of losing weight faster? If you are, STOP IT. Tiredness sometimes is a sign of lack of sleep, and sometimes a sign that you aren't feeding the machine properly and you need more fuel.

But far more importantly...

You said you are breastfeeding. Are you counting the calories you are giving your baby? You are making your baby's food right now and your body needs extra fuel to make that happen. The quality of that milk is more important to your baby's health than losing weight is to yours, so DO NOT go by this site's basic recommendation for your daily calorie intake - talk to your doctor or pediatrician about how many calories you should be eating and what they should consist of.

It always helps me to eat a good snack around 2 or 3ish. I like to have some protien along with a fruit. A big glass of chocolate milk sounds good right now though. Since you are breastfeeding make certain you are eating plenty of calories.

I also drink diet soda. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but could this be a "crash" from not having caffeine for a few hours? I usually have three cans of soda per day--two in the morning and one in the afternoon (just having it now). I do stay tired throughout the afternoon, though.

It could. Save half the diet soda from lunch and drink it an hour later. (with plenty of water to buffer the caffeine's diuretic effects, especially if you're tired and breastfeeding). If the "crash" moves out an hour or goes away, then it's caffeine letdown.

I noticed a huge difference when I was drinking diet soda. I gave it up. I have an occasional one. If you can, I would just stop drinking it. I feel a little tired after lunch too but it is more because I am bored or work is extremely quiet.

Avoid the simple carbs and sugar at lunch. Eat a protein based meal and follow up about 30 min later with water!!!!

Crashing is either carb or sugar issue. Eat protein which gives you real engery, no crash!!!

Oh and get rid off or really cut back on the diet soda.......

Best of luck!!!

Sounds like to me your lunch contains too much sugar and hidden sugars. You didnt say if you were using whole grain pasta but the regular pasta is a simple carb. How much sugar is in the yoplait greek yogurt? Usually yoplait is really sweet, switch to plain greek yogurt and add real fruit that is low in glycemic index like strawberries or blueberries. How much sugar and hidden sugar is in your protein bar? Carrots-is a sweet vegetable. Snap Peas-is a sweet vegetable. Even the grape tomatos are know for their sweetness. Diet soda is fake sugar and when you have pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, or anything along those lines the body really reacts the same as if it were real sugar. I really think your culprit is sugar. It will be tough weaning off but once you can and stick with it, youll really see a difference in your after lunch energy even with your frequent night feedings. Good luck!