It is two o’clock and you feel tired and have difficulty concentrating. Your blood sugar has now dropped to a level where it begins to control your actions. The body requires energy, NOW. You’re looking in your desk drawers and feel relief when you find a candy bar. But why do you need the candy bar in the first place? Why do you get irritated almost every afternoon? Why are you always without energy during the afternoons?
If you often feel tired and moody during the afternoons it’s probably because of your eating habits. You need to correct your eating habits, to avoid blood sugar drops and cravings for sweets.
When blood sugar drops fast, you need something to quickly restore balance. If you satisfy your appetite with a chocolate bar, you will have a short term solution. Your blood sugar levels will spike, and your body will release large amounts of insulin. The insulin will then help transferring the sugar from your blood into your muscles and liver, where it is stored for later use in the form of fuel called glycogen. If you don’t need the extra extra energy from the chocolate bar, your body will store it as fat. Soon you will become moody and hungry all over again and crave for a something unhealthy and your body will store even more fat.
Instead of treating your body with quick fixes from a chocolate bar, a healthy diet will keep a stable energy level throughout the day. It is naturally to feel a little hungry a few times during the day, but you can still be in a good mood if you eat right and choose a healthy snack instead, like an apple. Your brain and muscles need a steady flow of energy to function well and if you eat healthy, you will also have the energy to go for a walk just before bedtime.
Instead of a chocolate bar, take an apple. The release of sugar from the apple passes slowly into the blood. This is why you won’t experience the same drastic drop in your blood sugar level. If your blood sugar levels stay stable, you will easier control your cravings for sweets. Proper nutrition and a generally healthy lifestyle will avoid dramatic mood swings, and can keep your blood sugar levels stable.