WTF TO Eat When You're Tired And Craving Carbs & Sugar
Does "springing ahead" spike sugar cravings for your? Here's how to cope.
Daylight savings is upon us, and though it’s really nice to have more hours of daylight each day, the time change (yes, even just one hour!) can really throw us off our game. We may find ourselves more tired than usual and more likely to crave foods we might not normally want. So, if you live in an area where the time change is observed and are feeling sluggish and cranky, and are craving ALL the carbs and sugar, don’t fret – there’s a physiological reason why you’re feeling the way you are!
Here are a few reasons why this happens:
When we’re sleep deprived, hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin are impacted, making us more aware of hunger and less perceptive of fullness.
When we’re tired, our body is naturally drawn to quick sources of energy, so foods that provide glucose can be extra appealing. Basically, our brain sees a donut and is like, “Oh! This will get into my bloodstream quickly and help me feel more alert!”
The problem is that very often, these high-sugar, high-carb foods offer minimal other nutritional value and tend to set us up for blood sugar spikes and crashes, and our energy, mood, and focus are all along on that roller coaster ride.
Thankfully, there are a few things that can help:
Don’t skip carbs altogether; instead have small amounts of carbs spread out through the day.
Choose higher-fiber complex carbs. Oatmeal, quinoa, brown rice, lentils, garbanzo beans, peas, sweet potatoes, beets, apples, bananas, and oranges are all great options.
Pair carbs with protein and fat to stabilize blood sugar. For snacks,try easy pairings like a sliced apple with nut butter, plain Greek yogurt with berries, and avocado toast (use whole wheat bread). For meals, enjoy grilled or baked chicken, fish, or tofu accompanied by whole grains and cooked veggies, roasted salmon and veggies with baked sweet potato, or a veggie and cheese omelet with a side of roasted potatoes.
Instead of amping up coffee intake, drink a little extra water. Because getting poor sleep contributes to dehydration, a little extra fluid can help us feel more alert.
If you want to keep meal planning super straightforward, check out my post on The Overthink Proof Plate method, which is a fail-proof formula I recommend to clients to make it easy to figure out WTF to eat. The post gets into the details, but in short, The Overthink-Proof Plate formula looks like this:
For at least 1-2 meals per day, fill ½ of your plate with non-starchy veggies, ¼ with protein, ⅛ with healthy fats, and ⅛ with carbs.
For smaller meals, make sure you have a source each of protein, fat, and fiber
At snacks: pair something with fiber with a sources of protein and/or fat
I hope you find these suggestions helpful as you adjust to the changes brought upon by daylight savings time. I’d love to hear from you: What do you love or loathe the time change in March? Drop a comment or reply via email to let me know!
Jess