Sorry boss, blame it on my lunch

From Health

Today • Tuesday • June 17, 2008

In collaboration with Health Promotion Board

 

Experiencing the post-lunch slump is common, but healthy food choices can help fight it

 

Eveline Gan

eveline@mediacorp.com.sg

 

IT’S a common phenomenon that most office workers are familiar with.

 

You tell yourself you’ll finish that report after lunch. But soon after a hearty bowl of mee pok, you’re slumped over your desk, too drowsy to even think coherently.

 

If your boss demands to know why your report is late, blame it on the post lunch slump.

 

Nutritionists Today spoke to said that during this period, you’re likely to feel sleepy and sluggish as energy and concentration levels wane. A lack of alertness may also leave you more susceptible to making mistakes.

 

“For an average person, the post-lunch slump can occur within the first hour of your meal,” warned Ms Yondi Lee, a holistic nutritionist at Ascension Healing.

 

“By the time you finish your food, make it back to the office and sit down, you’ll start to feel the effects,” she said.

 

According to Ms Magdalin Cheong, chief dietitian at Changi General Hospital’s Dietetic and Food Services department, the post-lunch slump is often caused by eating a ”heavy lunch”.

 

“The body directs all or most of its energy to the digestive tract to try and digest all the food consumed, leaving you feeling tired and sleepy,” explained Ms Cheong.

 

What you ate for lunch may be the other culprit for the lethargy.

 

If you had been loading up on refined carbohydrates, which can be found in white rice and processed noodles such as bee hoon and kway teow, you’re more likely to be affected by the post-lunch slump, said Ms Lee.

 

“When we eat such foods, our body absorbs the carbohydrates very quickly. This causes blood sugar to rise sharply, but it falls quickly, too. This fluctuation in blood sugar levels causes drowsiness,” she added.

 

Interestingly, people who have greasy foods, such as roti prata or fried rice for lunch, may not experience the slump as quickly.

 

This is because fat slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, explained Ms Lee. But she added that this is not a fool-proof method of preventing the post lunch slump.

 

“Fats merely slow down the process but you’ll eventually feel tired because your body has to work hard to metabolise the fat.”

 

What you can do to combat the slump, said Ms Lee, is to cut down on foods containing refined carbohydrates and consume more wholesome grains such as brown rice, oats and buckwheat at lunch.

 

But what if it’s difficult to get hold of such less refined carbs?

 

“Cut down on the processed rice and noodles then and increase your intake of protein and fibre,” she advised.

 

An average-sized person who is not physically active should only be consuming about half to three-quarter bowl of white rice per meal, she said.

 

“The usual portion of one bowl of rice is really too much.”

 

It’s also helpful to keep yourself well hydrated and to avoid sitting down too soon after lunch.

 

“When you’re dehydrated, your brain becomes ‘foggy’. This is especially so in an air-conditioned room where the air is drier. Office workers also typically drink caffeinated beverages which are dehydrating,” said Ms Lee.

 

Eating a sugary snack may help elevate energy levels temporarily.

 

Said Ms Cheong: “Sugar is the simplest form which can be absorbed straight into the blood stream to provide energy. This is why some athletes drink energy beverages or eat energy bars during or before training.”

 

But beware: The sugar boost may end up becoming a vicious slump cycle, warned Ms Lee.

 

“It’s useful when you’re playing sports, but in the office, it may become a repeated post-lunch slump pattern — you get a surge of energy after the sugar boost, but when blood sugar levels drop, you feel tired again,” she said, adding that if there’s a need to snack, nuts and seeds are the best.

 

Ultimately, an average person really shouldn’t worry too much about the post lunch slump, said the nutritionists. The lapse in concentration and energy levels should pass as quickly as it began.

 

“Depending on the individual, it should be over in about half to one hour. By then, the blood sugar levels would have stabilised and you’ll start to feel alert again,” reassured Ms Lee.