You return to work after a tasty lunch. A new project sits on your desk. Rather than feeling ready to tackle it, you feel ready to take a nap. You feel tired after filling your belly, and have zero umph or inspiration. With a cloudy head and lunch in your gut you struggle to keep your eyes open, to plug on through.

After a big meal, like Thanksgiving or Christmas day, it's normal to feel tired. Feeling fatigued after every meal, on the other hand, is frustrating, especially when you've got a deadline to meet. Food is supposed to energize you. But if food frequently makes you drowsy, there's something wrong. Postprandial drowsiness isn't just an annoyance in Ayurveda, it's one of the most important warning signs your body uses to tell you it needs help.

For kapha individuals, fatigue after eating is the first and most important sign that you have a Kapha imbalance. Kapha is one of the three body types in Ayurveda. It is the body type most often associated with heaviness. A kapha imbalance could mean you are gaining weight, that mucus is building up in your respiratory tract, or even that your blood sugar levels, triglycerides or cholesterol levels are elevated. Attentiveness to this single symptom can help Kapha individuals avoid or regulate these conditions. It could mean that your metabolism is too slow or sluggish to digest the food. It could be a sign of poor circulation. Finally, feeling tired after eating could mean that you have too much mucus in your stomach. Ayurveda pays close attention early warning signs like fatigue after eating. Self-awareness up-front prevents disease and keeps your body vital and healthy.

So if food makes you tired how do you lighten up and regain your zeal? What will restore your mental alertness and motivation? To begin, check your portions. Larger portions make you tired. According to Ayurveda you should eat no more than what would fit in your two hands if they were a bowl. Digestion takes a lot of energy. If you overeat you will strain your metabolism. Your gut will slave away trying to digest the enormous portion. If you feel tired after a meal, recall what you ate and adjust accordingly.

Eat only when truly hungry. Don't force yourself to eat breakfast if you aren't hungry. Instead, make a nice cup of ginger tea. If your digestive tract is backed up with old food, it might need a break to get caught up and detox. Fasting for a day can be beneficial if you're otherwise healthy and strong. Eating a simple meal like kitchari for 3-5 days can also help give your gut a breather.

Next look at what you're eating. Heavy foods like wheat, dairy, sugar and red meat make you tired, Try lighter foods like salad, spelt bread, or vegetables. Instead of pizza or a sandwich, opt for soup. Use fresh herbs like parsley, oregano and thyme to keep your meal zesty. Seek out the foods which energize you.

Favor foods with bitter flavor - like dandelion greens, arugula and kale. These foods stimulate movement in your digestive track - freshening it up so to speak. Eat your food warm and well spiced - especially if you tend to have sluggish digestion. Digestive spices like ginger, cardamom, mint and black pepper can help put the pep back in your step. And speaking of step, take a short walk after meals to stimulate blood flow and metabolism. These spices can also break up excess mucus in your GI tract.

You can also try these Joyful Belly Formulas to put the spring back your step: Digestive Bitters, CCF.

Answer some questions about how foods make you feel. Then you'll receive a full food report customized for you.
COMPUTE MY DIET FOR TIRED AFTER EATING
OR, GET A GENERAL DIET FOR BALANCING TIRED AFTER EATING

Augment your diet with these specially chosen ingredients below which may be useful for 'Tired after eating'. Individual results vary depending the cause of your imbalance and by constitution. Please research the ingredients below to find which are most helpful for you, and check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine. Please check with your medical doctor before making any changes to your health & wellness routine, and for the proper use of these products.

MORE DIGESTION TIPS

DISCLAIMER: The pathogenesis of each person's condition is unique, and so the diet must be fit to the individual and the unique root causes of the condition in your body. The information on this page is for educational purposes only and should not be used to treat a medical condition. It is not a substitute for medical care. Please check with your doctor before making any changes to your health and wellness routine.

Digestion:

Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

SEE ALL 'DIGESTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Energy Vitality:

Stimulates Energy

STIMULATES-ENERGY

This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs.

SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-ENERGY' FOODS / HERBS

,

Adrenal Tonic

ADRENAL-TONIC

Strengthens, supports, or increases output of adrenals.

SEE ALL 'ADRENAL-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Heart & Circulation:

Vasodilator

VASODILATOR

A vasodilator is an herb that widens the blood vessels by the relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, thereby increasing circulation systemically or to a local area.

SEE ALL 'VASODILATOR' FOODS / HERBS

Subtaste:

Aromatic

AROMATIC

Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.

SEE ALL 'AROMATIC' FOODS / HERBS

Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

HOW TO ADDRESS ISSUES IN STAGE OF DISEASE #1

TIRED AFTER EATING IS IN STAGE OF DISEASE #1 - AFFECTING DIGESTION

If you have symptoms in this category, your body is sending you a warning sign. Since digestion is so metabolically intensive and sensitive to stress and emotions, the earliest warning signs of imbalance usually appear in the digestive tract first. You may have gas and bloating, for example, or acid reflux. Ayurveda recommends paying careful, close attention to warning signs. They indicate that an imbalance is starting to accumulate. Correct these warning signs before they accumulate further and weaken your body's resistance. This is usually accomplished by removing diet and lifestyle habits that aggravate your imbalanced doshas and biocharacteristics. (See all disease stages on JB)

GET MY FREE AYURVEDA BODY MAP According to Ayurveda, one or more of the following doshas and biocharacteristics may aggravate 'Tired after eating'. If you have an excess of one of these doshas or biocharacteristics below, Ayurveda recommends reducing foods and lifestyle habits that aggravate them. Click on the biocharacteristic to learn what foods and lifestyle habits should be reduced.

Are you prone to a problem with 'Tired after eating'? Find your imbalances and create a diet for your Digestion by taking the free digestion quiz:

TAKE THE DIGESTION QUIZ

The following symptoms & habits may be related to 'Tired after eating'. See your quiz results for a computerized assessment of your body type. Please click on the symptoms below to learn more about them. On average the biocharacteristics of people reporting Tired after eating were less aggravated than 66% of other symptoms. From the 19,124 people who reported Tired after eating average deviation in biocharacteristic levels were the following:

Risk Factors of Tired after eating

Complications of Those Reporting Tired after eating

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