Do you feel sleepy post eating rice? Here’s what you should have instead

Your meal choices can determine not only your moods but also your energy levels throughout the day. This is the reason health experts would advise you to start your day with a mix of protein, carbs and fibre. While a nutritious breakfast could give you a perfect head start, eating your lunch intelligently is crucial if you want to keep your productivity in tact in the second half. But if you are a rice-lover and swear by your chhole-chawal and rajma-rice, your energy levels are bound to take a dip towards the later half. Eating a protein-rich lunch could provide a fresh energy boost to you and make you feel good during the day. (Also read: Do you eat rice every day? Expert on how it can damage your heart)

“It’s common practice in India to have a rice meal at lunch time, however it’s not necessarily the best thing to do if you want to avoid that post-lunch snooze. This is because by lunch time our mental energy levels are already running low and hence it’s important to eat a lunch that is rich in protein so that our brain can synthesise more active chemicals such as dopamine and epinephrine that give the body a boost of energy and improves our productivity,” says dietician Anjali Mukerjee in her recent Instagram post.

Mukerjee says the reason why eating rice for lunch – specifically white rice – can cause you to feel fuller is because it has a higher glycaemic index.

The nutritionist also shares the reason why people feel drowsy after eating dal-chawal.

“It (white rice) also releases calming hormones like melatonin and serotonin that calls for relaxation and drowsiness. This is also true in the case of most carbs as well,” she says.

Here’s what you can do to deal with post-lunch drowsiness as suggested by Mukerjee:

– If you cannot do without rice, eat small quantities of long grain basmati rice, because it has lower glycaemic index (about 55). Along with this practice portion control.

– Switch to whole barley (boiled and cooked rice) instead of regular rice

– Alternatively, you can have jowar or bajra or wheat chapatis with paneer or soya nuggets or even grilled chicken with vegetables and salads.

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