Afternoon crash after pasta? How to tell if it is the pasta
Wiped out a couple of hours after lunch? Plenty of people feel flat in the early afternoon. For some it follows certain lunches; for others it tracks sleep, a long morning without food, or simply the time of day.
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Maybe, maybe not. Pasta (spaghetti, noodles, lasagne) often comes with other things, like cheese or a creamy sauce, and on days you eat it other things may be different too. That's why a single bad afternoon can't tell you much, but a few weeks of notes can.
Reactions to the same food differ a lot from person to person. Some people notice an afternoon crash after pasta; many don't. The only way to know for you is to compare your own days.
Things besides food that can play a part
- How well you slept
- How long since you last ate
- Caffeine earlier in the day
- A heavy workload
How to find your own pattern
- Log what you eat in a few words, including drinks and snacks, and note when you have pasta.
- Check in once or twice a day. Check in mid-afternoon, around 3pm, so your energy slider reflects the dip.
- Give it about two weeks. You need days with and without pasta to compare.
- Compare, then test. If a pattern shows up, change one thing for 7 days and compare.
What a Nourity comparison looks like
Example: "On days with pasta, your energy was 17% lower (9 days vs 22). Moderate confidence."
An example, not real data. Nourity only shows a pattern after 14 days and at least 5 days with and without a food, with a confidence level.
If symptoms are frequent, severe, new or worrying, please talk to a doctor. A food and mood record is a useful thing to bring along.
Curious how your meals and your days line up?
Take the free 60-second food-mood check: six quick questions, no sign-up, and you'll know what to note first.
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