Can underlying health problems cause fatigue after ea

Takeaways:

Feeling fatigued after a meal could be a warning sign of hidden health problems.
Common culprits are a glucose imbalance, food sensitivities, and even food comas.
With some help from at-home lab tests, reducing your post-meal fatigue could be just a few steps away.

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Why people sometimes feel fatigued after eating

Feeling tired is just part of the daily grind for many people, and there are plenty of things to blame it on. Your sleep schedule is messed up, you probably had too much caffeine yesterday, or you simply have too much on your plate.

But what if you keep getting mid-afternoon slumps - and mid-morning slumps, and mid-evening slumps? It’s normal to feel relaxed after eating a satisfying lunch, but if your energy levels crash and burn after most meals, you could be dealing with more than just a bad sleeping schedule.

If this sounds way too familiar to you, you should consider the possibility that a glucose imbalance or food sensitivities are to blame. While these two issues are very different from each other, they both have a symptom in common: fatigue after eating. And when you hear “fatigue”, think “about-to-fall-out-of-your-office-chair” levels of sleepiness - it can actually get to that point.

Is your post-meal fatigue normal?

If you’re getting so tired after a meal that it’s actually preventing you from functioning, then no, it definitely isn’t normal. You’re the one who ultimately decides what “normal” feels like for you, but all things considered, the food you eat should give you energy, not drain it.

You know how turkey gets a bad rap for causing that familiar drowsiness after Thanksgiving dinner? As it turns out, the cause is much more likely to be all the carbohydrates, fats, sugars, and alcohol you enjoyed. While there’s nothing wrong with sampling nine different kinds of dessert in one day every now and then, your body just isn’t built for that kind of digestive workload. As a result, it slows down other functions (like the production of energy, for example) in order to focus on digestion.

If this is the case, all you have to do is cut back on the number of meals you eat that are high in refined carbohydrates, fats, and sugars. Unfortunately, the problem goes much deeper for many people, so switching out the donuts for oatmeal won’t really cut it. The question is, if the problem isn’t a simple carb overload, how can you figure out what’s causing your fatigue?

How to identify the cause of your fatigue

You’re pretty sure that your post-meal fatigue is caused by food - now what? In some cases you may just need to lower your refined carb, sugar, or fat intake; or, you may end up cutting out entire food groups. Whatever the case, a little experimentation is in order.

If you want to get to the bottom of things quickly, you have a couple of options. First, you could try an elimination diet - this is more effective for food sensitivities. It can be time-consuming, not to mention frustrating if you have a hard time nailing down the problem foods, but many people have used this strategy successfully. Second, you could get some lab tests done to pinpoint exactly what the issue is; this will give you a better understanding of exactly what’s going on. Whatever strategy you end up using, it’ll be backed by more accurate data than if you were simply cutting out unhealthy foods willy-nilly.

Elimination diets

You may have already done a bit of research into food-related fatigue; if so, you’ve probably seen some people talking about elimination diets. While the name makes it sound like some insane fad diet, it’s actually pretty reasonable. You identify a list of foods that may be bothering you, and see if removing them fixes the problem. You generally only remove one type of food (or food group) at a time, so when your symptoms start improving, you’ll know that you’ve found the culprit.

For some, the issue isn’t a single food; it’s something within certain foods. Things like lactose, casein, or gluten are often at the center of food intolerances, so you could end up cutting out dairy or the majority of baked goods as part of an elimination diet.

Lab testing

If you thought that an “elimination diet” sounded intimidating, how many alarm bells are going off when you read “lab testing”? This phrase usually evokes memories of doctor’s offices, vials of blood, and other unpleasant images, but that doesn’t have to be part of the experience - you can complete the entire process yourself with at-home lab tests.

Say you suspect a glucose imbalance, but you want to get more information before overhauling your eating habits. You can use Base’s diet testing plan to test biomarkers related to metabolism, energy levels, quality of digestion, and more. With periodic testing, you’ll be able to put the puzzle pieces together and see how your food fits into the bigger picture. Some of the biomarkers to check metabolism and fatigue:

Vitamin D: Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with fatigue and low energy levels. Adequate vitamin D levels are important for overall health and energy production. If there is a deficiency, it may contribute to fatigue after eating
CRP(C-reactive protein): CRP is a marker of inflammation in the body. Persistent inflammation can contribute to fatigue.
Thyroid hormones: Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) regulate metabolism and energy production in the body. Hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) can cause fatigue, weight gain, and sluggishness.

Glucose imbalance vs. food sensitivity

Even though they share a symptom in common, a glucose imbalance works much differently than a food sensitivity. So which one could be causing your energy crashes?

Glucose imbalance

Is your usual fare heavy in refined carbohydrates, featuring foods like bread, pasta, or white rice? Do you routinely consume high-sugar foods like processed cereals, pastries, or candy? If your body struggles to regulate insulin production (which is crucial for maintaining steady blood glucose levels), you could experience first a sudden surge of energy as the carbs hit your system, then an epic crash a few hours later as your glucose levels tank.

Food sensitivity

In another scenario, you aren’t dealing with a glucose imbalance, but with food sensitivities. They’re a bit different from food allergies (not least because they won’t kill you), but they can still seriously mess with your quality of life. This is because every time you eat something you’re sensitive to, your digestive system reacts, leading to several possible symptoms that include bloating, cramping, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, brain fog, and yes - fatigue.

Most common “problem foods”

The particular foods that are causing your fatigue after eating will be unique to you, but this list could be a helpful place to start.

Problem foods for a glucose imbalance

Carbohydrate-rich foods are a big issue, especially the ones with refined carbs instead of complex carbs (the kind found in whole foods). Even worse, though, are the foods high in sugar. Both carbs and sugar will cause a sudden spike in glucose levels, then an equally sudden fall since your body can’t properly regulate glucose.

Bread
Pasta
Rice
Pastries
Ice cream
Breakfast cereal
Soda
Candy
Fruit juice

Potential problem foods for food sensitivities

Notice how this list includes potential problem foods; if you have a food sensitivity, you’ll have to figure out which ones are affecting you specifically.

Foods that contain lactose and casein

Milk
Cheese
Yogurt
Half-and-half or heavy whipping cream
Ice cream

Foods that contain gluten

Bread
Pasta
Donuts
Cake
Cookies
Anything else made with wheat, rye, or barley

Other foods

Eggs
Shellfish
Peanuts
Coffee
Corn
Soy

Tips for improving your energy levels

Say, for example, that you tested your HbA1c (a measure of average blood glucose levels) using a Dryed Blood Spot test from Base, and it revealed that your post-meal fatigue was caused by unsteady glucose levels. Common-sense solutions would include reducing your carbohydrate and sugar intake, having more frequent, smaller meals, and adding more protein and fiber to slow the absorption of carbohydrates. This way, even if you’re still eating carbs, your body doesn’t have to process quite as many of them at once - resulting in fewer slumps after meals.

What about crashes that happen from something besides glucose imbalances? Well, if your energy levels range between “low” and “even lower” throughout the day, your thyroid probably isn’t firing on all cylinders; after all, it’s partly responsible for maintaining energy, as well as digestion. With a thyroid hormone test from Base, you’ll be able to see what’s up with your thyroid, and put together yet another part of the puzzle.

If you want to take control of your health, you have to be able to see the big picture. That could mean going on an elimination diet to find out what your food sensitivities are, or taking at-home lab tests to get personalized data on your own biochemistry. Remember, you’re the one who decides where your health journey goes - but you don’t have to take the journey alone!

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Can underlying health problems cause fatigue after eating?

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