FOODS THAT MAKE BEARS TIRED

Our energy levels can vary greatly from person to person, day to day, or even hour to hour. Often we blame this on lack of sleep or stress, and although those two factors can play a role in energy level, the food we eat can also play a big role in feeling fatigued.

Foods that will make a Bear tired are ALL Foods in overabundance! IE if you eat too much food, you may feel tired – too much meat, too much cheese, too much bread, too much sugar.

In this article we will concentrate on the sugars and where they can be found:

Simple Carbs are carbohydrates which a Bear will break down very quickly into sugar. If you eat too much, they will give you the sugar high and the sugar low and not only make you feel tired when the sugar wears off, but make you feel grumpy too.

SIMPLE CARBS A BEAR SHOULD AVOID EXTRA HELPINGS OF:

White bread and related bakery items such as rolls, bagels, and other white flour offerings.

Obvious Simple Carb culprits: Candy, Soda, and excessive sugar laden condiments.

Pork ribs lathered in a pint a BBQ sauce, oriental foods covered in sweet and sour and other “sweet sauces,” or “candied” anything.

Salads swimming in “Russian,” “French,” or other salad dressings that contain very high amounts of sugar. Read those labels! Most recommend two tablespoons per serving. Measure that out and compare it to what you actually put on your salad!

Most prepackaged breakfast foods, breakfast bars, and breakfast shakes contain way too much sugar for the average Bear. Take a look at those labels and you’ll see large amounts of sugar on the labels of your favorite yogurt smoothies and frozen breakfast items. It’s best to make these items yourself so that you can control the amount of sugar used.

While Bears can eat some simple carbohydrates/sugar, you must be vigilant to avoid too much and that could be difficult unless you KNOW WHERE SUGAR IS HIDING IN YOUR FOODS!

TROUBLE GETTING OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING?

If you are having a hard time getting up in the morning then it’s time to look at your diet. When and what you ate yesterday can be a huge factor in your morning alertness level.

As a Bear your diet is composed of a balance of complex carbs, protein, and fat. Simple carbs such as sugar, white breads, and white pastas should be very limited. This means that having a loaf of white bread and butter (simple carbs and fat) when you go out to eat, and then topping it off with a plate of pasta alfredo (simple carbs, dairy, and fat) is not within the Bear guidelines. Excessive amounts of any food will make a Bear tired, but Bears tend to have a particular weakness for sugar, simple carbs, and fat! If you want to feel good through out the day and into the next, which includes having a high energy level, then you need to be focused on creating balance with every meal. This means protein, complex carbohydrates (not simple), and vegetables should be part of every meal.

Bears need to pay attention to how they feel through out the day on different foods, and how long they can go between meals. Some Bears have no problem going 6 hours before eating their next meal, while others may have to eat a little something every 3-4 hours. You can determine this by paying attention to how you feel and how often you get hungry.

If you realize that eating more often keeps your energy level up, then make sure you don’t go to bed hungry. Have a snack between the time you eat dinner and the time you go to sleep. For some Bears this helps keep the blood sugar stable until breakfast. Otherwise, you may wake up with that exhausted feeling in the morning before your day even begins! If this sounds like you, try to have a balanced snack 1-2 hours before bed. By balanced we mean having some whole grain crackers with peanut butter (complex carb and fat), lunchmeat/cucumber rolls (protein and vegetable), or veggie sticks with hummus (vegetable and fat). Basically you need to stay away from sugar at this time of night, so a big bowl of sweet cereal is not the best option.

The next time you have trouble getting out of bed after having a good amount of rest, it’s time to get a Diet Typing analysis!