Sneaky Foods That Make You Feel Sluggish

Feeling tired all the time isn’t normal. If you’re struggling with sluggish energy every day, you’ll want to shake up your lifestyle. Check your diet first. After all, food literally fuels our bodies.

Sure, everyone knows that eating junk food all the time will zap your energy. But few know that eating certain fruits, lettuce, or white rice during the day could make you feel drowsy too. Whether you suspected these culprits or not, here are several foods that can make you feel sluggish throughout the day.

That Salty Chip Bag

Potato chips are notorious for making us feel sluggish. One of the reasons that potato chips make us feel groggy is that they tend to be addictive. A 2014 study in Frontiers in Psychology demonstrated that even rats prefer potato chips over a mix with equal amounts of carbs and fat.

Open bag of Fox Family Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips on a table.
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

The Journal of Nutrition explains that when salt and fat is brought together it causes people to eat 11% more than they would normally. The more chips you eat, the lazier you feel. Try substituting potato chips for kale or sweet potato chips, which have lower fat and salt.