Feeling Sluggish? These Foods Are Zapping Your Energy

If you've been feeling run down recently, there's a good chance it's because of something in your diet. Here are some foods that will zap your energy level.

1. Caffeine - Yup, as much as you think it's helping you, chances are it's doing a lot of damage to your energy level. If you drink a bunch of coffee in the morning, this can lead to a crash later on in the day. And if you're thinking that you'll just drink more to avoid that crash, drinking coffee in the afternoon can affect your sleep at night.
2. Candy - Similar to caffeine, this can cause a crash later. It'll give you a quick boost in the short term, but long term it isn't good.
3. Steak - You're getting a ton of protein and fat when it comes to steak, which means your body has to go into overdrive to digest it. This is going to wear you out and make you feel tired and full.
4. Fruit smoothies - This should be good for you, right? It's healthy. It's fruit. It's also a bunch of sugar and fiber. If you're eating the fruit it isn't as bad because the fiber and chewing slow down the absorption, but it you're having it in smoothie form, that chewing isn't there which means it hits your blood stream that much faster.
5. Low-calorie frozen meals - Not only are you not getting a lot of calories to sustain you, you're also getting a lot of sodium which leads to water retention, bloating, and fatigue. If you really don't have time to cook and have to rely on a frozen meal, shoot for one with 450 to 500 calories.