I have heard the sentence more than once recently, "I am so exhausted, let the end come as scheduled, and I can rest forever." It is helpless but thought-provoking. Fatigue has become a problem that more and more white-collar workers have to endure. After returning home from get off work, they lie on the sofa and don’t want to get up. They have to go through several struggles to get up in the morning and often feel lack of energy... A survey of 50,000 people showed that, As many as 56% of people in my country suffer from sub-health fatigue, and it mostly occurs among white-collar workers and intellectuals aged 20 to 40.

You are tired, what should you do? Many studies have found that chronic fatigue is often accompanied by unreasonable food intake psychology and dietary content, incorrect understanding of health concepts, and unhealthy living habits. Cognitive behavioral therapy and dietary therapy can help improve and prevent fatigue.

1.Different sugar-rich foods have different effects on fatigue. Eating the wrong foods can aggravate fatigue, while eating the right foods can combat fatigue.

Studies have long shown that high-carbohydrate foods can increase serotonin levels in the blood, which can make you drowsy. However, foods with different blood sugar responses have different effects. Delicate, soft and rotten staple foods and various sweets have a high glycemic index, causing blood sugar to be quickly absorbed into the blood and insulin levels to rise rapidly. High insulin levels may also be one of the causes of post-meal drowsiness in the human body. Some studies have found that even if you eat a lot of rice, if you eat rice varieties with high blood sugar response, you will feel sleepy significantly earlier than if you eat rice varieties with low blood sugar response. If you choose foods with a low glycemic index (low GI), or mix low GI foods such as beans and potatoes with high GI rice, it will be very helpful in relieving fatigue. Below are some simple recommendations for foods with low glycemic index for the reference of those who are tired.

Common low glycemic index foods:

A.Most vegetables, fungi and algae foods, but baked potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, etc. with higher starch content are not included;

B.Most beans and bean products, such as kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, tofu, etc.;

C.Most temperate fruits, such as apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, pomelo, etc. (tropical fruits tend to have a higher GI);

D.Most whole wheat products, fiber-rich cereals, such as whole wheat noodles, rice bran, barley, etc.

2.The oxidation reaction in the body of fatigued people is enhanced, and increasing various antioxidant nutrients is beneficial.

Research by Jammes et al. found that the oxidative stress response in chronic fatigue patients is enhanced; Porsolt also proved that dietary ingredients with antioxidant capabilities can delay the onset of fatigue. In other words, increasing the intake of antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids (including lycopene, β-carotene, etc.), flavonoids (including grape seed extract), polyphenols, etc. is essential for the treatment of chronic Fatigue has a promoting effect.

3.Supplementing protein or peptide products rich in antioxidant peptides has obvious anti-fatigue effect, but the anti-fatigue effect of high-protein foods needs to be verified.

Ren et al. administered 1 mg of grass carp protein and peptides per gram of body weight to mice and 5 mg of grass carp peptides per gram of body weight. After 28 days, biochemical markers related to fatigue were measured. The results show that both grass carp protein and peptides can enhance the swimming endurance of mice, and the effect of peptides is better than that of proteins. Research shows that this anti-fatigue effect is mainly due to the antioxidant activity of dietary peptides, which significantly increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

So does the protein in grass carp only have such antioxidant activity in daily meals? In fact, this is not the case. Scholars have discovered that the enzymatic hydrolysis products of soy protein, whey protein, various fish proteins, rice protein, spleen protein, hemoglobin, and other foods contain antioxidant peptides. At present, the first two are the most studied and widely used. Consuming soy protein, whey protein, grass carp protein or their enzymatic peptides separated and purified from food all have obvious anti-fatigue effects.

So can directly consuming milk, braised fish, blood tofu, fried tofu and other foods rich in the above proteins also achieve the same anti-fatigue effect? First of all, the amount of certain foods we eat every day is limited, so the intake of functional ingredients is even more limited, and it is often difficult to exert a significant effect in the short term. Furthermore, the ingredients in food are very complex. Some ingredients may form a synergistic effect with anti-fatigue peptides and enhance the anti-fatigue effect of this food. Of course, there may also be many ingredients that weaken this effect. At present, because the data is difficult to find, it is still unknown whether eating food directly has a visible anti-fatigue effect and to what extent. But I think there is always no harm in ensuring an appropriate intake of high-quality protein and a diversified diet. People with fatigue who have the conditions may also wish to directly consume nutritional supplements such as soy protein powder or whey protein powder to combat fatigue.

4.Multiple vitamins and minerals can also fight fatigue.

Chen Yikun and others have proven through animal experiments that supplementing complex vitamins and minerals (mainly including vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium) can relieve physical fatigue. and improve learning and memory. Among them, calcium, iron, selenium, vitamin C and other nutrients may be related to alleviating physical fatigue.Nutrients such as iron, iodine, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin A are related to maintaining normal brain function and may be helpful in relieving mental fatigue.

5.Changing bad eating and living habits can help improve fatigue.

Xu Yongling and Li Xianglan conducted a questionnaire survey on 780 non-manual workers and found that those who consumed high-calcium foods more times per week had lower sub-health scores; those who preferred sweets and carnivores had significantly higher sub-health scores than those who had no special preferences. . On the basis of nutrition improvement, combined with the adjustment of behavioral habits, a better anti-fatigue effect can be achieved. Some studies have shown that after 3-6 months of nutritional supplementation and behavioral adjustment, almost all fatigue patients have been significantly improved. , some people feel an improvement in their fatigue level after one month.

To sum up, here are two suggestions for people with sub-healthy fatigue.

1.Nutritional supplements:

1.Take 2 capsules of lycopene or grape seed extract a day;

2.1 scoop (about 20 grams) of whey protein powder or protein powder every day;

3.Take a daily supplement of multivitamins and minerals.

2.Adjustment of dietary and behavioral habits:

1.Try to choose staple foods with low glycemic index and increase whole grains, potatoes and beans;

2.Increase your vegetable consumption, especially green leafy vegetables;

3. Don’t be picky about food, have a rich variety of food, and the ratio of meat and vegetables is about 1:2;

4.The diet should not be too salty, spicy or sweet;

5.Eat more high-calcium foods, such as dairy products, soy products, dried shrimps, etc.;

6.Drink 1200~2000 ml of water every day, small amounts and many times. Don’t drink only when you are thirsty;

7.Smoking as little as possible and not drinking too much;

8.Try not to stay up late and go to bed on time;

9.Try to increase the amount of activity during the day. Too much rest will make you feel more sluggish;

10.If you can arrange exercise, do more low-intensity or medium-low intensity aerobic exercise.