Food coma is a real thing everyone! I just read about it in the digestion chapter of my MCAT book, and I was amazed.
This quote is from wiki: “Post-prandial somnolence is a normal state of drowsiness or lassitude following a meal. Post-prandial somnolence has two components – a general state of low energy related to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system in response to nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract, and a specific state of sleepiness caused by hormonal and neurochemical changes related to the rate at which glucose enters the bloodstream and its downstream effects on amino acid transport in the central nervous system.”
So basically, your digestion turns on and the rest of your body turns off to compensate. Pretty cool and annoying at the same time! The reason I bring this up (besides the fact that it’s super cool and relevant to my studying) is because I experienced a major food coma today after dinner. All of a sudden, I felt like drifting into la-la land. So I took a nice long 1.5 hour nap. This nap was pretty surprising because I hardly ever nap. My brain is too busy for napping most of the time. It really needed a break I guess!
What delicious entree put me into said food coma? A bowl of whole wheat penne with sauteed red peppers, yellow peppers, green peppers, and onions. Topped with lots of Parmesan cheese of course. I love simple pasta dishes like this that can be thrown together in 10 minutes. The whole wheat pasta seriously boosts the nutrition (especially protein and fiber) factor which I love. I prefer the nutty taste of whole wheat pasta, but I know that not everyone is such a fan.
Isn’t this just gorgeous?
Quick Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
(sorry for my lack of measurements in this “recipe.” I always just cook how much I want to eat!)
whote wheat penne
frozen vegetable blend (I used three pepper and onion blend, but you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand)
Parmesan cheese
nonstick spray
salt
garlic powder
pepper
Cook pasta in boiling water as directed on the package, and salt the water. Saute your vegetables in a pan over high heat using nonstick spray. Sprinkle vegetables with garlic powder and pepper. Cook until vegetables reach desired texture. When everything is done cooking, add your pasta and vegetables to a bowl. Then, sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese.
XOXO,
Jamie
