Boost Your Productivity with the Right Food Choices

Eating highly nutritious meals can be a bit of a challenge, especially in today’s day and age: we often feel too busy or stressed out, so we tend to gulp whatever comes to our hands first. And it’s not just that we consume bad/junk food, but we also tend to overeat.

All these things are detrimental both to our mental and physical health. We get stuck in the vicious cycle of not having enough time to eat the right food and not being at the top of our game because we eat those unhealthy meals. Our productivity drops and we tend to feel helpless or just don’t know how to break this cycle. That’s why, in this article, we’re going to talk about some right food choices that you can make each day, in order to stop feeling sluggish or torpid, and become more productive than ever before.

The So-Called ’Brain Food’ Is Not a Myth

Many people don’t know that there actually are some foods that are especially good for their brains. What these people also don’t realise is that highly nutritious meals act as a fuel that keeps them alert and mentally effective so that they can complete some of the most challenging and toughest tasks that they face each day.

This isn’t some empty talk also—there’s a scientific study from 2014 that backs up these claims, among many others. In that particular study, 405 adults were tested. Each day, they reported on their daily intake of fruit, vegetables, sweets, and chips. Together with these reports, they also reported on their ’eudaemonic well-being, curiosity, creativity, positive affect (PA), and negative affect.’

The results of this particular study were pretty clear: those individuals that consumed fruit and vegetables reported greater eudaemonic well-being than others who ate less fruit and vegetables. The correlation between eating these types of foods shows just how important it is to include nutritious foods into your regular diet plan.

Opt For (Lean) Protein-Rich Meals

The next thing you want to do if you aim to boost your productivity and keep the energy levels high during an entire day is to opt for meals that are rich in lean protein. The main reason why you want to consume lean protein is due to the fact that the foods that are high in fat take a longer time to digest. This increases your chances of feeling indolent and work-shy, which is something you definitely need to avoid if you want to spend a fairly productive day at work.

At the same time, these foods that are higher in protein stimulate the brain cells that cause alertness, so you really shouldn’t avoid eating meals that contain protein such as chicken, tuna, eggs, tofu, other lean meats/fish, nuts, or yogurt.

In case you’re worried about how are you going to accomplish eating the right kind of food with your busy schedule and absolutely no time that you can dedicate to meal prepping, there are also some healthy pre made meal plan options that you ought to consider. It’s your productivity and your health that is on the line here, so you most definitely want to explore all the available options for keeping your mind and body fuelled with the right types of food.

Choose Your Fats and Carbs Wisely

While we’re on the subject of keeping an eye on your meal plan, it’s paramount that you choose your fats and carbs wisely. A lot of people don’t know just how important it is to consume unsaturated fats (as opposed to saturated), for instance. When we try to cut down on fats or carbs, we have to pay attention that we don’t stop consuming them altogether.

What we tend to forget at times is that these foods are also essential, even though they get a bad rep from time to time. As we’ve mentioned, what we should avoid is eating foods that are rich in saturated fats. These are the ones that are bad for you and should be consumed at a minimum. Include foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids instead, and you’ll quickly see all the difference.

At the same time, you should also consume complex carbs, and keep the simple ones out of your diet plan. For example, we recommend you to eat whole-grain foods that are also rich in fiber. These are going to keep you full for longer periods of time. Make sure you consume them regularly, and those energy drops that happen all of a sudden should be gone.

Avoid Eating and Working at the Same Time

The next tip that we feel like it’s worth considering is to avoid eating and working at the same time. In many occasions, we feel like we don’t have any time to waste whatsoever, so we choose to eat in front of our screens. But this can be wrong for multiple reasons.

First off, we tend to consume more food if we don’t take lunch breaks. This leads to overeating since we miss cues that we’re full more often than not. Secondly, it’s important to have some kind of break from time to time, in order to re-energise and rest properly. You can eat the right types of food, but if you don’t rest properly – even for a couple of minutes—chances are that you won’t be as productive as you could/should be.

Consider Cutting Down On Caffeine

We all know that caffeine keeps us alert, but if we consume too much, it can be counter-effective. When we take in too much caffeine we tend to feel irritable, have headaches, or trouble sleeping.

In order to avoid these problems, consider limiting your daily intake of caffeine to 400 mg tops. It’s also advisable to switch to some other choices like green or black tea. Not only is it that they have significantly less caffeine, but are also more healthy options.

Try Eating Your Meals at the Same Time Each Day

In order to maintain your blood sugar levels the same throughout the day, we recommend you to make an eating plan that allows you to take in foods at the regular intervals and at the same time each day.

If you avoid to let yourself get hungry, you’ll also be less irritable and more able to concentrate on the task at hand. There are going to be days when you simply won’t be able to have your meal at the time you previously planned. The important thing is not to skip eating entirely. Opt for a snack that’s going to provide you with enough nutrients to keep you full until your next meal. For example, certain food combinations like whole-grain crackers plus cheese, or whole-wheat toast with some nut butter should be able to substitute your regular meals.

Make Sure You’re Hydrated Throughout the Day

The last thing that we want to talk about when it comes to having the right eating choices is to make sure you’re hydrated throughout the day. What many of us fail to realise from time to time is that we tend to eat even when we’re actually thirsty. And when we don’t drink a sufficient amount of fluids during the day, our productivity levels drop significantly. This is why it’s essential to always keep a bottle of water at your desk and drink from it whenever you feel that your mouth is dry.

The Bottom Line

It seems as if though choosing the right types of foods for our meals has become harder than ever. With so many fast-food options out there, we tend to consume meals that make us feel lethargic, torpid, and unproductive. In this article, we wanted to show you that you’re the one that can actually keep these things under control, with a little bit of knowledge and motivation. The most important thing to remember is that no matter how busy you are, you always have a choice to eat highly nutritious foods—you just need to make a conscious effort.