Higher productivity leads to more opportunities down the line, and better chances at grabbing that promotion you’re seeking. But to achieve that kind of productivity, it’s not enough just to be focused, dedicated or even to like what you’re doing. There’s another element we’re often missing in our ‘How to Productivity’ guides, and that’s food.
Our brains are energy mongers – they need a lot of it and they need it constantly. The brain gets its energy by converting the food you eat in to a simple sugar: glucose. Having a certain amount of glucose in your body at all times means your brain has a constant flow of energy coming its way, so you don’t experience those ups and downs throughout the workday. But how can you achieve this constant flow of energy, and furthermore – is it even possible?
Feeding Your Brain Regularly
We hear this a lot, yet often disregard it thinking it can’t do much of a difference, but the fact is that you need to eat regular meals throughout the day, so that you don’t get to a point where you feel you’re hungry.
Studies show that people who feel hungry will often go for the unhealthy foods: cheap, fast food, sugary drinks and other fatty meals.
This is because our body needs the boost in those circumstances and the brain craves that glucose, begging you to eat whatever is fast, delicious and convenient.
Eating 4-5 times a day, regularly at established hours will keep the energy your body needs at a constant.
By not getting to feel hungry, you can plan your meals accordingly and focus on the healthier options out there, instead of going for fast and unhealthy. You also avoid overeating with several meals a day, and so avoid those couple of hours after a big meal when you just want to lie down and sleep because all the blood and oxygen are used in the digestive process.
Good Food Equals Better Productivity
As mentioned above, glucose is what fuels our brains. And our bodies are adapted to extract it from the food we eat, but the fact is that some foods are just better in providing us with that glucose. Things like sweets, fast food or unhealthy snacks also offer a lot of glucose, but that glucose is released rapidly in our bloodstream, and then those levels start going down. It’s basically the sugar rush: a brief time of increased alertness and energy, followed by drops in glucose levels which leave us tired, groggy and unable to focus.
Foods like oats, soy, fruits and vegetables have been shown over and over again to not only improve performance in the workplace, but mood and overall physical shape.
The glucose coming from them is released slower, keeping a constant flow of energy ready to be used by our brains at all times throughout the workday. Planning meals ahead, focusing on healthier food options and avoiding the unhealthy options for as much as possible will lead to improved cognitive abilities and constant energy to keep our brains going at full speed.