Your health is the foundation to everything. Without your health you can’t work.. Without your health money doesn’t matter. A clear mind and a healthy body are key to your productivity. But, so often we’re so focused on our day to day work that we forget to support our body and mind. This blog will give you three techniques to supercharge your productivity through your diet.
Now, I should say I’m not a doctor, dietitian or nutritionist. This is not medical advice. Rather, these are some techniques which I employ personally to strengthen my body and mind. There’s also plenty of people online who will say you have to work an 80 hour week, “rise and grind” and get up at 5am in order to boost your productivity. If this genuinely works for them, great. That’s not my style. For me, it’s about achieving balance. Balance between work and life and balance between coasting and burnout. So, with that in mind, here are some ways I use diet to boost productivity.
- Reduce or remove alcohol from your diet
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to work a job which required a lot of socialising, networking and conferences. For those of us that find socialising with strangers difficult, alcohol is a useful tool to aid interactions. These days, the benefits of alcohol simply don’t outweigh the downsides.
The pros of alcohol focus around its role as a social lubricant. Whilst, the cons include increased risk of disease including liver failure, heart problems and certain cancers. Not to mention the social impacts, the hangovers and the risk of dependence. If nothing else, alcohol affects sleep, and a good night’s sleep is central to a clear mind.
Alcohol consumption, particularly excessive alcohol consumption, is associated with poor mental health and depression. One study of 27,409 university students found that those who drank alcohol to get drunk were more likely to suffer depression and poor mental health.
Alcohol consumption is heavily linked to workplace absenteeism, with a study from the American Psychological Association finding that “a significant relationship was found between alcohol use and workplace absences; workers were, roughly 2 times more likely to be absent from work the day after alcohol was consumed.”
- Balance your blood sugar levels
If you’re not diabetic you might not have given your blood sugar levels much thought. If you are diabetic, the following information should come as no surprise. Blood sugar is a measurement for how much glucose is in your blood. Glucose is sugar that we get from what we eat and drink. Your glucose levels fluctuate throughout the day and can spike after eating sugary food and drink or starchy foods.
But, your blood sugar levels affect your mood. The brain runs almost entirely on glucose. Scientists have known that low blood sugar can produce feelings of anxiety and fatigue, whilst high blood sugar makes you feel stressed or angry. Notably, when your blood sugar is at its lowest your cognitive function is reduced. So, blood sugar can actually impact how smart you are.
So, how do you balance your blood sugar? There’s loads of advice, from proper medical professionals, on how to manage your blood sugar. But some ways I use are:
- Avoid processed foods: Foods like white pasta, rice and white bread result in glucose spikes, try swapping these out for brown wholewheat versions.
- Make sure you eat loads of fibre, from all kinds of plants. We should all be aiming to eat 30 different types of fruits and vegetables a week, according to The Gut Doctor. According to Jessie Inchauspé, the Author of Glucose Revolution, when we sit down with a plate of food, we should try eating fibrous foods first, then the proteins and then the carbohydrates as the fibre slows down your sugar intake.
- Exercise: At the moment I’m combining running with yoga. My philosophy is that you’ll only do exercise consistently if you enjoy it. So, whether it’s walking the dog, rock climbing, or hitting the gym, find a way to move that works with your lifestyle. Exercise helps balance your glucose levels by improving insulin resistance and making your muscle metabolism more efficient, according to the Ethical Nutritionist.
- Managing stress also helps to balance your blood sugar levels. For me, what works is meditation, gardening and exercise, but find what works for you.
3. Eat oily fish or take a supplement
Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish improve brain function and can stave off Alzheimer’s disease. One study found a significant increase in executive function after participants. Experimental diets, in animals, show that when Omega-3 is removed, the result is “substantial disturbances in neural function”.
Personally, I take an Omega-3 supplement each day, in addition to a multi-vitamin. I see these as a sort of insurance policy, whilst I do my best to get two or three portions of oily fish each week.
Oily fish could include Mackerel, Salmon, Anchovy, Sardines and Herring. Unfortunately, Tuna doesn’t count as an oily fish, because recent studies have found it doesn’t contain enough Omega-3.
So, here are my top three tips to improve your productivity through your diet. What works for you? No doubt if you’re someone who thinks about how food and drink affects your brain, you’ll have your own tips and tricks. Feel free to post them in the comments below.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my recent blog on Mastering Your Time.