Stop Eating Unhealthy Foods

In 2012, a study conducted by the Health Enhancement Research Organization, Brigham Young University and the Center for Health Research at Healthways revealed an interesting relationship between diet and productivity. The authors found that workers following an unhealthy diet were 66% more likely to experience a significant decline in productivity compared to their healthy-eating peers. That finding shouldn’t come as a surprise. You know intuitively that your diet affects your work. Chances are, you’ve seen the effects firsthand. You’re more productive when eating healthy meals than you are when following a diet composed of pizza, donuts, chips and ice cream. To understand the reasons, it’s necessary to appreciate how our brains respond to food. Our bodies are proficient at breaking down the foods we eat into glucose. Our brains need glucose in order to function. That’s the reason you feel drowsy and have difficulty concentrating when you’re hungry. The amount of glucose available to your brain has been depleted. Scientists have found that the optimal level of glucose in the bloodstream is 25 grams. That’s the amount that should be circulating through our bodies at all times. When the amount drops below 25 grams, the brain functions at a suboptimal level. Most people realize that glucose is simply sugar. So they grab a sugary snack or carb-filled meal when they start to feel drowsy. The problem is, such foods cause glucose levels to quickly spike and plummet. Rather than fueling your brain with the glucose it needs to function throughout the day, such foods provide less than 30 minutes of mental acuity. After that 30 minutes, you “crash.” Your blood sugar levels decline and you become drowsy and unfocused again. Clearly, that’s a less-than-ideal predicament if you’re trying to boost your productivity.

 How This Bad Habit Hurts Your Productivity

 A poor diet does much more than just make you feel lethargic. It can severely impede your ability to get things done. First, junk food makes it harder for you to focus. If you’re unable to think clearly, you’ll be less likely to stay on task. You’ll also be more inclined to succumb to distractions. Second, poor dieting habits make you less alert. As mentioned above, you become drowsy as your blood glucose levels fall. That’s a common outcome after eating a sugar-laden meal or snack. Over the long run, persistently-low glucose levels can lead to chronic fatigue, severely hampering your productivity. Third, an unhealthy diet will adversely affect your decision-making skills. Your ability to make sound decisions is heavily influenced by whether your brain is receiving the glucose and nutrients it needs to function properly. A bad diet won’t provide the materials your brain needs. A fourth side effect is lower energy levels. Junk food can make you feel more energized - for 30 minutes. That’s because such foods are quickly converted into glucose. But the level of glucose drops just as quickly, siphoning your energy with it. You’ve no doubt seen this effect in children who are given candy. They’re filled with energy (thanks to the sugar) for a brief period that precipitates a crash. Fifth, poor nutrition sets the stage for increased anxiety; certain foods can trigger and aggravate stress. Numerous studies have shown that high stress levels negatively affect a person’s focus and effectiveness. Meanwhile, the more stress you experience, the more likely you are to eat unhealthy food. It’s a destructive cycle. Worse, its effect on your productivity happens gradually, so it’s difficult to detect. To change your dieting habits, replacing unhealthy foods for healthy alternatives, follow the five action steps listed below.

Action Steps

 1. Make a list of healthy foods and use it as the foundation of your diet. We have more culinary options available to us today than ever in history. That comes with a major downside: unhealthy foods are always within reach. If you’re a sugar addict, the temptation to grab a sugary snack when you feel the first pangs of hunger is nearly irresistible. To counter the temptation, create a short list of healthy meals to eat. Limit your list to five options. Restricting your choices will make you less inclined to entertain eating unhealthy foods. If a certain type of food doesn’t make it onto your list, avoid it.

 2. Make a list of healthy snacks. Whenever you feel hungry outside your normal mealtimes, pick something off your list. The goal is to make it easy to select something nutritious. As with your list of healthy meals (Action Step #1), limit your healthy-snack list to five options.

3. Make a list of foods and snacks to avoid. All of us have food vices. For me, it’s ice cream. You may prefer cookies, cupcakes or potato chips. Create a list of your personal vices and put it somewhere within reach. When I began to change my diet, I carried an index card in my wallet. My food weaknesses were listed on the card as a constant reminder. That approach may work for you too.

4. Plan the week’s meals. If you’re not sure what to eat, you’ll be more likely to eat whatever is convenient and available. That’s one of the main draws of fast food. To resist the temptation, plan your meals ahead of time. Know what you’ll be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the entire week. If possible, fix your meals in advance. For example, I cook seven to eight pounds of chuck roast at a time. Most of it goes into the freezer. Some goes into the refrigerator where it’s always available for a quick, easy-to-fix meal.

5. Create an eating schedule. Routines bring order to our day. Eating at the same times each day lessens the likelihood that you’ll grab whatever is within reach when you’re hungry. That includes the candy bar from the vending machine and the donuts your coworker brought to the office.