03. The Link Between Diet and Productivity Copy

The Link Between Diet and Productivity

In the previous lesson, we discussed the link between exercise, personal productivity and execution excellence.

In this lesson, we will explore the link between diet and productivity.

A study conducted by scientists at Brigham Young University found that employees with unhealthy diets were 66% more likely to report a productivity loss than healthy eaters.

Therefore, if you want to increase work productivity, you need to make intelligent decisions concerning the food you eat, which can be done by preparing and following a diet plan known as…

The Productivity Diet…

Which provides nutrition that can help both your body and mind   to perform at optimal levels, thereby ensuring high productivity at work.

To prepare a productivity diet, you need to…

1. First, Eliminate Foods that Reduce Productivity

What we eat plays a huge role in stabilising our energy levels. Therefore, if you want your brain to perform at its best, avoid eating junk food such as refined sugars and flours, processed snacks and meals, and even gluten-free baked items that can mess with your blood sugar levels – every time you consume them!

2. Include Superfoods in your Diet that Boosts Your Productivity

The first superfood to boost your productivity and ensure execution excellence is…

1. Water

A study conducted by P. M. Gopinathan from the Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences in India and his fellow researchers found that a dehydration level of more than 2% significantly impacts cognitive performance and, thus, workplace productivity.

Therefore, if you want to be more productive, you must consume the mandated amount of water every day – which is around 2 to 2.5 litres.

The next superfood you can include in your diet is…

2. Green Tea: Loaded with antioxidants, green tea is a natural energy enhancer, and increased energy will help you produce more

3. Salmon: Rich in protein, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acid, Salmon can help boost brain functioning and benefits the heart, bone, skin and eye health.

4. Bananas: Having a single banana can increase your energy levels as it possesses the daily amount of glucose your body needs.

5. Avocados: A great source of healthy fats, avocados can lower blood pressure and improve blood flow to the brain.

6. Berries: Rich in antioxidants, berries are excellent for increasing memory.

7. Nuts and Seeds: Packed with vitamin E, healthy fats and antioxidants, nuts can help maintain and improve brain functioning.

8. Eggs: As a rich source of choline – a nutrient required to stimulate the brain’s reactive sensors – eggs can enhance memory and aid faster reaction times at work.

9. Dark Chocolate: Being high in antioxidants, dark chocolate can help improve focus and concentration.

Now, if some of these items that we listed as superfoods seemed alien to your diet, here are some items more familiar to us in India

In her book,  Indian Superfoods: Change the Way You Eat, celebrity nutritionist Dr Rujuta Diwekar lists many food items that we in India regularly consume, including ghee, banana, cashew nuts, coconut, and jackfruit, as Indian superfoods. Further, she mentions that when you include rice with pulses, curd and pickle, rice turns into a superfood too!

We strongly suggest that you get your hands on this book.

In this lesson, we have discussed the link between diet and productivity. In the next lesson, we will explore the link between stress and productivity.

Before proceeding to the next lesson, though, please take the accompanying quiz.

Happy Quizzing!