What you eat impacts how well you think, remember, and concentrate (and therefore how well you will work). As we continue to work from home, maintaining a proper diet is essential to improving your productivity and energy.
Here are 4 categories of your diet to focus on:
Consume more water.
When you’re giving your body the adequate amount of water, you will be able to think 14% faster, stay focused for longer and be more creative.
You may have heard that you should aim to drink eight glasses of water per day. However, how much water you should be drinking is actually more individualized than you may think.
According to the Institute of Medicine, your recommended intake is based on factors such as sex, age, activity level etc. In a general sense, for people over the ages of 19, the overall fluid intake per day (including anything you eat and drink) is 3.7 litres for men and 2.7 litres for women. So, this is around 13 cups of beverages for men and 9 cups for women.
Eat Fruits.
AA popular academic study found that eating berries – and blueberries in particular – are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin E and most importantly, they’re high in flavonoids.
When flavonoids are consumed, they activate an enzyme that stimulates the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain – helping with our memory as well as our ability to focus and learn new information.
Consume More Vegetables.
If you’re not a fan of kale, spinach and other leafy greens, hopefully we’re going to convince you of why you should try to start becoming one.
First and foremost, a study in Neurology (with 3,718 subjects) demonstrated that people who ate two daily servings of vegetables exhibited the mental focus of people 5 years their junior. Leafy green vegetables such as spinach contain potassium which accelerate the connections between neurons, making your brain more responsive.
Additionally, leafy vegetables contain high levels of lutein. Lutein contains a carotenoid or pigment found in fruits and vegetables and was primarily known as a nutrient which promotes good eye health. However, research has shown that it is also a key player in enhancing learning, memory and maintaining brain function.
A study published in Ageing Neuroscience, found that those who had higher levels of lutein exhibited ‘younger’ brains than their counterparts – in other words, they had neural responses that were more on par with younger adults.
Avoid meats during lunch (and possibly at dinner too)
Meat is often one of the go-to toppings for sandwiches but eating cured meats such as prosciutto, bacon, pastrami, ham and capocollo often can leave your brain foggy.
When you’re feeding your body high salt and protein-rich foods, the body has to increase the amount of water needed to flush out the nitrogen found in these foods. This can leave you feeling dehydrated which can lead to more difficulty concentrating. Not only that but processed meats have also been associated with general cognitive decline. You can replace these high-salt meats with avocado to keep you going and your body balanced.
Conclusion
We are all spending a lot more time at home (I would know working in the honeymoon industry). Being at home has allowed us more time to spend with our families, do home improvement projects, and many other great things. However, WFH has negatively impacted a lot of our diets. Focusing on these 4 areas are a great way to boost your energy and crush working from home!