Virginia WaltonWe all know our food choices impact us. Typically, we focus on the caloric impact, our weight, and our complexion from oily food or too much sugar.
However, our diet impacts more than our weight.
It impacts our mood, our focus, and our sleep. Those are key areas that impact our day. Mood, focus, and sleep are going to impact your productivity and your effectiveness.
If you are tired, cannot focus, or are in a foul mood, your work will suffer!
Not only will you increase the risk of making a mistake, but things will also take longer because you cannot operate efficiently when you are tired. And if you are in one of those moods, no one is going to want to deal with you.
Simply put your food choices could be decreasing your effectiveness at work and as I have said before that could be creating reputational and financial risk to you personally.
Foods that have a positive impact on your mood include avocados, chickpeas, and eggs.
The Magnesium in the avocados can help reduce anxiety and the healthy fats improve your brain health.
Eggs have vitamin B which will also help manage stress and provide a source of energy.
Who wouldn’t want less stress and anxiety, as well as clearer, will help us manage the stressors of the day and produce quality work?
When we experience brain fog, we struggle to be creative and find solutions. These are key in mitigating risk. If you cannot find the solutions, you cannot mitigate the risk!
Being creative and productive are great ways to advance your career, but that requires being at your best in terms of mental energy. Omega-3s help our brains learn and memory, not to mention help our moods. Sources of omega 3-s include kidney beans, seaweed salmon, mackerel, and cod.
To help improve your focus consider the following blueberries, olives or olive oil, and walnuts.
The vitamin C in blueberries can help protect against dementia while the flavonoids improve memory and delay cognitive decline. If you have seen my talks or articles on multi-tasking, you know that it can lead to early-onset dementia, so get those blueberries now!
Olives and olive oil like avocados are a source of healthy fats that support healthy brain function. Walnuts have protein to support a healthy brain and nervous system while fiber helps stabilize your blood sugar levels.
Sleep is critical.
I may sound like a broken record, but it is part of that recharge your body needs. Think of it as putting your body on the charger just like your phone or another device!
Here are some foods that help improve the quality of your sleep.
Tart cherries have melatonin and potassium. Kiwi has vitamin C which improves serotonin production and peanut butter has tryptophan for making serotonin and melatonin. Tryptophan is what we all thought of on Thanksgiving when we want a nap after that big turkey dinner.
The point is that your gut health directly affects your brain health. If the foods I have shared are not your taste, remember these things. You need to have a healthy amount of fiber to improve digest, lean proteins to balance serotonin for improved mood and brain health. Dark leafy greens provide vitamin B to help improve your sleep.
You will notice I did not list caffeine, sugar, or chocolate!
Don’t get me wrong. I love my black tea, ice cream, and pizza. These have to be in moderation.
Diet alone will not keep you from feeling exhausted, overwhelmed or burnout, but making more mindful food choices is a great tool.
Think of these foods as controls to help minimize your risk.
Sources: https://www.healthygrocerygirl.com
https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/14-foods-boost-mood-fight-burnout-according-rd-rcna30092