5 Healthy Eating Habits That Will Increase Your Productivity

Nourishment is such a significant piece of our lives. Of course, we need food to live, but it’s a little more complex than that. We need the right foods to help us be healthy and to supply us with the energy we need. The wrong foods can make everything more difficult. Naturally, we all have our little vices (like Taco Tuesday or a sizeable portion of tiramisu with our after-dinner coffee) that we enjoy simply because of the pleasure they bring us. Changing your relationship with food can actually help you be more productive, as well as a little healthier.

1. Have More Than Just Coffee

There’s nothing wrong with a cup of coffee for breakfast, provided you’re not loading it up with sugar or sugary flavored creamers. Coffee with a minimal amount of sugar is very low calorie, and while that might seem like a blessing, it’s also a little bit of a problem. You’re getting the caffeine boost, but you aren’t getting any meaningful fuel to help you body start up in the morning. This can lead to you feeling lethargic before lunch. Make sure you eat something substantial, such as yogurt and fruit, to help keep you focused and moving forward.

2. Plan Ahead for Lunch

If you don’t start your day with a lunch plan, you’re probably likely to make some impulsive decisions. Treating yourself to takeout once in a while is perfectly alright, but don’t make it an everyday habit. If you prepare a healthy lunch ahead of time, you don’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat. You don’t need to wait to order or wait for the delivery to show up. You can dive right into lunch the moment you’re hungry and dive right back into your work the moment you’re done.

3. Keep Healthy Snacks at Work

We all need a little snack at the desk once in a while. Keeping healthy snacks at work is a great idea, especially if your employer only provides you with vending machines full of junk food. If you have a better option nearby, you’ll feel less inclined to make that impulse purchase of empty calories that will leave you feeling sleepy. Healthy snacks give you immediately usable energy that can help you power through until it’s time to go home.

4. Use Your Freezer

When you get off work, you probably have a lot of things you want to do around the house. You might even just want to relax and recharge your batteries to help you be a little more productive the next day. By preparing vegetable and lean protein based freezer meals once a week, you’ve reduced the daily task of making a healthy dinner to something you can simply pop in the oven or the slow cooker. You’ll have a lot more free time, and the clean up is a breeze.

5. Enjoy Sweet Rewards

Eliminating all of the things that you love is no way to live. If you’re an ice cream fanatic, you’re going to need your ice cream. Make yourself a little more productive by treating that ice cream as a reward. Did you dominate that huge project at work? Get yourself a sundae. You’ll feel happier for it, and you’ll remember the promise of that sweet reward when being productive feels hard. Use your food vices as your motivator.
Food can either help you or hinder you. By letting it help you, you’ll be able to meet bigger challenges while maintaining your health. If you feel your best, you’ll be able to do your best.