We’ve all been there at one point or another in our life.
Slumped in front of our computer late in the afternoon, sipping on that precious caffeine to give us a ‘boost’ to see us over the finishing line. While we slump at our desk, we wonder what could have possibly caused this plummet in energy?
Was it the late night? Was it the workload in the morning that has tired you out? Maybe it’s the stress you’ve been under to meet looming deadlines?
While these factors may play a part in your grogginess, they are may not be the main culprits. If you want to be more productive and have a steady flow of energy throughout the day, you need to recognise that your diet has a massive part to play.
The night before
If you’ve eaten a heavy, stodgy meal only a couple of hours before sleeping, you’re fighting an uphill battle for the next day already. Eating a heavy meal prior to bedtime, doesn’t give your body enough time to break it down resulting in incomplete digestion. This is because your body’s metabolism during sleep, works only at a fraction of the rate while you’re awake. If you wake up feeling like you’re all over the place, then your late night feast could be responsible.
The solution: If you want to eat stodgy carbohydrates, then do so at least 3-4 hours before sleep. Be aware of portion size as well, most nutritionists agree that dinner should be the smallest meal of the day, as people are less active at night and are unable to burn off the energy consumed. If you like a glass of red with your dinner, remember that alcohol consumption is known to disrupt sleep patterns, so think again before pouring that second glass.
The Morning
Breakfast = Break the Fast. Depending on how long you sleep for, you’ll have starved your body for around 7/8 hours. It’s therefore vital to eat a substantial balanced breakfast and not run out of the house without eating.
If your breakfast cereal is packaged for kiddies then bin it, it will contain lots of sugar, which will cause your insulin levels to spike, and although you’ll have a temporary energy boost you’ll eventually slump around 30-40 mins after eating it.
Sugar is prominent in processed foods such as cereals. For more in depth info about sugar, insulin and how they cause slumps check out this article.
If you don’t want to get into the science behind it, just remember if we want consistent energy and increased productivity, we have to keep blood sugar levels constant throughout the day, and this means eating certain foods at regular intervals (this will be covered in more depth in part 2)
Solution: Don’t skip breakfast! Oatmeal will give you a great start to the day, as it has a good amount of protein and carbohydrates to see you through for the next few hours, mix it with fruits low in sugar and high in antioxidants such as blueberries to add taste. I also like to add cinnamon which helps to speed up your metabolism. If your thinking of adding taste with brown/white sugar then think again.
Caffeine also causes dips in energy levels. If you just can’t live without your morning caffeine hit then replace your coffee/tea with green tea, it will still give you a boost and is full of anti-oxidants, which can help with the prevention of a number of degenerative age-related diseases.
It is also important to drink lots of water throughout the day starting when you rise. We are 70% water, and need to stay hydrated for all our bodily functions to operate correctly, if you’re slightly dehydrated then your ability to concentrate will be compromised and so will your productivity.
The next feed-
Around 2-3 hours after your breakfast you’ll need to eat again. This ‘feed’, should give you enough energy to see you through to lunchtime.
Remember you’re a complex machine that needs the right fuel to function, unfortunately your fuel tank isn’t that big so you have to constantly top it up.
Be sure to check back soon for part 2 and 3, where I’ll cover lunch and the final feed, in addition to showing you what types of food you should be eating at the different stages to increase productivity.
