19th May 2020 / Prue Fletcher: Productivity & the Benefits of Eating a Plant-Based Diet

It is well reported that eliminating, or at least reducing your intake of animal products can positively influence your overall health. Research suggests that eating too much red meat increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, especially the consumption of processed meats with their links to cancer. But more interestingly, research suggests that eating a cleaner diet could also have a positive impact on our productivity.

In 2018, a study performed in Penn State found that 'certain regions of the brain reacted more strongly to being rewarded with food than being rewarded with money'. The research also supported that 'if you put sub-par toxic, artificial materials into whatever you're making (such as your body and therefore your brain), you can't expect top-notch quality products to come out the other end (such as energy, creativity and productivity).'

Procrastination does have its place and is often just the body's way of telling us that we need to take some time-out, however when we find ourselves drifting off on a task we just don't want to complete, maybe that's cause for us to search for a more natural way we can boost our focus.

By eating a more plant-based diet, we are immediately avoiding the harmful effects associated with eating animal products, as more and more research suggests that red meat is linked to the elevation of the stress hormone, cortisol, which instantly switches our body into a fight or flight mode.

The human brain is an extremely complex organ and its ability to be influenced by everything we consume by way of exercise, water and nutrition is staggering when you consider how a slight off-balance can affect our moods which in turn either has either a positive or negative impact on our productivity.

Here are five plant-based foods considered to be the best productivity boosters:

1. Bananas

One banana holds the amount of glucose your brain needs for an entire day, adding to the advice that starting your day with a bananas will help keep your mind on track and functioning well.

2. Eggs

Eggs contain a B-vitamin called, choline, which enhances your memory and response time, giving you yet another reason to make sure you don't skip breakfast!

3. Eggplant

Eggplant, and more specifically, the nutrients in eggplant skin, is found to keep your brain sharp by improving the communication between brain cells and messenger molecules.

4. Spinach

A diet with high spinach intake has been found to slow down age-related brain declines as well as significantly improving your capacity to learn and retain information. It also contains an abundance of antioxidants which assists in reducing toxins that damage cells.

5. Wholegrain Foods

Eating wholegrain breads and cereals which naturally contain a higher percentage of folate, will help to boost blood flow to the brain, keeping it working at peak levels throughout the day. A function that is important when looking to increase productivity levels.

Article Sources

1. Women's Weekly Cook book 'Flexible Plant Based'
2. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/plant-based-foods-boost-productivity/
3. https://www.inc.com/sujan-patel/15-productivity-boosting-foods-you-should-be-eating.html