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“Mens sana in corpore sano”, a healthy mind in a healthy body.
This time-honoured latin saying has a succinct message; yet how many of us readily commit to a healthy diet despite our active lifestyles?
Considering the effect our diet has on our energy levels, mood, alertness and creative thinking, the apparent subordination of healthy eating in favour of productivity these days seems rather unmerited.
This subordination seems to have manifested in two areas.
Firstly, an increased pace of modern life has resulted in a societal focus on manipulating the environment for a faster, more comfortable and convenient lifestyle. We now rely on short-term gratifications, regularly, and often unknowingly, choosing convenience over health.
In other words we’d rather grab a sandwich from the limited Sainsbury’s meal deal selection than pre-prepare meals of our choosing.
Secondly, the perceived recipe for success as an entrepreneur seems to advocate a ‘grab what you can’ attitude given busy schedules and time constraints. The focus being on counting consumers, not carrots.
Yet this move away from dietary concerns seems inconsistent with the idea of productivity.
Productivity is relative. If your diet consists of high caffeine, high sugar and low fat (fat takes longer to digest leaving you full for longer), you’ll experience energy spikes and consequent crashes leading to decreased satiety and as a result, an uncontrolled undulation of energy and concentration levels throughout the day.
These bursts of concentration followed by huge dips in focus do not seem like the ideal recipe for productivity. Wouldn’t you prefer consistent energy levels, in the knowledge that your health is benefitting at the same time?
The answer is undoubtedly yes, but many of us find reasons to put our diet on the back seat.
The most common of these is time, or more accurately, the lack of it.
Yet, weighing up the benefits & drawbacks, a home-cooked eating plan far outweighs eating off the high street.
There is the obvious economic advantage. You can cook a meal for 2 for the same price as a meal off the shelf. It also improves your cooking skills considerably. Why not take the time to nurture your inner Ainsley H? Finally, you can control exactly what it is you eat. Highly nutritional foods that keep you satisfied are the clear winners here.
Surprisingly, all this requires only a couple of hours per week. Spare the time on a sunday evening to prepare and freeze meals for the week ahead. If your freezer isn’t big enough or you prefer choosing meals on the day, cook for 2 in the evening, leaving the second half for lunch the following day. The time you sacrifice is surely worth the hours of productivity and consistent energy levels you will receive in return.
My personal recommendation would be a Palaeolithic diet/lifestyle. The focus is on eating primally; that is, eating natural, unprocessed, nutrient rich foods, with a strong focus on meats and vegetables.
The biggest obstruction for those new to the model is the omitting of grain-based foods. But don’t be frightened of stepping outside your comfort zone when it comes to foods. We make a habit of assembling limitations on ourselves in all aspects of our life. Don’t let your diet be one of them.
Of course, particular diet requirements necessitate specific substitutes and restrictions, and ultimately it is up to you to decide what’s is right for you, but on a general level, there are both small and big changes we can all make to achieve boundless energy and an overall happier and healthier lifestyle.
