I need help with this one. I’ve never been one of those Sunday-afternoon-cook-and-cut-and-seal-and-label-it-all-for-the-week kind of guys. It’s never been my jam.
Ooohhh… and I love jam. And waffles. And Oreos. Sometimes, all in the same meal.
And working in an office, I can (more) easily pack something healthy or run grab something semi-nutritious within a few blocks. Borking from home? Fuggadaboutit. A lot of days I look up from my desk and it’s like 2 in the afternoon and I’m starving. Like, I look up and go, “wow! I didn’t eat any lunch…. or any breakfast!” I think to myself, “Oh my gosh, I could literally eat a baby whale right now”.
So I go to the kitchen and don’t think about what’s best for me to eat. I’m not thinking about nutrition and protein and vitamins. I’m thinking ‘what can I shove into my mouth right now?’.
So I go to the pantry and end up eating crap in the middle of the afternoon. Way too many carbs or super highly processed food. Basically junk. I might grab a bag of chips and a handful of Oreos and a Dr. Pepper… then back to work.
So then I end up feeling like crap. My mind is foggy from all the sugar. I’m in this carb coma because all the blood from my brain has rushed to my belly to help with digestion. I’m sleepy and a little cranky… then i get frustrated at myself because I know I should make better choices… so I start beating myself up and feeling like a failure, so my self worth takes a hit, and now my motivation to do my best work is completely in the toilet.
Ugh.
Anybody else every get caught in that spiral?
So meal prep, or at least preparing my snacks, has been hugely important. Not so much prepping all my meals for the week, but being conscious about having healthy snacks on hand (veggies, nuts, yogurt) and eating a sensible lunch.
And NO sodas. NO cookies. NO sugar. NO truckloads of overly processed carbs.
Dr. Mark Hyman talks about the fact that food isn’t just calories, it’s data. Your body takes in food as information. So whatever you eat ‘programs’ your body to act or perform in a certain way. I’m not saying you have to give your body the same ultra high performance foods that a world class marathoner or body builder would need, but you need to be aware that the food you put in your mouth, not only affects your body. It affects your brain. Your mood. Your attitude. Your energy. And your productivity.
And who wants to feel like crap all afternoon and then spend time with your family all grumpy and groggy and in a bad mood? That’s not how I want to show up for the people I love the most.
So being intentional about keeping healthy foods in the house has made a huge difference. Again… it’s common sense. But not common practice. And it really can be life-changing.
And as I said at the top… I’m not great at this. I could use some help getting better. Do you have any tips that work for you? What kinds of foods (data) are you putting into your body that seem to be helping?