How a healthy diet can improve your productivity

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” - Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf couldn’t have put it better. Food is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, and your productivity is affected by the food you eat in more ways than you can imagine. A study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University showed that employees with unhealthy diets were 66 per cent more likely to report productivity loss as compared to healthy eaters.

Good nutrition enhances cell development in the brain, and it’s easy to see the connection between eating habits and productivity. To elaborate, here are a few benefits of maintaining a healthy diet:

It helps reduce stress.

Stress is something that has come to occupy a significant portion of our lives. But it’s an obstacle than can be managed. Studies have shown a strong correlation between eating habits and mental well-being. People who maintain a proper diet schedule have been found to be less likely to suffer from depression or mood disorders. And with healthy eating habits, you can manage your stress better. You’ll be surprised how efficiently you can perform once you do this.

It keeps you physically and mentally active.

The nutrients present in your food are necessary to carry out your body’s metabolism without which your physical health can decline. They also play an important role in your mental health. Fats and carbohydrates can improve your mental functioning and enable you to think sharper, thereby allowing you to think of new ways to handle work challenges.

It fuels your performance

Just as your vehicle needs a consistent supply of fuel to run smoothly and efficiently, your body also requires fuel in the form of food to perform optimally. The human body is an organic machine whose mechanism consists of several complex processes and functions. And good food gives you the energy you need to perform to the best of your abilities.

It helps you lead a well-balanced life.

A good meal can positively affect your sleeping pattern, thereby allowing you to generate more creative and effective ideas while you are awake. And of course, having healthy food habits can keep you physically fit, which in turn sustains and develops your mental well-being.

It helps enhance your confidence.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, maintaining healthy food habits significantly reduces stress, allowing you to think clearly. Healthy eating keeps you physically fit and can serve as a tremendous confidence boost. It should come as no surprise that some of the most confident people pay a lot of attention to their physical well-being!

George Bernard Shaw once remarked, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food,” and rightly so. Appreciating your food and developing healthy eating habits can go a long way in helping you to live up to your best in your professional life as well as your personal life.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)