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Why People with Healthy Snacking Habits Perform Better at Work

A lot of articles give us advice on boosting work performance by enjoying some downtime, avoiding multi-tasking, blocking out time wasters, and more. While these strategies are highly effective, we fail to tackle the importance of healthy snacking habits. Just because snacking is done in between meals doesn’t mean it should be an afterthought.

Snacking helps keep our blood sugar levels stable and provides us with additional nutrients so that we can focus better and stay energized at work. As a manager or employee, you need to make healthy snack foods’ list and stick to it so you can perform at your peak daily. Here are the reasons why:

Healthy snacking improves brain function

People can use healthy snacking as a secret weapon to keep their brains sharp at work. According to Harvard Health Publications, our brains require a continuous supply of fuel for it to function. This fuel comes from what we eat. The quality of foods we take in makes all the difference. Snacks that contain a lot of sodium and preservatives can ruin your memory.

Several snack foods can also zap your focus. These snacks might be the reason why some employees’ minds tend to wander at work and nothing ever gets done. Examples of these harmful foods include diet soda, ice cream, microwave popcorn, and donuts.

Better yet, stock up on brain-boosting snacks that enhance your memory and concentration such as whole eggs, blueberries, dark chocolate, and kale.

Healthy snacking restores energy and boosts the immune system

One of the factors that negatively affect employees’ performance at work is getting sick. Sickness leads to absenteeism and this does not only impact a worker’s salary, but also the well-being of other staff members who bear the added workload.

Inflammation in the body prevents the immune system from functioning well. When inflammation occurs, a person becomes susceptible to flu, colds, heart disease, and other illnesses.It is also surprising to know that poor food choices like too much fat and sugar can cause an inflammatory response.We often assume that stress is the only culprit behind the process of inflammation.

When done right, snacking has restorative effects on the body. Snacking healthily enables people to move with ease and stay wakeful and alert. To restore our energy and improve our immune system,we need to choose nutrient-dense and disease-fighting snacks at work like salmon, dark lettuce, chia seeds, and walnuts.

Healthy snacking triggers positive emotions

What you eat affects how you feel. Snacks that are loaded with sugar make you feel euphoric and giddy temporarily but cranky afterward. The fact is that sugar increases the risk for depression. Notice that people who pick healthy snacks feel more calm and happy while those who load up on refined carbohydrates often experience mood swings.

Serotonin is one of the brain chemicals that trigger positive emotions. A simple and practical solution to naturally boost serotonin at work is to eat snacks that are rich in tryptophan. The reason for this is that tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin. It is the key ingredient for the synthesis of serotonin in the body. Serotonin isn’t found in foods so consuming those that contain tryptophan would be the best thing to do.

Here’s the good news: There are a lot of snack options that have high tryptophan levels. These snacks include eggs, pineapples, fish, nuts, and beets. As a rule, choose snacks that are high in protein since most of them contain tryptophan.

Conclusion

Snacking is an important activity that employees must leverage on tothink well, stay physically strong, and emotionally stable. Food has a holistic effect on the human body. The nutrients found in the snacks we eat can either signal our bodies to deteriorate or function optimally. Healthy snacking can spell a huge difference in your work life. Make the right choices and you’ll thank yourself later.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

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