Picking your lunch can seem like an inconsequential choice in your workday that has no bearing on your productivity. In actuality, it could be the most important daily decision you make. Choosing proper fuel can sustain a strong work ethic to the end of your workday and beyond. On the other hand. Picking the wrong food can sap your strength and leave you struggling against exhaustion for hours. A nutritious power lunch can give you sustained energy for the rest of the workday.
“Glycemic index” is a measure of how fast your food is digested for energy. Sugary foods like danishes, candy and soda have sky-high glycemic indexes. Proteins and complex carbohydrates like yogurt, apples or peanuts are much slower-burning fuels, and thus have much lower glycemic indexes. At first, high glycemic indexes might seem like the sign of ideal fuel, but they can leave you exhausted when they burn out too quickly. Quick-burning fuel is great for a rocketship doing a 30-second burst, but you’re dealing with an 8-hour workday it just won’t work.
So if you can’t seem to find a full workday’s worth of energy and focus in your food, consider different fuel sources. And think twice before picking “hi-octane” fuel – it just won’t go the distance.
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