Both the mind and body require fuel to function, and while it may seem tempting to skip out on your lunch break to crank out an additional hour of work, studies have shown that skipping meals can lead to brain drain, calorie loading, and poorer performance overall. Eating the right foods on the other hand can give you energy, improve memory and boost productivity for the rest of your day. Here are 5 creative lunch ideas to keep you focused (and feeling great!) throughout the day.
Eat Foods that Boost your Brain
If you are what you eat, why not pack a home lunch that improves memory and boosts your brain? Omega-3 fatty acids like those found in sardines, tuna, salmon and other fish have been linked to increased gray matter volume and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. Omega 3 is also used as a building block for the myelin sheath, a protective coating that covers the axon of a neuron which transmits electrical signals throughout the brain. Are you vegan or a vegetarian? Try nuts flax seeds, dark leafy greens or beans, all of which contain omega 3.
Include Some Antioxidant Rich Foods in Your Daily Lunch Routine
You may already be well aware that the antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables can help prevent cancer, slow aging and boost your body’s immunity, but did you also know that they are also good for your brain? Antioxidants can protect your brain from cell damage caused by free radicals in the blood. Super fruits like blueberries, mangosteen and acai are so named because they are packed full of antioxidants, and make a healthy alternative to sweets when you need something to snack on. Try adding tomatoes to your salad for the antioxidant lycopene which directly combats dementia. Antioxidants aren’t only found in fruits and vegetables—astaxanthin which is responsible for the pink color in salmon, is one of the most powerful antioxidants around, even better than vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Get some Fresh Air! Take your Lunch Break under a Tree
Studies have shown that something as simple as taking a walk with nature can have a restorative effect on your attention span, making you more effective throughout the day. Instead of going to the company breakroom or eating at your desk, find a quiet place outside under a tree to take your lunch break. It turns out that the artificial lighting, cubicles and city streets all tax the brain, preventing true relaxation. By eating in nature, you give your mind a chance to recuperate from the hustle and bustle of the classroom, office or city. Lower stress levels translate to better decision making skills for the rest of your afternoon.
Treat Yourself to a Freshly Brewed Cup of Coffee and Spend your lunch break at a Cafe!
If you must work during your lunch break, changing locations to a cafe has been shown to boost creativity and improve productivity. We all know that the caffeine in coffee comes with a number of benefits, including increased blood flow, improved memory and cognitive function—but the real reason you want to physically leave the office and switch to a cafe is actually twofold. First, the simple act of changing your location refreshes the mind and can boost your creativity. Second, studies have found that the ambient noise found in cafes actually boosts creativity—moderate sound, as opposed to silence or the noise of a campus mess hall, pushes the mind out of its comfort zone just enough to encourage out of the box thinking. Grab a sandwich and some coffee and turn that lunch break into an exercise in productivity that will carry over to the rest of your afternoon.
Try a Healthy Meal Replacement
Sometimes work or study can get so intense that there simply isn’t enough time in a given day of the week to shop for groceries or cook and prepare meals. As millions of college students and working professionals can attest to, it is all too easy to revert to a diet of ramen noodles, fast food or microwave dinners. Unfortunately eating junk food only provides a temporary burst of energy and can lead to lethargy, food comas and the dreaded afternoon crash. Designed with the overworked tech entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley in mind, Soylent is a liquid meal replacement that contains all the essential fatty acids, protein, vitamins and nutrients that the human body needs to survive. It’s specially formulated to provide the steady blood glucose levels that provide your body with the fuel it needs to sustain long hours of work and productivity. The next time you feel the urge to skip meals or binge on food you can just add water to powder and subsist on a pitcher of Soylent, which contains the 2,000 calories your body needs in a day.
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