A Healthy Manager is a Productive Manager: the link between eating healthy and productivity

Whether you’ve heard your family say it, or it’s been a passing comment, the phrase “You are what you eat” is fairly common.

There is some correlation between what you eat and your level of productivity, and several studies over the years have shown that a bad diet can lead to poor productivity rates and poor brain activity.

A bad diet can make you feel sluggish, tired, and leave you unable to think of a clear solution to a problem you’re facing.

The benefits of a good diet far out way any reason for having a poor diet.

It’s possible to reduce our risk of long-term illnesses, diabetes, cancers, and other diseases, just by giving our bodies the right kind of nutrients.

Of course, that isn’t to say that you need to cut absolutely everything out of your diet that could be considered “bad”, just eat those things in moderation, while ensuring that you are getting as close to your recommended daily allowance as possible from eating “good” foods.

How eating well can increase your productivity levels

Eating a healthy diet and ensuring that you’re eating enough during the day, can increase your energy levels and alertness.

If you regularly skip breakfast before work, you may notice that you don’t function well until after you’ve had lunch, or you take to snacking to keep yourself awake.

This is because you’re trying to work when your body doesn’t have any energy to keep yourself alert.

Eating well ensures that you have a healthy immune system – which is vital when you work with large groups of people who may have children, or in a setting such as a University where there are influxes of ill students every new semester.

With a healthy immune system, you can reduce your absenteeism, which means your work record will look more positive.

A healthy diet can also help to improve your sleep pattern, leading to better levels of concentration, and can assist you with having better mental health because you won’t feel as worn down all the time.

Tips for healthy manager eating and productivity

Healthy eating and productivity are most definitely related, and the government have released eight easy-to-follow tips for the every day person to follow:

1. Base your meals on starchy foods.
2. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, preferably at least five portions per day.
3. Eat more fish (or other protein-based foods, if you’re vegetarian, vegan, or allergic).
4. Cut down on saturated fats and sugar intake.
5. Eat less salt.
6. Be active.
7. Drink approximately two litres of water a day.
8. Eat regular meals.

Why does healthy eating and productivity levels matter for healthy managers?

As a manager, you can lead by example.

If your staff see you eating junk food every day because you don’t give yourself time to go out and eat a balanced meal or bring lunch in with you, they are more likely to stay in the office and snack, as well.

By eating healthily, you can boost your own productivity levels, which is vital in a demanding and stressful work position where you manage other people.

If you’re stressed and irritable, it doesn’t look good when you’re at work.

Of course, there can be exceptions, but the basics are there for you to use: Drink fluids, eat fresh food, be active, and eat regularly.

You need to test out what works for you, and then healthy eating and productivity will go hand in hand, and you’ll see a huge difference on busy days where you’d usually feel overwhelmed.