What nutrition is best to stay productive throughout the day?

Question

I read in Steve Jobs's book that he used to avoid coffee during the week and drink lots of water to remain productive and energetic throughout the day. I would like to know what food and beverages to take and to avoid to have maximum productivity.

Is there research available that looks into the relationship between nutrition and productivity?

Answer 1

I think the relationship is probably better thought about the other way around - not 'How do I best eat to be productive?' but 'How do I best arrange my working day around a good balanced diet? - this gives you the follow on question, which I think is the really important one here, 'How do identify my high and low energy times in my day and schedule appropriate work for them.

Your body is your body and I think we all have to work out what's best for us - on the other hand there are some factors to be aware of.

For example, maximum productivity (particularly in the short term) is not necessarily associated with particularly good health - keeping your sugar levels up is probably good for your productivity, but maybe not if it means you'll gain weight.

Personally I become an unpleasant person if I've not eaten fairly recently and I regularly regret not having stopped work to go and sort out proper food. One of the things I'm working on in my own life is having enough fruit and so on nearby that I'm not always popping out to the shop for a food fix...

When I get the balance right - I'm eating full meals of food I've cooked myself from scratch, at regular times, and being away from my computer while I'm eating them, then my energy levels are up and I get a lot done - but when stress goes up it's very difficult to stick to a careful diet...

Here's an interesting study from the International Labor Organization: Food at work

Answer 2

Avoid white sugar. I think this is the most important part. If you want to eat something sweet, then eat sweet fruits.

Answer 3

Protein tends to give energy, and carbohydrates tend to make people sleepy. So, eat protein in the morning and at noon, and carbohydrates in the evening.

Also, I find that eating a large meal makes it very difficult to be productive. So if I have work to do I eat a snack instead.

Each person is different. Keep a log of what you eat and how you feel. Then you can discover the foods that have the biggest effect on you.

Answer 4

I like snacking on small bits of fat or protein, so nuts or jerky work great, and keep meals small. An overall balanced clean diet is your goal here. Olive Garden is not what you want.

Two experimental changes to look into:

1. Intermittent fasting. I keep my window between 12pm and 8pm, my morning productivity stays incredibly high.

2. The paleo diet has helped me clean up my diet so I avoid carb crashes as 95% of my carbs come from fruits and veggies. A lot of protein here too which is good for brain fuel.