Optimal Performance
When I think back to my college diet of gummi bears, bagels and gallons of Diet Coke, a few things come to mind
1 why was I perplexed I was overweight ?
2 How was I able to concentrate in class?
Let’s put the high sugar & artificial sweetener connection with my weight to the side for a minute.
How we fuel our bodies impacts our energy levels, how we feel about life and productivity.
Energy levels
When we are eating a diet full of green leafy vegetables, high quality protein sources, healthy fats and lots of water our bodies are operating on the best fuel possible. The more we shift our thinking from food is entertainment, comfort, our friend or stress relief to fuel the better.
Our blood sugar will not be having dramatic swings once we switch to a whole food diet, we will not be looking for sugar at 4pm while at the office and cookies will not be calling our name at 930 pm from the kitchen pantry.
Mental Health
The link between junk food and depression is only beginning to be understood. According to a study by American Journal of Clinical Depression published in 2015, a High Glycemic Index Diet is risk factor for a diet. So a diet full of processed foods and sugar makes us more likely to be depressed.
Every been hangry? The combination of being super hungry that it verges on anger? My husband would tell you I have been many times. I sort of agree with him on this one. It does not happen as often, since I switched to a whole foods diet. The more processed foods we eat, the greater likelihood of mood swings and being well hangry.
Productivity
When we want to get a lot done, the old thinking was to load up on a lot of caffeine and sugar. Well, that went out with the jelly shoes in the 1980s. Scientists now know to get the most accomplished, we need food such as salmon, almonds and eggs. This will provide our brain with a steady supply of energy, not the wild surges we experience with a high glycemic diet.
Do you want to impress your boss or land the big client, eat superfoods. The World Health Organization said in 2012 that when the right foods are consumed, brain power can actually increase by as much as 20%. Superfoods are considered to be blueberries, salmon, almonds, wheatgrass, cinnamon, avocados, broccoli rabe, sweet potatoes, goji berries, raw milk, kale, spriulina, acia, berries, coconuts and flaxseed (Dr. Axe 2018)
Optimal Performance can be achieved, but do not worry you have to do everything today. Make small changes over a long period of time, for maximum impact.
The sooner we can start thinking of food as fuel, the better. Life is where our joy should be found, not in the bottom of a bag of gummi bears.
Erin Wathen
As a Holistic Health Coach, it is Erin’s big hairy audacious goal is to change the dialogue around how we look at weight loss. It is not a matter of being it Ketosis or Food Swaps but the feelings we have that we are avoiding by overeating. Why are so many of us not tackling the real issues we have? It is easier and safer to obsess over the latest diet fad. Whether it be with our job, or our Mom, boyfriend, politics… until we address how we manage our feelings in the world, we are not going to.
