Having covered the structure for your day in part 1 and part 2 here are some simple ideas of what to eat during each stage of the day.
Breakfast
For the first meal of the day, it’s best to consume low GI foods (foods that break down at a slower rate). Below are some ideas that anyone can easily chuck together, a more comprehensive list of low GI foods can be found here.
- Oatmeal with blueberries, flaxseed oil and cinnamon (skimmed milk)
- Muesli with slices of banana
- Scrambled eggs and spinach on wholemeal grainy bread.
- Baked sweet potato with rocket, tomatoes and tuna in balsamic vinegar
- Quinoa with a scoop of natural yogurt, mixed fruit and nuts (choice of banana, apple, dates, walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds)
- Apple, orange, grapefruit, tomato and prune juice to accompany breakfast, or even better stick to water
Snack
Around 2 1/2 hours after breakfast you should have a snack to see you through to lunch.
- Handful of nuts such as walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds and cashew nuts. Holland and Barrett are a good source for your nutty needs.
- Hummus and whole wheat pita- Planet organic have an excellent selection of hummus if you fancy mixing things up a bit.
- Frozen red grapes- I discovered this a year ago and I am still hooked, simply put some red grapes in the freezer for 24hrs and enjoy.
- Fruit such as bananas, Apples, Pears and Oranges.
Lunch
There are so many options for lunch, just remember to load up on starchy carbs and avoid foods that will cause a massive fluctuation in blood sugar levels. The BBC good food recipe site have some great ideas for lunch, here are some very simple ones that can be prepared the night before work.
- Tuna with butter beans and salad
- Butternut squash with rocket, tomato and mozzarella
- Chicken and quinoa with onions, tomatoes and salad.
- Jerk Chicken, Brown rice and peas.
- Chicken in wholemeal tortilla wraps with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and onions
- Couscous with apricots and onions
Final snack
For your final snack before you leave work, it is advisable to eat depending on your plans. If you plan on being active then load up on carbs again, if it’s a night on the sofa then ease off them.
- A bowl of oatmeal with some fruit is quick and simple, and will give you enough energy for your exercise.
- If you fancy a not so naughty healthy snack then try some whey protein ice cream, we tried some by Wheyhey and despite being sugar free it was surprisingly tasty and crammed with an impressive 22g of protein.
- If you’re taking it easy after work, the food doctor make some excellent healthy snack bars that will see you through till dinner.
Eating properly for productivity is all about being disciplined and well prepared. Although the list above is not extensive, it will hopefully provide you with a guideline alongside the other articles in this series to improve your productivity at work by managing your diet.
If you’re looking for more useful resources to help you then check out Mike Dolce‘s work. Mike has an abundance of knowledge on getting the best from the human body by simply eating the right foods.