What’s yellow, slightly bent, sweet and could be vital to your business’ recipe for success?
Bananas. Yes, it may sound a little daft, but bananas, a rich source of potassium and more commonly known in nutritional circles as “brain food”, could be one of the many nutritional tools to help boost your personal performance in the workplace.
It’s all part of taking a more holistic approach to how your diet can influence your business’ overall success. There is also the old adage you are what you eat and it may be more preferable to be a banana than a deep fried chicken drumstick or hamburger!
It is often the case that in small business time is money and finding time to eat a proper lunch can be difficult. This, coupled with a lack of breakfast, large quantities of coffee and stress, can have a detrimental impact on your health.
In turn, this can affect your concentration, your brain’s “staying power” and your body’s ability to sustain energy levels throughout the day.
While you don’t think you have the time to stop and take in a nutritionally rich lunch, you could be losing more time in the long run as a result of poor brain function and afternoon energy slumps.
Good nutrition is an important fact of life. It provides your body with a source of energy and vitality. It can also have a huge impact on brain ability and concentration. So, eating a balanced diet is not only a good investment in your health but an investment in your ability to successfully run your business.
The healthier your diet is the less likely you will be to become run down or even ill. This can have an impact on your business operations and, when time is money, it could also be costly.
In fact, the food you consume and the nutrients and minerals it contains can have brain-boosting effects. And we all know that in small business, the more brain power the better.
The dos and don’ts of good nutrition
It can seem the do’s and don’ts of nutrition guidelines change almost daily, however, the current recommendation is seven serves of fruit and vegetables a day as part of a well-balanced diet.
According to Nutrition Australia, to minimise the risk of diet-related diseases Australians should:
Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods
Eat plenty of breads and cereals, vegetables (including legumes) and fruits
Eat a diet low in fat and particularly low in saturated fat
Maintain a health body weight by balancing physical activity (which can also be a good stress buster) and food intake
Choose low salt foods
Eat only a moderate amount of sugars.
For a daily brain-boost of nutrients choose foods high in protein, such as fish and eggs. Also foods rich in vitamin B, B6 and B12, folate, and thiamin which can all be found in abundance, along with many other important vitamins and minerals, in vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
Eating out can also be part of the territory when in business. The following are Nutrition Australia tips to make the dining experience enjoyable, but as nice as possible for your body. They are:
Choose hamburgers and steak sandwiches with salad and pineapple rather than “the lot”.””””””’
Ask for no mayonnaise or margarine on the bun
Opt for a baked potato with a little cheese and low fat filling.
Souvlaki or doner kebab with extra salad rather than loads of meat
Pasta with tomato-based sauces
Low-fat smoothies and milkshakes or yoghurt and ice-creams
High fat choices to avoid include anything fried or in batter.
There is also a myriad of nutritional supplements to boost brain function on the market. These include St John’s Wort, Ginseng, Ginkgo, Biloba and Kava Kava. (Remember always seek medical advice when it comes to health issues).
Also, tips for encouraging healthier eating in the workplace include:
Having a fruit bowl in the office
Developing a roster system where once a week, or more frequently, staff make or bring in a healthy snack for everyone to share
Make a roster for lunch breaks and make sure people do make time to eat lunch
Keep a well equipped kitchen to encourage people to make a healthy lunch at work.
