There are several benefits to caring about what you put in your body. Namely:
- Being more productive
- Better sleep quality
- Energy levels
- Fitness levels
I mainly care about the first two, here are practices that I should adopt in pursuit of these goals…
Eating for Productivity
The goal here, is to maintain stable blood glucose. When levels drop too low, you get brain fog, irritable, and decreased focus. If levels get too high, you feel energized by crash within 1-2 hrs (this actually might be the play for a final push).
Sustained energy + enhanced focused comes from sources like:
- Complex carbs
- Lean proteins
- Omega-3s Whereas energy crashes are caused by:
- High sugar
- Saturated fats
Foods to Try
- Glass of cherry juice before bed → melatonin
- Salmon 3-4oz 2x weekly → Better memory + reaction time
- Eggs → Enhances concentration and neural function (1-2x daily)
Strategic Meal Timing
- High protein breakfast within 1hr of waking to kickstart metabolism
- Fibre snack?
- Balanced lunch with complex carbs, lean protein, and vegetables
- 2-3 hrs after lunch (light snack combining protein + healthy fats)
- Dinner focused less on carbs and more on lean protein + vegetables Eating before bed releases insulin since your blood sugar rises which can disrupt sleep. This releases cortisol and other stress hormones making your sleep lighter. Eat more earlier on in the day to avoid being hungry close to bed time
Caffeine
Caffeine is great as it reduces feelings of sleepiness and fatigue as well as helping with focus, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disease. However, it can impact sleep quality and can make you a bit shaky.
A good starting point in terms of dosing caffeine is 3mg / kg of body weight (so for me ~250ish mg). In terms of consuming caffeine, caffeine in the morning should be followed with a lot of water, peak alertness occurs within 30 minutes or so after consuming which lasts around 60 minutes or so. Caffeine should be avoided 8-12 hrs before bed to not impact sleep quality. Avoid extended consumption of high levels of caffeine there is an increased risk of headaches, anxiety, irritability.
I usually do an afternoon caffeine dose to kick the afternoon blood glucose increase.
Physical Benefits
- Increases VO2 max
Interesting Benefits
Caffeine is a strong reinforcer. We subconsciously prefer drinks and foods that contain caffeine. Consuming caffeine while incorporating a healthy practice increases dopamine and acts as a reinforcer. Maybe I’ll try to drink my coffee while reading / writing or something.
Warning
As much as food is important to your day-to-day life, eating food is also something that makes me happy, as we should balance optimal practices with the enjoyment of food.
Take aways:
- For lunch, try to eat lean proteins + vegetables and complex carbs
- Limit eating to 3hrs before bed
- Do healthy habits during caffeine intake