Feed Your Body Good - Lean in Canada

Enhance your productivity by following these four food tips

We are all busy juggling the demands of work and home trying to find that perfect golden ratio of balance on the scale that we call our everyday lives. It’s true that there is a clear link between diet and productivity and the right approach to eating can have drastic positive impacts. It’s also not just about what you consume but how you are planning ahead so that you aren’t left scrambling day-to-day when it comes to meal time. So you’re telling me that there is a link between food and productivity? Yes, sign me up and lean in a little closer to find more.

Nadia Zoobi (Holistic Nutritionist and founder of Lime Over Thyme), specializes in preserving the rich history and tradition of Middle Eastern recipes and healthy living. She shared some amazing insights that will help you to become version 2.0 of you when it comes to food guidance and consumption. Here’s the scoop:

1) Preparation is Key – pick a day of the week to do your grocery shopping and allot a period of time when you are back at home to prep. This means washing all your fruits and veggies before the week starts and doing things like:

Peeling your carrots and putting them into a closed container with water to keep them fresh and their Vitamin C goodness flowing through their little carrot veins;
Wrapping celery in damp paper towel, wrapping that with tinfoil to lock in moisture (like a little russion celery doll), and storing that bundle in the fridge;
Rinsing and drying your herbs completely (to avoid spoiling), wrapping with slightly damp paper towel, and keeping them in a plastic bag that is left open in the fridge; and
Don’t store your tomatoes and cucumbers in the fridge as they are susceptible to cold injury; how guilty are we all on this one?

2) Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – according to multiple studies, dehydration can impact your attention span and cognitive performance. No thanks! Zoobi recommends when you are at home to fill a gallon sized container of water in the morning and sip on that all throughout the day. Feel free to get crazy and add lemon, lime, mint, and whatever floats your boat to give it some pep. When COVID Phase 3 happens and we are all back in the office, take advantage and visit the water cooler throughout the day; just avoid the water cooler gossip. Think about it, the body and our blood is made up of an insane amount of water so keep a steady stream flowing in.

3) Back to the Future – look ahead to your upcoming week and map out your dinners and lunches. We often opt to eat out because we don’t organize our meals in this kind of way. For lunches, go for quick and easy options like a salad and protein. In order to keep your salads fresh, make sure to store your wet veggies at the bottom of your tupperware, leafy greens on top, and dressing on the side. When you’re ready to eat, mix it all up and get ready to shake, shake, shake! For dinner, you have already saved yourself a ton of time in Tip #1 (above) so come up with fun and inventive recipes using what you have washed, peeled, and stored already.

4) Everything in its Place – before you start any meal, line up the ingredients in your recipe in the right order on your counter. Get your vegetables chopped and onto the cutting board ready to go, get your spices out, and get the right pots and pans set up. It’ll make the cooking process more timely, enjoyable, and will help you to avoid that frenetic and crazed tango that we all do around the kitchen when ruffling through cabinets and the fridge mid-cooking experience. Also, less mess equals less cleanup. Amen!

Aside from the enhanced productivity bonus, we all know there are many other benefits to healthy food habits. Take advantage and change your approach to eating, and don’t forget to feed your body good.

Lime Over Thyme recipe:

Quinoa Salad