Preparation is the keyword for success. Be it business meetings, presentations, client conferences or daily work tasks. Similarly, preparation is important for the success of adequate nutrition while working.

You need to prepare yourself for a diet that supplies the right balance of nutrition to busy entrepreneurs, frequent travellers and late-night workers.

Fight your nutrition deficiency & succeed with great nutrition

Say NO to processed, artificial, junk foods

Processed foods are high in sugar, fat, sodium, preservatives and have almost zero nutritional value. Some of the most common packaged food that busy executives should avoid are:

• Tinned and canned food with high amount of sodium and fat
• Packaged high-calorie snacks such as chips and candies
• Frozen fish sticks and frozen meals containing high sodium
• Packaged cakes and bakery items
• Boxed and refrigerated “ready-to-eat” meals
• Sugary juices, aerated drinks and sodas
  
  

Such processed foods are high in trans-fat and low on nutrition. In order to prolong the life of processed food, manufacturers resort to chemical processing, genetic modification of food, dehydration and freezing.

Mindful eating is key

Don’t just eat to fill yourself up. Mindfully choosing the ingredients for your meals is an important part of preparation. Many busy executives tend to skip lunch, therefore it’s important to have a balanced breakfast.

• A portion of starchy food such as bread, oats, chapatti, or rice.
• Low-fat, high-protein foods such as low fat cheese, eggs/egg whites, low-fat peanut butter, or legumes.
• Fruits such as a medium-sized banana, slice of papaya, grapes, apples, oranges, or slice of watermelon.
  
  

If you are travelling, then the eat-out breakfast options include:

• Tuna sandwiches made with whole-meal bread or eggs.
• Sliced-fish porridge.
• Soup and curries with minimum oil and cream (choose tomato based).
• Non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
  
  

Avoid large, heavy meals while at office, which can make you feel lethargic. Opt for smaller frequent courses.

• Carbohydrate options could include wholegrain breads, or brown rice.
• Proteins can comprise of palm-sized servings of meat such as fish, grilled chicken or lentils.
• As many vegetables as you can fit in your bowl or plate.
  
  

Read more about the benefits of mindful eating.

Success takes time!

With preparation in your nutrition, symptoms such as mental fatigue, that can result from an unhealthy diet, can slowly dissipate. If you are unsure if your diet is heading in the healthy direction, ask yourself some simple questions:

• Do you add a lot of butter, salad dressings and cream?
• Are you over-dependent on caffeine and/or alcohol?
• Do you smoke often throughout the day?
• Do you exercise regularly?
• Do foods such as potato chips, candy bars, ice-creams for example, constitute more than 20% of your daily diet?
  
  

Start with small, manageable changes in your diet. Obesity and higher levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, increase your risk of heart attacks, heart diseases, diabetes and several other ailments.

Conclusion

Planning ahead is the key to making healthy food choices, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle while working. Your new healthy lifestyle will fill you with energy and fuel to focus on your career, business, set new goals and propel your professional growth.