2577: In Praise Of Lunch by Dr. Jenny Brockis on Nutrition Advice & Improving Physical Fitness

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[00:01:04] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep?

[00:01:09] That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships

[00:01:15] Daily is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations.

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[00:01:39] and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily, episode 2577,

[00:01:47] In Praise of Lunch, by Dr. Jenny Brakus of drjennybrakus.com. And I'm Dr. Neil.

[00:01:54] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new here.

[00:01:59] This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you from some of

[00:02:04] the most popular health and fitness blogs online. And with that, let's get right to today's article

[00:02:09] as we optimize your life. In Praise of Lunch, by Dr. Jenny Brakus of drjennybrakus.com.

[00:02:22] Do you eat lunch? According to the Australia Institute, 3.8 million people in Australia

[00:02:28] regularly skip lunch, the most common reason cited being that they're too busy to stop and eat.

[00:02:34] For those who do, less than 96% consume their food while sitting at our desks. The term al

[00:02:41] desco coined by Carl Onore reflects the growing trend for many of us to fail to take a proper

[00:02:47] lunch break. But it wasn't always so. There was a time, oh dearly beloved, and not so long ago,

[00:02:54] that there was in existence a ritual called the lunch break that took place in meeting halls

[00:03:00] called the canteen or staff kitchen, where people would come together on a daily basis

[00:03:05] and undertake the sharing of bread and other victuals. Some were even known to partake of a

[00:03:10] more highly specialized ritual in a more fancy meeting hall known as the long lunch or the

[00:03:17] liquid lunch down at the local pub, often accompanied the joint decision of the participants

[00:03:22] to curtail any useful work activity thereafter. Today, the issue is less of yearning for time

[00:03:28] out for a fancy lunch, but stopping to take any sort of meal break. What's going on that we feel

[00:03:34] so compelled to keep working? It's not that we aren't allowed to stop. We make that decision

[00:03:40] ourselves. There have been a number of occasions after presenting a seminar on bringing your best

[00:03:46] self to work when I've been asked in hushed conspiratorial tones about what can be done

[00:03:52] to persuade Trudy, Simon, Alex or Belinda to leave their desk to take a break during the day.

[00:03:58] It matters because poor eating and non-eating habits are costing us dearly. According to the

[00:04:05] ILO report, Food at Work, poor nutrition is causing up to 20% in lost productivity globally

[00:04:12] through malnutrition and obesity. Mindless eating is bad for brains. While missing an occasional

[00:04:19] meal or making one trip to the fast food joint won't hurt, it's when this becomes the norm that

[00:04:24] it becomes an issue. Failing to stop for a proper break leads to mindless eating. Can you remember

[00:04:30] what you had for lunch yesterday or the day before? When we're in a rush or eating on the go,

[00:04:35] we end up consuming more calories. You may think you're saving time eating your purchased wrap while

[00:04:41] driving to your next appointment, but the risk, other than ending up with mayo or worse still

[00:04:47] vinaigrette because it's such a pain to get the oily stain out from your shirt front, is that you

[00:04:51] don't notice what you've eaten or how much. As one advertisement famously boasts, once you pop,

[00:04:58] you just can't stop. Yes, I too find that once that chip packet has been opened, it's as if an

[00:05:05] alien hand keeps going back to grab another handful. It's no secret that snacking on junk

[00:05:10] food is contributing to our rapidly expanding waistlines and obesity is a risk factor for

[00:05:16] cognitive decline. In regards to better brain health, the message is clear. Our choice of food

[00:05:22] provides those essential nutrients to fuel our brain for a more positive mood, better memory,

[00:05:28] and better thinking. Brains do better on real food. One reason the human brain evolved to be

[00:05:35] the magnificent organ it is is because a few thousand years ago we began cooking our food,

[00:05:41] leading to the more effective release of nutrients and reducing the amount of time we would have to

[00:05:46] otherwise spend foraging for raw food. The best foods for brain health have been shown to include

[00:05:52] those as found in the Mediterranean-style diet that is based primarily on plants, yes, mom was

[00:05:58] right to tell us to eat our greens, some lean protein, seeds and nuts, fruits and berries,

[00:06:04] whole grains, and plenty of water. We don't have to make it any more complicated than that.

[00:06:10] Providing your brain with nutrition that supports best brain health and function is a must to provide

[00:06:16] the energy required to effectively navigate our long and busy days. Running on empty reduces

[00:06:23] thinking capacity, leads to poorer decision making, and slow processing of information.

[00:06:28] Worse still, your low blood sugar can lead to an emotional disturbance called being hangry.

[00:06:34] Being somewhat prone to this myself, my partner has learned over the years to avoid this predicament

[00:06:39] by ensuring that if elements of hanger start to appear, they will quickly proffer sustenance in

[00:06:45] the form of a snack of hummus and vegetable sticks or a piece of cheese, depending on what they can

[00:06:51] find on short notice lurking in the fridge. Providing your brain with a nice steady supply

[00:06:56] of nutrients by eating every 3-4 hours through three meals and a couple of snacks is ideal to

[00:07:02] keep blood sugar levels even and your thinking intact. It's not just about food. But there's

[00:07:09] something else at play here too. It's not just about the food. Taking a break provides your

[00:07:15] brain with a breather so you can refuel on essential nutrients to keep your brain healthy

[00:07:21] and performing better, re-energize a tired brain that's been working hard all morning,

[00:07:26] and reconnect with our friends and colleagues to share a bit of banter,

[00:07:30] chat about life, and boost our emotional and social think tanks. Invest in your brain.

[00:07:37] Choosing to take a proper lunch break every day is about making healthy nutrition a non-negotiable

[00:07:43] in the same way as getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and managing our stress.

[00:07:48] It doesn't have to be hard or expensive but it does require a decision. And practice. Because

[00:07:54] being creatures of habit, good intentions quickly get rerouted to the old way of doing, especially

[00:07:59] when we're under pressure, tired, and stressed. Making one small change is all it takes.

[00:08:07] What can you do to ensure your brain stays well nourished? How can you plan on your working week

[00:08:13] to provide you the time and space to make healthier choices? Creating a healthy eating culture.

[00:08:21] Real change always starts from the top. To use corporate speak, this is about investing in your

[00:08:26] existing human capital. Think. People. What this shows is two things. One, you care. Two,

[00:08:35] you understand the value of having a happy, healthy, well-nourished workforce in relation

[00:08:40] to productivity and performance. Breaking bread together was one of the earliest ways we learned

[00:08:45] as humans to create meaningful and trusting relationships. You just listened to the post

[00:08:54] titled In Praise of Lunch by Dr. Jenny Brakus of drjennybrakus.com and I'll be right back with

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[00:10:13] Dr. Neil here for my commentary. Look, Dr. Brakus is absolutely right. The quality of our diets can

[00:10:19] absolutely influence brain health. In fact, a meal plan supporting brain health would follow

[00:10:25] a Mediterranean type diet as Dr. Brakus mentioned, and it might look something like this.

[00:10:30] Every day, consume mostly whole grains. Get your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables

[00:10:37] each day, especially those that are dark green, orange, and red. Eat red meat sparingly and instead

[00:10:44] consume lean meats like poultry and fish especially twice a week. Include legumes, nuts, and seeds into

[00:10:52] your daily meals and snacks. And when it comes to using oils, choose olive oil and other vegetable

[00:10:58] oils. Now there are other lifestyle behaviors that we need to consider as well. Staying active,

[00:11:04] for example, not only physically but mentally and as Dr. Brakus mentioned, socially. These are

[00:11:10] really important for preventing dementia and possibly Alzheimer's disease. Moving your body

[00:11:15] through exercise promotes the health of the neurons or the nerves in the brain and also can

[00:11:21] help reduce inflammation in the body. Challenging your brain with puzzles and learning new skills

[00:11:27] can also strengthen these neurons. And visiting with friends and family can help too. Researchers

[00:11:33] have found that socializing seems to help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease too. Also,

[00:11:40] meditation may promote brain health. Now it's important for me to say that none of the nutrients

[00:11:46] or foods I mentioned or the other lifestyle behaviors by themselves will prevent disease.

[00:11:51] It's really about combining as many of these as we can and performing them consistently that seems

[00:11:57] to be most helpful. All right, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening every day.

[00:12:02] I hope you're having a fantastic week and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.