Occasionally, I will stop in at a Starbucks or Pete’s coffee on my way to my office. As I stand in line, it is interesting to listen to the complex concoctions being ordered by the people in front of me. “Let’s see. I would like a Venti, triple-shot, low-fat, superhot, upside-down caramel macchiato with just a bit of whip.” They’re spending more than $7, simply getting a cup of coffee. But more importantly, are the thousands of calories they are consuming that impair their ability to think on the job.
As a review, your brain operates on blood glucose, which is produced by the intestines, based on what you eat. In simpler terms, blood glucose is the sugar energy that powers your body, whether you’re walking, driving, writing, or any other everyday task. The brain consumes about 20% of all the sugar energy produced by the body every day. Every decision you make is dependent upon this source. So theoretically, the more sugar-energy, the better. Right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
Have you ever consumed one of these tasty delights, only to have trouble keeping your eyes open at the meeting an hour later? Yeah. Bottom line? You can’t front-load this sugar energy.
Those who are consuming these sugary drinks are simply giving themselves a sugar hangover a bit later in the morning. My friend, Brian, calls these types of things, gut bombs. Why? Because they tend to sit in your gut and drain your energy. The fat needs to be metabolized by the body and that drains energy from your entire system.
In addition, your pancreas produces insulin to regulate the levels of sugar in your system. So, consuming too many calories, whether it’s a donut, a heavy breakfast or a Venti macchiato, all you’re doing is impairing your body’s ability to function efficiently. What foods do you eat out of habit every morning that might be draining the energy you need to remain in focus throughout the day?
In these times, when we all feel overwhelmed by the number of decisions we’re making and the pressure to get more done with less, having the proper diet will give you the opportunity to provide more energy to your day and more focus to the decisions that you actually make.