experiencelifemag.com Print › | Back › Eat to Succeed If you want to perform like a corporate athlete, it helps to eat like one, says Ruth E. Heidrich, PhD, Ironman triathlete and author of A Race for Life (Lantern Books, 2000). Heidrich favors simple meals from unprocessed foods to provide a maximum nutritional punch for busy professionals. Use the following as a guide. By Gina DeMillo Wagner March 2009 The Average Professional: Relies on sugar and caffeine to boost energy. The Corporate Athlete: Knows that candy and coffee make you jittery and reactive. Instead, he prepares some herbal tea, such as peppermint. Add a little honey or agave nectar, and a cup of tea satisfies your sweet craving while the warm temperature and aroma will stimulate your mind. Hungry? A little cinnamon sprinkled on apple slices has a similar energy-boosting effect without the sugar crash.  Heidrich notes that what you eat for breakfast also sets the tone for your day, nutritionally speaking. With adequate protein (from nuts or eggs) and healthy fruit-based sugars in your belly, it?ll be easier to wave off the doughnuts your coworker offers.  The Average Professional: Eats processed convenience foods. The Corporate Athlete: Eats seasonal fruits and easy meals with fresh ingredients.  “The best fuel for your body, whether it be for your muscles or your brain, are carbs derived from whole foods like fruits,” Heidrich says.  They don't call fruits and vegetables “brain food” for nothing. In 2007, the USDA published a report that summarized several studies on nutrients and brain function. Their conclusion? Antioxidants, phytonutrients (essential nutrients shown to have cancer-fighting, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects), essential vitamins (such as B12), and iron derived from fruits and vegetables play a significant role in reversing neuron deterioration in the brain over time. In fact, antioxidants can actually help you build new neurons, sharpening your memory and reaction time. So, when your energy is flagging midafternoon and you're headed into an important meeting, skip the vending machine and reach for a handful of blueberries.   Other portable foods you can keep at your desk or in your briefcase: Bananas, sliced oranges, apples, grapes, carrots, and dried fruits, seeds, nuts, and whole-grain crackers. In the office fridge, stock up on yogurt, guacamole, raw broccoli with hummus, edamame, a vegetable or turkey wrap, hardboiled eggs, celery sticks with nut butter, or a simple spinach salad with walnuts, dried fruit and crumbled Gorgonzola. All these take only minutes to prepare at home and can be eaten at your desk. The Average Professional: Forgets to hydrate. The Corporate Athlete: Keeps a water bottle at her desk and sips continuously throughout the day. Water is essential to brain function, Heidrich notes, and even slight dehydration can cause fatigue, lowered immunity and lack of focus. Not to mention drinking enough water helps curb appetite. (In other words, drink up and you?ll be less likely to binge on junk food.) How much water should you consume? It depends on your body size and level of activity. A good rule of thumb: Drink enough so that you urinate at least every four hours and your urine is pale yellow or clear. The Average Professional: Goes hours without eating, then becomes ravenous and binges on starchy, greasy food after work. The Corporate Athlete: Has an arsenal of quick, nutritious meals ready to eat on the go and at home. Instead of fast food, prepare meals on the weekends, freezing and reheating them throughout the week. And stock an inventory of meals you can prepare in minutes when you get home. Make a little extra, so that you always have leftovers to grab the next day. Pesto pasta with steamed vegetables, spinach quiche, tofu stir-fry, or burritos keep well and reheat quickly.

Eat to Succeed

If you want to perform like a corporate athlete, it helps to eat like one, says Ruth E. Heidrich, PhD, Ironman triathlete and author of A Race for Life (Lantern Books, 2000). Heidrich favors simple meals from unprocessed foods to provide a maximum nutritional punch for busy professionals. Use the following as a guide.

The Average Professional: Relies on sugar and caffeine to boost energy.

The Corporate Athlete: Knows that candy and coffee make you jittery and reactive. Instead, he prepares some herbal tea, such as peppermint. Add a little honey or agave nectar, and a cup of tea satisfies your sweet craving while the warm temperature and aroma will stimulate your mind. Hungry? A little cinnamon sprinkled on apple slices has a similar energy-boosting effect without the sugar crash. 

Heidrich notes that what you eat for breakfast also sets the tone for your day, nutritionally speaking. With adequate protein (from nuts or eggs) and healthy fruit-based sugars in your belly, it?ll be easier to wave off the doughnuts your coworker offers. 

The Average Professional: Eats processed convenience foods.

The Corporate Athlete: Eats seasonal fruits and easy meals with fresh ingredients. 

“The best fuel for your body, whether it be for your muscles or your brain, are carbs derived from whole foods like fruits,” Heidrich says. 

They don't call fruits and vegetables “brain food” for nothing. In 2007, the USDA published a report that summarized several studies on nutrients and brain function. Their conclusion? Antioxidants, phytonutrients (essential nutrients shown to have cancer-fighting, anti-aging, and anti-inflammatory effects), essential vitamins (such as B12), and iron derived from fruits and vegetables play a significant role in reversing neuron deterioration in the brain over time. In fact, antioxidants can actually help you build new neurons, sharpening your memory and reaction time. So, when your energy is flagging midafternoon and you're headed into an important meeting, skip the vending machine and reach for a handful of blueberries.  

Other portable foods you can keep at your desk or in your briefcase: Bananas, sliced oranges, apples, grapes, carrots, and dried fruits, seeds, nuts, and whole-grain crackers. In the office fridge, stock up on yogurt, guacamole, raw broccoli with hummus, edamame, a vegetable or turkey wrap, hardboiled eggs, celery sticks with nut butter, or a simple spinach salad with walnuts, dried fruit and crumbled Gorgonzola. All these take only minutes to prepare at home and can be eaten at your desk.

The Average Professional: Forgets to hydrate.

The Corporate Athlete: Keeps a water bottle at her desk and sips continuously throughout the day. Water is essential to brain function, Heidrich notes, and even slight dehydration can cause fatigue, lowered immunity and lack of focus. Not to mention drinking enough water helps curb appetite. (In other words, drink up and you?ll be less likely to binge on junk food.) How much water should you consume? It depends on your body size and level of activity. A good rule of thumb: Drink enough so that you urinate at least every four hours and your urine is pale yellow or clear.

The Average Professional: Goes hours without eating, then becomes ravenous and binges on starchy, greasy food after work.

The Corporate Athlete: Has an arsenal of quick, nutritious meals ready to eat on the go and at home. Instead of fast food, prepare meals on the weekends, freezing and reheating them throughout the week. And stock an inventory of meals you can prepare in minutes when you get home. Make a little extra, so that you always have leftovers to grab the next day. Pesto pasta with steamed vegetables, spinach quiche, tofu stir-fry, or burritos keep well and reheat quickly. 

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