吃進什麼食物影響你的產出力

Think back to your Most productive workday in the past week. Now ask yourself: On that afternoon, what did you have for lunch?
回想一下你在過去一週裏最有效率的那個工作日，再問問自己：那天的午飯你吃了些什麼呢？

When we think about the factors that contribute to workplace performance, we rarely give much consideration to food. For those of us battling to stay on top of emails, meetings, and deadlines, food is simply fuel.
當我們考慮影響工作場所表現的因素時，我們很少想到食物。自然，我們考慮得最多的是郵件、會議和截止日期什麼的，食物嘛，只是簡單的燃料罷了。

But as it turns out, this analogy is misleading. The foods we eat affect us more than we realize. With fuel, you can reliably expect the same performance from your car no matter what brand of unleaded you put in your tank. Food is different. Imagine a world where filling up at Mobil meant avoiding all traffic and using BP meant driving no faster than 20 miles an hour. Would you then be so cavalier about where you purchased your gas?
但事實是，這個類比是有誤導性的。我們吃進的食物所產生的影響比我們意識到的要多。有了燃料，無論你往油箱裏加的是什麼牌子的無鉛燃料，你大可期待你的車有相同的表現。食物就不太一樣了，想象一下這樣一個世界：在那裏，用美孚潤滑油就意味着能避免一切交通事故，用英國石油就意味着汽車會以每小時不超過20英里的速度行駛。這樣你還會對你在哪裏購買汽油這麼漫不經心嗎？

Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance, which is why a poor decision at lunch can derail an entire afternoon.
食物對我們認知的表現有着直接的影響，這也就是爲什麼在午餐時作出一個糟糕的決定會讓我們整個下午脫線。

Here’s a brief rundown of why this happens. Just about everything we eat is converted by our body into glucose, which provides the energy our brains need to stay alert. When we’re running low on glucose, we have a tough time staying focused and our attention drifts. This explains why it’s hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.
這裏對這一現象有一個簡要的解釋。我們的身體會把我們吃的幾乎所有東西轉化成葡萄糖，而正是後者給我們大腦能量以保持活躍。當我們體內的葡萄糖含量過低的時候，我們就很難集中注意力。這也就是是爲什麼要把思想集中在一個空空如也的胃上面是如此的困難。

So far, so obvious. Now here’s the part we rarely consider: Not all foods are processed by our bodies at the same rate. Some foods, like pasta, bread, cereal and soda, release their glucose quickly, leading to a burst of energy followed by a slump. Others, like high fat meals (think cheeseburgers and BLTs) provide more sustained energy, but require our digestive system to work harder, reducing oxygen levels in the brain and making us groggy.
說到這兒，一切都很明白了。現在要說的是我們很少考慮到的部分：不是經過我們體內所有的食物都是以同樣的比率被轉化成葡萄糖。有些食物，比如說意大利麪，麪包，穀類食物和蘇打點心等，會很快釋放它們的葡萄糖，讓你能量迅速增長但很快又回到低水平狀態。而其他的呢，比如說高脂肪食物（肉餅啊，三明治之類）提供更加持續的能量，但是要求我們的消化系統更加努力運轉，同時降低大腦中氧含量，讓我們覺得昏昏沉沉。

Most of us know much of this intuitively, yet we don’t always make smart decisions about our diet. In part, it’s because we’re at our lowest point in both energy and self-control when deciding what to eat. French fries and mozzarella sticks are a lot more appetizing when you’re mentally drained.
我們中的大部分人直覺上了解大部分道理，但並沒有做到在我們的飲食上作出聰明的決定。有部分原因是因爲我們在決定吃什麼的時候，我們正處於能量和自我控制的最低點。而當你沒什麼精神的時候，薯條和馬蘇裏拉乳酪條當然看起來更加有吸引力。

Unhealthy lunch options also tend to be cheaper and faster than healthy alternatives, making them all the more alluring in the middle of a busy workday. They feel efficient. Which is where our lunchtime decisions lead us astray. We save 10 minutes now and pay for it with weaker performance the rest of the day.
不健康的午餐選擇也會比健康的選擇要便宜和快捷的多，這讓它們在一個忙碌的工作日中間顯得更加的誘人。它們看似更方便。這也是爲什麼我們的午餐選擇會把我們帶上歧途。我們這一刻節約了十分鐘但用餘下這一天的更加無力的表現來付出代價。So what are we to do? One thing we most certainly shouldn’t do is assume that better information will motivate us to change. Most of us are well aware that scarfing down a processed mixture of chicken bones and leftover carcasses is not a good life decision. But that doesn’t make chicken nuggets any less delicious.
所以我們該做些什麼呢？有一件我們一定不應該做的事是，假定會有更好的信息將會來使我們來改變。大部分人很明確的知道狼吞虎嚥的吃掉加工後的雞骨頭和殘餘的雞身的混合物不是個好的生活選擇。但是這也不會使雞塊喪失一分美味。

No, it’s not awareness we need—it’s an action plan that makes healthy eating easier to accomplish. Here are some research-based strategies worth trying.
對，我們需要的不是意識——而是讓健康飲食更能容易完成的行動計劃。這裏有一些基於調查基礎上的方法值得一試：

The first is to make your eating decisions before you get hungry. If you’re going out to lunch, choose where you’re eating in the morning, not at 12:30 PM. If you’re ordering in, decide what you’re having after a mid-morning snack. Studies show we’re a lot better at resisting salt, calories, and fat in the future than we are in the present.
首先，在你感到飢餓之前就作出吃什麼的決定。如果你外出午餐，早上就選好就餐地點，而不是拖到中午12:30。如果你在下訂單，在早上上午的小吃之後決定你要吃什麼。研究表明，我們在抵禦將來的鹽份、卡路里和脂肪上比在現在做得更好。

Another tip: Instead of letting your glucose bottom out around lunch time, you’ll perform better by grazing throughout the day. Spikes and drops in blood sugar are both bad for productivity and bad for the brain. Smaller, more frequent meals maintain your glucose at a more consistent level than relying on a midday feast.
另一個建議：與其選擇讓你體內的葡萄糖在午餐時間快要耗盡，你可以通過在一天中時不時的進食來表現得更好。血液中糖分的降低不僅對產出力不好，對大腦也是個傷害。相較於完全依賴於一個午間的大餐，少食多餐能夠將你的葡萄糖保持在一個更加持續的水平。

Finally, make healthy snacking easier to achieve than unhealthy snacking. Place a container of almonds and a selection of protein bars by your computer, near your line of vision. Use an automated subscription service, like Amazon, to restock supplies. Bring a bag of fruit to the office on Mondays so that you have them available throughout the week.
最後，讓健康的飲食比不健康飲食更容易得手。在你電腦旁、視線所及的範圍內放一盒扁桃仁，蛋白條也是個好選擇。使用諸如亞馬遜之類的自動訂閱服務來補充貨源。在星期一帶上一包水果到辦公室，這樣整個星期你都有水果可吃。

Research indicates that eating fruits and vegetables throughout the day isn’t simply good for the body—it’s also beneficial for the mind. A fascinating paper in this July’s British Journal of Health Psychology highlights the extent to which food affects our day-to-day experience.
研究表明，在一天中吃水果和蔬菜不只是對我們的身體好，同時也對我們的思維有利。《英國健康心理日報》五月中的一篇蠱惑人心的文章強調了食物影響我們每一天行爲的程度。

Within the study, participants reported their food consumption, mood, and behaviors over a period of 13 days. Afterwards, researchers examined the way people’s food choices influenced their daily experiences. Here was their conclusion: The more fruits and vegetables people consumed (up to 7 portions), the happier, more engaged, and more creative they tended to be.
在這次研究中，參與者報告了他們在一個爲期十三天的日程中的的食物消費、心情和行爲。然後研究者們測試了人們的食物選擇是如何影響他們的日常經歷。這是他們的結論：人們每天吃越多的水果和蔬菜（最多有七份），他們就會越快樂，越投入，也越有創造力。

Why? The authors offer several theories. Among them is an insight we routinely overlook when deciding what to eat for lunch: Fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients that foster the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the experience of curiosity, motivation, and engagement. They also provide antioxidants that minimize bodily inflammation, improve memory, and enhance mood.
爲什麼呢？文章作者提供了幾個理論。這其中有一個是當我們決定午餐吃什麼的時候會習慣性忽略的直覺：水果和蔬菜包含有重要的能促進生化多巴胺產出的營養，而多巴胺在好奇心、動力和參與的體驗扮演重要角色。它們也提供抗氧化劑使身體炎症最小化，提升記憶力，同時改善心情。

Which underscores an important point: If you’re serious about achieving top workplace performance, making intelligent decisions about food is essential.
這一切強調了一個重要的觀點：如果你很認真的對待對於提升工作場所表現，那麼對於食物作出理智的決定就很重要。

The good news is that contrary to what many of us assume, the trick to eating right is not learning to resist temptation. It’s making healthy eating the easiest possible option.
好消息是，與我們中大多數人所設想的相反，要吃的對的方法不是學着怎樣抵擋誘惑，而是使健康飲食成爲最簡單可行的決定。