40 days without meat. How changing my diet and nutrition helped me to be more successful (2024)

A healthy lifestyle, diet, and nutrition are vitally important to not only your success personally but professionally too. I found out just how much this past year. As a Catholic, choosing what to give up each Lenten season is important, and I never come up with anything good. However, this time around, I got it right! I decided on meat. I felt that this was the perfect challenge and sacrifice. Initially, I thought it would be impossible, and I told myself that I could never do it. I ate meat with almost every meal; however, I just took it one meal at a time. Not to mention I had a huge supporter.

Enter my Fiancé! She has a passion for nutrition, and she cooks all our meals, and I mean all of them! Her passion for this topic rubbed off on me. We started to talk more and more about the importance of giving your body what it needs to perform. She would tell me how much better I would feel if I made this change. I didn't believe that my diet could have such a drastic impact on my life. Last Christmas she bought me Tom Brady's book "The TB12 Method". It was fascinating, and I learned a lot from it. Who knew all the foods you usually eat aren't very good for you. Needless to say, Tom takes dieting and nutrition to the next level. My diet primarily consisted of red meat, which, as you know, isn't very good for your cholesterol.

I watched a couple of documentaries on plant-based diets like "What the Health," It was eye-opening. "Research consistently shows that when youeat mostly plant foods, markers of health improve. Benefits include lower blood pressure, triglyceride levels, glucose, and waist circumference, which can translate to a lower risk of a number of different diseases, including heart disease and diabetes" (Cassetty, 2018). Not only does this type of diet improve your health, but it makes you more successful. Your body and mind can function at the highest level due to the increases in your cognitive function and performance.

Each day I began to feel better and better. Not only was I physically improving, but I felt that my mental state was improving too. I was happier and had more energy. I was much more focused, and I noticed a massive difference in my performance at work and home. I suddenly didn't need my afternoon coffee. I wasn't as tired after work. I was able to manage my time better and reduce my stress level. It was an incredible feeling, and it was because of my diet. "Astudyby Brigham Young University shows that people with unhealthy eating habits are 66% more likely to demonstrate poor productivity at work" (Kohll, 2019). I was feeding my body food that was not good for me, and my health and performance showed.

My goal is to be as productive as I can at work. Look for ways to improve things. Solve complex problems quicker. I wasn't as effective at doing this as I could have been, nor was I reaching my full potential due to my diet and nutrition. I want to be creative, alert, and mentally focused. It is tough to do this if you are not providing your body with the right foods. I tried new healthy meals from vegetarian to vegan. Throughout my journey to eat healthier. I don't miss red meat as much as I thought I would, and funny enough, I believe that the healthier alternatives are sometimes much better in flavor than the original.

Why your diet and nutrition is essential?

Your diet and nutrition can have a massive impact on your success. It can increase your productivity, enhance your focus, improve your decision-making, reduce fatigue, and improve your overall health. If you make this a priority in your life, you will become the best version of yourself and reach success levels you never thought possible. I encourage you to practice healthy eating habits because I know through my experience what a difference it has made in my life and what a difference it can make in yours!

References:

Cassetty, S., & Rd. (2019, December 30). What science says about the best way to eat (and what we're still figuring out). NBCNews.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.nbcnews.com/better/lifestyle/what-science-says-about-best-way-eat-what-we-re-ncna1104911.