Recipes – The Loess Life

Sounds good doesn’t it? Almost impossible perhaps. But the WHO (World Health Organisation) say that adequate nutrition can raise productivity by 20%. In reality that’s a fifth of a working week, so consider if you have a team you manage with 5 people in; by providing a supportive atmosphere with health as a focus, in a year you’ll potentially gain back 260 days; which is about a whole working year.

So what is considered as adequate nutrition? Aside from our five a day (packed with the vitamins and minerals we need to stay on top of our game), it’s important to keep the following in check:

Quick snacks with lots of hidden sugars, that can lift us up fast but lead to the dreaded 3pm lull
Staying hydrated – it’s easy to forget to drink water when you’re staring at a screen all day, but chances are if you’re not hydrated you’re more prone to headaches and lack of focus
Eating breakfast; without good fuel first thing, not only are we more likely to grab for sugar mid-morning, we’re also less likely to be able to be super productive through till lunchtime.

When it comes to fuelling our productivity, simple daily habits can make all the difference. If you’re looking to give your team some nutritious inspiration to drive productivity, get in touch to discuss the group workshops I’ve seen make a real difference to my clients.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good loaf of freshly baked bread (it’s all about balance!) but gluten can be tough on our guts, so sometimes it’s nice to have a kinder option.

Tummy-Kind Loaf (makes around 8-10 small slices)

Ingredients

100g chia seeds

320g oats (blitzed in a blender till floury)

50g sunflower seeds

3tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2tbsp honey pinch of salt

100ml your choice of alt milk

Putting it together

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees/160 fan
Mix your chia seeds with 200ml of water in a bowl, leave to hang out for 10 minutes so a gel-like texture can form (this is basically your ‘egg’!
Combine the oats and chia paste together, mixing well. Next, add the seeds, oil, honey and salt in a bowl and fold them into the oat mix
Tip your alt milk in bit by bit, till you have a dough that sticks together but isn’t too sticky! you can use less or more alt milk to get this consistency, and add some oats if it gets too sticky (you don’t need to blitz these extra oats, they will add to the texture)
Shape into a loaf and place on a baking paper lined tray
Bake for around 25 minutes, turn over and bake for 25 minutes more. Turn again and bake until browned on the top (but not burnt!)
Leave to cool and then store the loaf in an airtight tin, or slice and freeze so you always have some on hand! Works will with sweet and savoury toppings, so get creative! This is also a great pre-bed snack as it won’t spike your blood sugar too high.