Our midday meal is crucial for blood sugar balance, focus and concentration and energy levels. Most of us take our meals at lunch at the office, and often in front of the computer, continuing to work as we munch.

Distracted eating, however, can lead to overconsumption and choices that are less than optimal for our energy levels. Couple that habit with the midday food choice itself, often take-away meals that are laden with processed ingredients that take our energy away, and we are prime for the “Three PM Slump”– the sleepiest time of day, when the least amount of productivity occurs due to low blood sugar and caffeine crashes.

It is often at this point in the day when we reach for the extra cup of coffee that will keep us up at night and the sugary hit of something to get us through until quitting time. Avoiding this slump means choosing meals at lunch that are blood sugar sustaining and energy producing.

Try This, Not that: