Management

Can Fresh Fruit At Your Desk Really Help Boost Productivity?

Apple Education

We all know that we should be eating our five a day of fruit and vegetables. Some people are lucky enough to like most of the fruit and vegetables that there are available whilst others struggle as they simply don’t like them. It is important to get our daily intake though and finding out what the best fruit and vegetables are for you and what you need them for can definitely help.

The team at Fruitful Office recently conducted some research which found out that eating fresh fruit at your work desk can improve your productivity and concentration by over 10%, an astonishing amount compared to not eating any. It can be hard to opt for the healthier options when plenty of offices have vending machines full of fizzy drinks and confectionery on different floors of the building and when it’s a colleagues birthday and everyone brings cake in – but some businesses are starting to see the benefits, not just for themselves but their workers too, of providing fresh fruit to snack on.

With an aim to increase the levels of productivity and morale within the workplace, it definitely seems like a great idea. Not only will this be encouraging workers to eat a little healthier and live a healthier lifestyle – plus helping them to get at least one or two of their standard five a day if they do struggle – it can also benefit the business with them seeing increased amounts of work and happiness among the staff.

80% of people who took part in the recent research said that the fruit they had been provided with helped improve the quality of their working life and plenty of those surveyed found that the provision of fruit also helped them in the long term – whether it caused them to eat more fruit, opt for a healthier lunch or cut out the more unhealthier snacks they would otherwise have chosen in the past.

It isn’t just Fruitful Office who have become aware of the link between fresh fruit and productivity. Fresh fruit, especially berries, are often cited as being one of the top brain foods you can choose to increase productivity levels. It can be difficult to find focus especially as we age so why wouldn’t we take advantage of these ‘brain foods’ when told of their health and other benefits? Usually poor diets can be found as the source of the problem – have you ever noticed that you feel better after having a much healthier meal packed full of fruit and vegetables? Sure, junk food often tastes good as you’re eating it but can leave you feeling lethargic and a little ill after eating it.

With confirmation from the Fruitful Office research that fresh fruit really can help boost productivity levels, what would be the best fruit to choose if you too wanted to take advantage of these brain foods?

Blueberries are well known for being good for you but just why exactly? The little blue berries offer vast amounts of fibre, vitamin C and vitamin K and contain something called gallic acid which can help ward off stress and mental degeneration and can also help protect your brain from free radicals meaning your brain can perform effectively into old age – all things that would definitely help with morale and productivity in the workplace.

Bananas are great for productivity as they are a great source of potassium which is essential for helping us keep focused. They also contain fibre and tryptophan which helps boost serotonin levels – making you happier, calmer and thus a better worker.

Many people forget tomatoes are fruit not vegetables and these are great for snacking on at your desk. Not only do they taste great but they are also excellent for brain health, containing lycopene which helps ward off a variety of diseases.

There are plenty of other fruits that can be snacked on at your desk to help boost productivity and morale and these are just a handful of those which are great for it. The Fruitful Office research has shown that by opting for these brain boosting fruits at their desk, it can really help boost staff’s cognitive abilities. 80% of those surveyed reported that they were feeling much healthier, almost 50% reported an improvement in their energy levels and a third of those surveyed found that the fruit they had been eating had been making them more alert.

It is clear to see that opting for a healthier option at your work desk instead of that tempting cream cake can be worth it in terms of productivity and staff morale and these benefit both the staff and the businesses they work for. With fruits being such great sources of various vitamins and other good stuff, why wouldn’t you take that option?

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Daniel Bailey is a full-time content marketer and part-time freelance contributor. He has been helping clients to create brand awareness. When not working, Dan loves to cook food. You can follow him on Twitter.

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