Planning on having a productive afternoon? Here's some dos and don'ts.

I’m not a fan of bread. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat it, but from a nutritional and health perspective, I’m less than enthusiastic. One issue relates to the fact that bread tends to release sugar (from starch) relatively rapidly into the bloodstream. This can cause the body to over-compensate via a surge of the hormone insulin that may drive blood sugar levels to sub-normal levels about 1-3 hours later. Bread-based lunches can easily cause a mid-afternoon lull in energy and concentration.

Another potential sticking point is that most bread is made from wheat, which is one of the more common causes of ‘food sensitivity’. Two of the most obvious symptoms that wheat can induce are fatigue and digestive symptoms.

I am not for banning bread, but I don’t generally recommend it as the basis for lunch for those planning on having an energised, productive afternoon.

So, what to eat? If possible, when working away from home, it’s a good idea to source a salad-based option with a decent quantity of protein and/or fat, such as meat, fish, seafood, egg and avocado. The concept is really to avoid anything 'bread-based'.

At home, my advice is to take a similar approach, and one way to do this is to opt for a ‘delicatessen’ lunch. This is essentially a lunch sourced from the fridge made up of food typically found in the delicatessen section of a supermarket. Options include roast beef, roast chicken, cooked lamb koftes, chicken tikka, smoked salmon, cooked mackerel, prawns, small peppers stuffed with goat's cheese, roasted peppers, olives, hummus, Spanish omelette, Greek salad, cherry tomatoes with mozzarella balls.

Ideally, this will be eaten with no bread, or perhaps a very small amount.

The ‘smorgasbord’ of potential foods means that there’s no need to get bored or stuck in a rut. And, there is no prep and little clearing up to do. The key is to be organised enough to have the appropriate foods in the fridge.

When someone migrates from a bread-based lunch to the ‘deli option’, they usually notice a clear uplift in their afternoon energy and productivity. And no additional time needs to be spent in prepping lunch, either. A bit of organisation on the food front at home can go a long way.

Sometimes, though, a bread-based lunch can feel almost unavoidable, such as when it’s a working lunch at the office and plates of sandwiches or rolls become the order of the day. What to do?

1. Don’t be too hungry.

If you really have no control over what is served at lunch, my advice is to at least take the edge off your appetite, as this will help you moderate how much you eat and limit the damage. A couple of handfuls of nuts, half an hour or so before lunch is due, may be all it takes. Also, some protein and fat eaten before the carb load may help blunt the blood sugar response.

2. Take some apple cider vinegar

Studies show that taking apple cider vinegar prior to carbohydrate consumption can temper blood sugar spikes. Apple cider vinegar can delay the emptying of the stomach, slowing food’s passage into the small intestine and the subsequent release of glucose into the bloodstream.

Also, vinegar is acid, and may slow the effect of carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, which work better in an alkaline environment. 15 mls (1 tablespoon) is about the right dose.

3. Take a walk after lunch

There’s evidence that a brief walk (even 10-15 minutes) after eating helps blunt the glucose and insulin responses after food. Also, a decent break, some fresh air, perhaps some sunlight, and certainly some exercise may set you up for a more energised, productive afternoon.