Fueling the Mind: The Impact of Dietary Choice on Employee Cognitive Performance and Creative Output in the Modern Workplace

Abstract

A nutritionally adequate diet can be provided to improve the productivity of the workers. When employees do not eat a proper diet, their chances of falling sick are higher than those who eat a proper diet. Therefore, a balanced diet is one of the significant factors that contribute to work performance. This current research paper will assess the impacts of various dietary consumptions, including carbohydrates, keto diets, protein, and junk food, on the cognitive performance of employees. The energy that a worker brings to the workplace is a significant factor in organizational performance. It used a deductive method, and the data gathered were quantitative. Online questionnaires were distributed through convenience sampling to five assistant managers of five large banks in Karachi, i.e. Bank Al Habib, Habib Bank Limited, Faysal Bank, MCB, and UBL. The data collected was analysed using IBM SPSS Version 24.

Findings revealed that, except for the keto diet, the three types of diets — namely, carbohydrates, junk food, and protein — had a significant influence on employee cognitive performance. Protein had a positive effect, whereas carbohydrates and junk food had no effect. The bank management should therefore give health and wellness programs due consideration. Such programs need to be developed to maintain or improve employee well-being by educating them on the relative merits and shortcomings of particular diets. In addition, if banks offer in-house cafeterias, healthy food items such as fruits, vegetables, low-oil foods, and low-carbohydrate options should be included in the menus whenever possible.