How to Eat for Excellent Performance at Work - with Adam Kingl

This is the transcript of The Refreshing Leadership Podcast episode: How to eat for excellent performance at work - with Adam Kingl, published on 22nd June 2026.

Welcome back to the Refreshing Leadership Podcast. Today I am joined again by Adam Kingl for part two of our conversation, and here's why I think this is a really refreshing conversation - both about leadership and about food.

When it comes to food, we can often put it into typical categories. What is quick and easy? What is healthful, or what meets body composition goals? But what Adam and I both see in our work is leaders struggling with sustained energy, having to function at a high level for long periods of time.

This podcast actually started as a nutrition podcast with my co-host Aarti, so it's always great to hear from somebody who has done the research around this. There are always extra studies showing side benefits you've never really thought of, and that's what I really got from this conversation.

I've personally noticed in the last few months, since being much more regular and diligent about having my baked oats ready to go, that I feel much more energised and stable throughout the day. So if you're already pretty good when it comes to your food habits but you'd like to give it a bit of a refresh, or you want to know what's working well and where you can level up without a huge amount of extra effort, this episode is for you.

We're going to be talking about the practicalities of eating habits - whether you're in the office, working from home, or travelling for work - and the reality of what we can do in those different situations for sustained energy.

Adam, welcome back to the Refreshing Leadership Podcast. It would be great to dive into the typical behaviours and patterns you're seeing that might have led you to create this book.

Adam: I once heard a sports coach come onto an executive education programme and say: "The only difference really between a professional athlete and a professional executive is that the athlete enjoys recovery time." And I think that's very true. The athlete has short bursts of energy followed by periods of recovery, whereas the high-performing business professional just goes full on every day, five to seven days a week.

The corporate athlete's greatest asset is therefore stamina - remaining focused and energetic through meetings, being composed under pressure, being able to think strategically even when the pressure is to be short-term all the time. That all requires reliable energy throughout the day.

Energy dips contribute to poor decision-making and diminished effectiveness over the longer term. On the other side of the equation, we know that when followers describe their leaders as energetic, there are interesting positive correlations with how their teams describe them more broadly - more collaborative, they lift the emotional life of the group, they often communicate more engagingly. People who are more energetic are also perceived to be more confident, more able to lead change and drive results.

So sustained energy is one of the huge states we spend a good amount of time on in the book. There are other elements that contribute to it beyond nutrition - exercise, recovery, rest, hydration. But I really call sustained energy the art of avoiding the metabolic rollercoaster. How do we not chase the fleeting rushes that come from simple sugars? How do we instead ensure a steady, reliable release of fuel for lasting physical and mental endurance?

The building blocks of sustained energy

If you want, I can go through some examples of what that means in terms of what we eat.

The cornerstone of this strategy is consuming low GI carbohydrates - low glycaemic index carbohydrates. These break down slowly, providing a steady trickle of sugars into the bloodstream instead of a sudden flood followed by an energy crash after a meal.

The second is dietary fibre - soluble fibre, such as oats and barley. This forms a viscous gel in the gut that slows carbohydrate absorption and again gives you that slow trickle.

We have a recipe in the book for homemade granola. Why homemade? Why not just buy a bag? Because you are controlling the simple sugars - the bag of granola from the store is probably filled with a lot of salt and refined sugar. To the granola I would also add nuts and seeds, which give you protein and vitamin Bs, both great for energy throughout the day.

Savoury porridge is another one. We often think of porridge as a morning thing - but what about having it in the afternoon at work? Bring some cold pre-made porridge with you, add a little extra water or broth to rehydrate and thin it, warm it up, and then add some crushed nuts and seeds, maybe some diced tofu, maybe some finely chopped raw cauliflower or broccoli. All of a sudden you have a nutrient bomb that will improve your focus as well as your energy - particularly if you're including things like folate, which you find in cucumber and leafy greens.

You can also add some pureed cooked oats to soups as a thickener. Rather than a simple cornstarch slurry or a roux, pureed oats do the same job but now you're also improving your ability to avoid the post-meal glucose curve and providing prolonged fuel for the body and the brain.

Maya: I love that. I'm so glad you've given oats their moment, because they've had a tricky ride over the last few years. With all the blood glucose monitoring conversation, oats were being shunned because they can register a spike. But spikes are not necessarily a bad thing. I've certainly found that a balanced overnight oats with good fats and protein added in suddenly makes them very much back on the table. And you just feel good after oats - compared to something made with normal flour, I just feel different. We all have different sensitivities, and I think some of us are a little bit sensitive to flour versus something like oats, which is just so soothing. The fact that if your child has eczema you're recommended to put them in an oat bath tells you something - it's naturally one of those very soothing ingredients.

So I'm pleased you've given oats a moment, and it's nice to think creatively about using them beyond their usual breakfast context - where you might otherwise put rice or noodles. They're so easy to bring to life too. All you need is some hot water and they've transformed.

We also have to take into account different working patterns now, don't we? We've had every shade of that - from full working from home to being more back in the office. How do your ideas relate to those different versions of work?

Eating well whether you're in the office or at home

Adam: Returning to the office post-lockdown, I think what a lot of us lost was the habit we'd gotten into of cooking, preparing, and consuming our own food. It's so easy to jump down to the sandwich shop, grab a sandwich, and come back to your desk - where you're eating a lot of refined flour, refined sugars, very little in the way of other nutrients and vitamins from produce, and maybe not a lot of protein.

One habit I think we have to remind ourselves of as we return to the office, whether part-time or full-time, is trying to eat things where you know what you're eating. You don't really know when you're getting something off the shelf what's really in there. And so much of the time people are eating from their desk at lunch, which has a whole other set of issues.

You might think, "I don't have time to prepare something during the workday." I'm not suggesting that. What I am saying is prepare something on Sunday night or the night before, so you know what you're having for lunch and you're setting yourself up for success.

If before a big meeting you reread all the notes, read the report, write down some questions - you are preparing for the meeting. Well, another way you need to prepare for that important meeting is physically. Do I have sufficient energy? Do I have sufficient focus and concentration? What you're eating for lunch is going to contribute to that. It just means thinking about it a little bit ahead of time.

I also want to give protein its due. One thing I discovered reading a lot of the literature and talking to executives about their eating habits is that I think one reason so many of us don't have enough energy throughout the day is really simple - we don't consume enough protein. You can't just do carbs and expect to feel full and have energy throughout the day. You don't have to be a meat eater - there are lots of sources of protein that aren't animal protein - but this is something many of us have lost sight of.

The other point is healthy fats. We tend to assume all fat is bad fat. That is not the case at all. Healthy fat is a slow-burning energy source. We know that HDL - good cholesterol - is good for heart health. But more recent nutrition research indicates it's also good for the brain. HDL helps the neurotransmitters function, meaning you can think with more stamina and more clarity if you're consuming enough of it.

And then there are eggs. Eggs had their moment in the sun and then their decline - "don't eat eggs, all that cholesterol." Egg yolks in particular are a wonderful thing. I'm not suggesting eating a dozen eggs a day, but one or two eggs a day, which most doctors would now endorse, is not going to raise your LDL - your bad cholesterol. What it will do is boost your HDL a little, and more importantly, the choline in the egg yolk is going to help your focus. It also contains lutein, which is a key ingredient for eye health - something more ophthalmologists are now recommending when people ask about maintaining eye health and avoiding needing a new prescription all the time.

Maya: I love that. We've arrived at the perfect length of time for a boiled egg in our house - seven minutes - and I tend to eat up any leftovers. We definitely get through a lot of eggs. The only slight disappointment is realising eggs don't quite have as much protein as we once thought. But it's nice to know they have all these other benefits. I'll play this segment to my son so he's heard it from someone other than me.

What's your take on travelling with meat? I didn't grow up in a household that ate meat, so I tend to stick to chicken and some fish. Would you pack chicken to bring to work?

Adam: Absolutely. A cold cooked chicken breast in a salad or on a sandwich is only out of the fridge for about an hour and a half on a typical commute. It will be absolutely fine.

Maya: Would you heat it before eating?

Adam: Not necessarily - if I'm eating it with a cold salad, there's no need. However, as we discussed in the first episode, we talked about reawakening our joy of eating through contrasts. So on a cold chopped vegetable salad, some hot diced chicken breast would be delicious. We all have a microwave in the office, so it's easy enough to heat it - but it's not actually about hygiene. It just makes it more interesting in the mouth.

How to nail your chicken

Maya: This is really a question for me personally - I'm still trying to make my chicken better. I use an air fryer and I try not to undercook it because I know that's the path to rubberiness. For those of us who haven't quite nailed our chicken yet, any tips?

Adam: First, I want to raise a trophy for chicken. Not only is it a wonderful source of lean protein, it contains tryptophan, which enhances the good mood hormones in our body. Sometimes chicken and turkey get a bad reputation because people say they feel sleepy after eating it - but it's not the tryptophan making you sleepy. You're sleepy because you ate too much. Tryptophan is actually a good mood booster, which is another reason to eat chicken.

Here is one of my go-to recipes, instantly adaptable in many ways.

Take a chicken breast. Put some olive oil in the pan - yes, I cook with olive oil. I think it's unnecessary to restrict it to drizzling on salads. You can absolutely fry in olive oil. Yes, it has a slightly lower smoking point, but you're not deep frying with it. Season your chicken well - if you want to reduce the salt, you can recreate that brightness in the mouth with other things. About an hour before you cook, rub some thyme leaves - dried or fresh - and lemon zest all over the chicken and put it back in the fridge. Even if you don't have an hour and just do this immediately before cooking, that's fine too. But giving it that moment to let the lemon zest and herbs infuse just a little bit gives it that extra boost.

Put your pan on a medium heat. A lot of people say to sear on a very high heat to seal in the juices - but sealing in the juices at super high temperature is actually a myth. When you put a cold chicken breast in a very hot pan, the proteins contract hard and squeeze the water out. Keep your pan on a moderate heat. Six minutes on one side, turn it over, six minutes on the other side. You don't have to touch it - just check it's not burning. Medium heat, six minutes per side, and it will be perfect. Slightly browned - that caramelisation, known as the Maillard effect, enhances the natural flavours in the chicken.

Take it out of the pan. Now, do not immediately wash the pan. You now have what we call fond - the lovely brown bits sticking to the bottom. That is the foundation of Western sauces after cooking a meat or fish protein. Take some white wine, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and just splash a little in there.

Scrape up the fond with a rubber spatula. Then add any other flavouring you want. A little pat of butter or a dash of cream - in moderation - will round out the flavours. Squeeze in some lemon juice to add brightness back in. We don't put enough citrus in dishes.

Here is where you can easily create variations from that same base. If you add some chopped fresh basil, you're in the Mediterranean. Add some French tarragon and you're in Provence. Add some finely chopped lemongrass and some lime leaves and you're in Southeast Asia. One dish, three completely different origins and flavour profiles.

Maya: I love that. I must add garam masala and dried coriander for an Indian profile - that's one I do a lot. And in an air fryer, the key is medium heat too. You do get all the juices and fond dripping through the grill to the bottom, which becomes your sauce.

Adam: Yes - keep that. Particularly with the air fryer, because it's not going to be fat, it's going to be juices and fond. That becomes the basis for a lovely sauce. Or even if you don't want to bother with a sauce, just toss whatever veg or rice or pasta you've made in those lovely brown bits. All of a sudden you've made something potentially quite bland into something amazing.

Maya: That is brilliant. Thank you for going into that in detail. If you're going to go down the chicken route, you really need to know how to nail it, and it doesn't come naturally to everyone. So that's really helpful.

We've covered a lot across two conversations. Especially thinking about habits now that many of us have moved back to the office. Is there anything else you think is worth sharing - particularly around where people can go from being quite disciplined to then going off track? You mentioned offline that you see people going wrong in certain situations. Is there anything on that as we wrap up?

Staying on track when travelling and eating out

Adam: Part of it is just being a little more mindful about what you're eating, particularly when you're on the road. It's easy to start eating poorly - and I'm not even talking primarily about calories, but about not losing track of giving yourself the right nutrients to enhance your performance. If you're also dealing with jet lag, sustained energy, concentration, and focus become hugely important.

Think about ordering leafy greens, which give you lutein just as eggs do. Go for things that give you folic acid - which you find in cucumbers and other fruits and veg. Eat an apple instead of a candy bar if you just need that little boost of energy. You're getting natural sugars but also low GI and fibre, which will keep you full for longer.

A lot of it is just being a little more thoughtful, particularly when things feel inconvenient. Throw a couple of apples in your rucksack on the way to work. If you're abroad, hit the salad bar at the hotel instead of the steakhouse. Those small choices can make a huge difference.

And then finally, when we're at home, lean in a little more to cooking. It shouldn't be yet another task to squeeze into an already crowded calendar or another chore. It's an opportunity to nourish ourselves, connect with practice, and slow down to care for ourselves with a little bit more attention.

Maya: That's a lovely way to put it. It's actually reminded me of a question I wanted to ask around eating out and travel. I've reached a point where I have a really good rhythm at home - I know what's needed and I have a good routine - and so I'm even more aware now of how much more difficult it becomes when you're eating out or away for a longer period. You notice the difference much more sharply.

Honestly, I've found I could do without restaurants most of the time. There's a social function, and there can be real culinary excitement - but I also think that from a nutritional perspective, other objectives tend to be prioritised and there isn't always enough care given to what the food is actually doing for you. By the end of a trip, all your anchor behaviours have gone out of the window and it can feel like a bit of a free-for-all. Any final thoughts on that?

Adam: Seek out produce. Hit the salad bar. No matter where you are in the world, you're probably near a market where you can grab some apples, some carrots - so that you're not eating heavily processed food three times a day every day.

But I'm not saying punish yourself. You can still go to that salad bar, pick up some raw veg, grab some flatbread or a tortilla, wrap it up with a little vinaigrette, and all of a sudden it feels like a lovely little Mediterranean veggie wrap. This isn't penance.

A big part of the book is how do we make nutritious food exciting - because the funny thing is, it actually is exciting. We're trying to marry the ideas of wellness, performance, and nutrition with helping ourselves develop some signature go-to things that we seek out, prepare, cook, and consume, that help us feel a little bit better physically throughout the day.

Maya: That's a great way to wrap up. I have two things to add. One - we went to Torquay as a family and my son was literally crying for carrots. "Get me some carrots." It's lovely to see what happens when kids who have become accustomed to having produce then don't have access to it.

The other was from my time at London Business School, where we were running programmes and eating constantly from their incredible restaurant. What I used to do was make a beeline for the things I don't have as much of at home - the array of fresh produce, the good proteins, the fish and chicken. Because otherwise it's very easy to just go for the desserts, which were incredible. But you can balance it by having the things that aren't as easy to make at home. I think that's a nice approach for those situations too.

Thank you, Adam - this has been a brilliant conversation. I'm really looking forward to diving into the book. Remind our listeners where they can get a copy.

Adam: Of course. The book is called Executive Eats: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life. It comes out on 16th June 2026 and is already available on all online book retailers. After the 16th, I hope you'll even find it on the shelves of your favourite bookshop. It's available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book.

Maya: Brilliant. Go out and get your copy - it is definitely something different from the typical cookbook. We talked about it in the previous episode too, so if you haven't listened to that yet, go back and have a listen. Adam, thank you so much for joining me. I've already got a few things I'm going to go away and add to my habits and behaviours, and hopefully all of you listening have a couple too. Bye-bye.

Executive Eats: The Cookbook is now available at all major book retailers.

You can connect with Adam at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-kingl/. Find out more at https://adamkingl.com/

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About Maya

Maya Gudka is an executive coach specialising in C-suite career progression and leadership development. She works with senior leaders in major organisations on strategic career planning, executive presence, and building sustainable influence. Maya hosts The Refreshing Leadership Podcast, which ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally and has nearly 300 episodes exploring the challenges faced by ambitious professionals.