Ergonomics is the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. As office workers, computer ergonomics extend outside of the time we’re physically at our desk. I consider nutrient-dense foods an important variable of my computer posture. Because the healthier we are when we sit at our desk in the morning, the better our computer posture will be. If we’ve been eating unhealthy foods that have dozens of artificial ingredients, our strength, energy, and computer posture will suffer much earlier in the day. Nutrition for better posture is an important variable of my computer ergonomics process.
Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day is an endurance event. Some of our muscles and tendons are excessively overused in an attempt for good posture. The rest of our muscles and tendons are underused for long periods of time. They are hardly activated at all while we’re at our computer.
After this endurance event we call a work day, we go straight to the gym, run, or play sports. For years, I’d do this 5 days a week, while eating ultra-processed, nutrient-deficient foods everyday. This bad nutrition habit led to very increased risk of poor computer posture.
Foods That Promote Good Posture
This article is not professional medical or nutritional advice. It’s for informational purposes only. This article is based off my personal experience and my opinion of posture-improving foods. Years of my poor computer posture caused muscle tension, inflammation, and chronic pain. I wasn’t doing myself any favors by drinking tap water and eating unhealthy fast foods. The muscle-supporting foods I mention in this article work well for me and my physical activity levels. I don’t intend for this list of foods to be ideal for everyone reading this article.
Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare. All the workplace ergonomic tips I write about are directly related to improving posture at a computer.
Quick full disclosure: I’m not compensated by any food companies. I paid my own money for all the whole foods mentioned in this article. I enjoy sharing my favorite products with my readers. Nothing in this article is paid promotion.
Posture-improving Foods
These days, I cook 90 percent of my own food. Everything I eat tastes good (in my opinion). I don’t sacrifice taste for nutrients. A lot of people are addicted to the artificial ingredients of processed foods without even knowing it. I used to fall into this category. It’s a hard habit to break. But there are many ways to make nutrient-dense foods that taste good and enjoyable. And once I broke my poor nutrition habit by eating the posture-improving foods listed below, I’ll never go back to eating ultra-processed, unhealthy foods.
Sea salt
Sea salt is high in sodium, which is an electrolyte. It’s also an essential mineral. There’s a popular misconception that too much salt is bad for you. It definitely can be when the salt is ultra-processed, filled with artificial ingredients and preservatives. And when you’re eating this type of low-quality salt on fast food carbs that are cooked in seed oils, it’s definitely unhealthy. When we sweat, we lose salt. It needs to be replaced in our bodies with a quality sea salt.
I use a 100% natural unrefined sea salt. There is literally only one thing on the package’s ingredient list: unrefined sea salt. I use it on foods like red meat, eggs, avocados, and sweet potatoes. I will even put a pinch of sea salt in my drinking water (which I filter by reverse osmosis).
When I started eating (and drinking) this healthy sea salt, my blood circulation throughout my entire body improved. I could see the veins in my forearms again for the first time in years. Good blood circulation is a huge benefit needed to improve your computer posture.
Red meat (ground beef or steak)
I’m not an expert when it comes to the cattle industry. But I have studied a few people that are very experienced. From them, I’ve learned a decent understanding about the quality of red meat. There are four basic descriptions that are widely used on the labels of ground beef and steak. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Grass-fed
When it comes to buying ground beef or steak, pay attention to the description on the label. If it says “grass-fed”, that doesn’t necessarily mean the cow was fed grass its entire life. It only means the cow was fed grass for most of its life. Most experts I’ve heard say this percentage of the cow’s life is about 80%. Then, the cow is moved into a finishing line (or finishing process) where they are fed grain for the rest of its life.
100% grass-fed
If a cow has been grass-fed all its life, one way to know is you will see “100% grass-fed” on the label. The “100%” simply means all of its life. These cows are usually raised in a pasture with plenty of space to roam around. They’re not trapped in an overcrowded, fenced in area with many other cows. Cows with living situations like this are usually grain-fed.
Grass-fed, grass-finished
“Grass-fed, grass-finished” is the same thing as 100% grass-fed. If you see this on a label, this cow wasn’t fed any grain throughout its lifetime. It was fed grass all the way through the finishing line (process).
Grain-fed
You will rarely (or never) find a label of red meat that says “grain-fed.” That’s how you know that package of red meat is grain-fed. If it doesn’t say grass-fed anywhere on the label, then that red meat is almost always grain-fed.
I follow a few nutrition experts that say eating grain-fed red meat is better than eating no red meat at all. Grain fattens the cow more than grass does. So grain-fed red meat typically has a higher fat content than grass-fed. I exercise regularly, so fat can be a good energy source for me. The problem I have with eating grain-fed red meat is: the cow is much less healthier when it is alive. Its living conditions are poorer than a cow that’s pasture-raised. It’s living in an overcrowded area, with inflammation in its body from the grain it has been eating all of its life.
red meat closing thoughts
I prefer to eat “100% grass-fed” red meat, also known as “grass-fed, grass-finished.” This quality, leaner red meat is more expensive than grain-fed red meat. But if I’m going to cut costs somewhere in my life, it’s not going to be on nutrition for better posture. Eating healthy is an investment. It’ll prevent muscle tension, inflammation, and chronic pain. If I don’t pay a little more money at the grocery store now, I’ll be paying a lot more money down the road to fix these health issues.
When I first started cooking more red meat at home, I lost 45 pounds quickly. I wasn’t even trying to lose weight. I just wanted to eat healthier so I’d feel pain-free, stronger, and more energetic. But I went from 235 pounds to 190 pounds in about 4 months. It was pretty eye-opening. I felt much better at 190 pounds. I haven’t gone back to fast-food since.
Red meat is one of the most collagen-boosting foods I eat. Collagen is the main protein found in skin and other tissues. Collagen intake has many health benefits. But the ones most important to me are how it builds both strength and elasticity of muscles and tendons. Red meat is also one of the most muscle-supporting foods.
Another health benefit I got from eating quality red meat, my hunger was satisfied much more easily. This is called satiety. It’s means the opposite of hunger. I wasn’t craving carbs or desserts nearly as much.
Pasture-raised eggs
Continuing on with my list of single ingredient, posture-improving whole foods. Next on the list is eggs. Pasture-raised chickens roam free on a grassy field. They eat insects, seeds, and earthworms. They aren’t overcrowded in their space like conventional chickens are. Their feed is made up of things like corn and soybeans.
I usually fry my eggs in a skillet. I cook them in either beef tallow, duck fat, or grass-fed, pasture-raised butter. The same company I get my eggs from also sells hard-boiled pasture-raised eggs already cooked. Sometimes I’ll pack them in a cooler with some sea salt and raw cheese. It makes for a quick, healthy meal made up of foods that promote good posture.
Organic sweet potatoes
I rarely ever count my macros, especially carbohydrates. I’m not low-carb or high-carb. I’d describe my carbohydrate eating habits as a moderate amount of healthy carbs. I’ll cook a baked sweet potato in the oven. I’ll use either beef tallow or duck fat to grease the pan. Finally, I add natural unrefined sea salt and grass-fed, pasture raised butter. I’ll only eat half of the sweet potato though, while saving the other half for the next meal. This is the portion that works best for me. It’s all about feeling energetic and productive at my desk, not sluggish with mental fog.
Or, I’ll peel a raw sweet potato and cut it into thin chips. I’ll keep them raw in the refrigerator. Whenever I fry eggs or red meat in a pan, I’ll throw a few sweet potato chips in the pan with it.
Organic avocados
I like avocados because they are a good source of healthy fats. They also taste really good. I’ll cut it up and put it in a bowl. Then, I’ll top it off with sea salt and a few pieces of raw cheese.
Raw organic honey or raw organic maple syrup
I like to use one of these as a topping. I’m not a big fan of ketchup, steak sauce, or dressing. Mainly because most of them have so many artificial ingredients. (Side note: Although, I do use some of Primal Kitchen’s products.)
Obviously, raw honey and raw maple syrup do have a high sugar content. So even though it’s natural sugar, I use it minimally. Especially, if I’m not doing physical activity that day. I also don’t eat them everyday. Only a couple times a week.
Organic fruit
I usually eat 1 cup worth of fruit each morning with breakfast. I always buy the organic option. My favorite fruits are blueberries, bananas, pineapple, and coconut. Eating this quality, organic fruit has helped curb my sweet tooth for dessert. I do still reward myself with desserts sometimes, but the craving is not there nearly as much as it used to be.
Grass-fed, grass-finished beef jerky
Although I rarely count macros, sometimes I’ll count how many grams of protein I eat in a day. Not everyday. Just every once in a while to check in and make sure I’m getting enough. My target number of protein grams per day can fluctuate, depending on my current eating practice. Some days I’ll do intermittent fasting, which would be less protein than normal. Other days I’ll feast, which is obviously a lot more protein than normal.
Grass-fed, grass-finished beef jerky is a great way to increase my protein intake on my feast days. I’ll usually eat it as an appetizer while I’m cooking my meal. I try to avoid eating it as a snack. I’ve tried to stop eating snacks all together unless I actually eat it with a meal. I only eat 2 to 3 times per day now. I do this to give my digestive system more of a break. Our digestive system is kind of like a muscle. The more often we use it, the less quality performance we’ll get out of it.
Conversely, the less often we use it, the more rest it gets, the better it performs. I used to fall for the old “eat 4 to 5 small snacks/meals per day.” My digestive system was completely overworked. Since I’ve switched to eating only 2 to 3 times per day, my quality of life has improved. Some of the health benefits directly related to this change are my improved computer posture, work productivity, energy level, and mental clarity.
Grass-fed beef tallow or cage-free duck fat
These are my 2 favorite cooking substances to use on a frying pan or baking sheet. They’re very similar in texture. But beef tallow is a little more dense. Duck fat is a little lighter. I like the taste of both. I’d say I like the taste of beef tallow a little better, especially when I cook sweet potatoes in it.
They both have the same total fat content per serving. Beef tallow has a little more saturated fat though. That might be why I like the taste of it better. Duck fat has about 3 grams less saturated fat per serving than beef tallow.
Grass-fed, pasture-raised butter
Aside from beef tallow and duck fat, sometimes I’ll cook with butter from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows. This is obviously more expensive than conventional butter, but it’s worth it to me. I want to eat the highest quality anti-inflammatory foods for posture as much as possible. Any dairy products made from cows that are grain-fed could possibly pass on that inflammation right on to the consumer. I’d rather have a nutrient-dense food from a healthier cow that is grass-fed and pasture-raised.
I’ll also use this butter as a topping on things like a baked sweet potato.
Raw cheese made from raw milk of grass-fed cows
It’s not easy to find this next calcium-rich food for posture. I typically shop at 3 different grocery stores. They only have raw cheese at 2 of those stores. And even then, they only have one flavor option at each store. I took a class on how to detox heavy metals and heal cellular inflammation. This class taught me the importance of organic, raw, whole foods. That’s why each food’s ingredients are so important. In this case, raw cheese made from raw milk of grass-fed cows is my choice.
THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN COMPUTER POSTURE.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce computer-related injuries by improving your posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article on foods that promote good posture, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
>>> Click here to download your free copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful, poor computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen