Food a surprising asset to American leaders: 'Their inner game drives the outer game'

Leigh Ann Errico of New Jersey spends her days with business executives, working with them on everything from leadership goals to personal wellness. That includes coaching them about the right foods to eat for high-pressure situations.

Fox News Digital spoke with the Georgetown University-certified leadership coach and founder of LAeRRICO & Partners about why she conducts routine food seminars with her clients in the health care and pharmaceutical industries. (See the video at the top of this article.)

She also revealed what these executives were previously eating — and how changing their dietary habits helps improve their productivity and work-life balance.

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A coach of business professionals for 17 years, Errico said she learned early on in her career that she needed to focus on "their inner game."

"Because their inner game drives the outer game, with diet being a huge part of that," Errico said during a Zoom interview from her home in Peapack, New Jersey. 

Errico spends several sessions with each executive discussing a range of topics — from what foods they're eating and when, to how they're preparing their meals.

Seasoned jobs coach Leigh Ann Errico, shown at right, is helping Americans become better leaders by tweaking what they eat and when they consume it. (iStock; Leigh Ann Errico)

"These things all drive how we fight off disease, how we fight inflammation, how we keep ourselves healthy," Errico said. 

"And if we can do that, we are undoubtedly going to show up better, less stressed, less anxious and, certainly, be a far more inspirational leader."

She said many of her clients would turn to "comfort foods" like alcohol and carbs.

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So what food does Errico recommend instead?

"Where we want to steer our executives are easy, healthy food choices that are as close to nature as possible," she said.

Errico suggests incorporating berries into breakfast.

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"Berries are extremely rich in antioxidants," she said. "That protects our brain from stress, and it keeps our mitochondria healthy."

Fruit and berries with some yogurt or cottage cheese "would be an example of a great breakfast," Errico said.

Fruit and berries with yogurt is an example of a "great breakfast," leadership coach Leigh Ann Errico of New Jersey said. (iStock)

When it comes to lunch, foods rich in omega-3s like salmon are "spectacular for reducing inflammation and improving our cognitive function," Errico said.

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"A bonus would be if you can throw in some leafy greens with your salmon and have a beautiful salad," Errico said. "Because then it's rich in fiber."

Nuts also make for a "powerful, simple snack," Errico said.

Salmon is rich in omega-3s, which help to increase cognitive function. Eating it with "some leafy greens" is a bonus, Errico said. (iStock)

"They're full of magnesium, and the more magnesium we have, the greater our chance of reducing our depression or anxiety," Errico said.

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Errico also discourages her clients from eating first thing in the morning or just before bed. She recommends water or tea earlier in the morning, but she tells her clients to wait to eat until 10 or 11 a.m. She also suggests her clients have their last meal of the day by 6 or 7 p.m.

"They book their food or their workouts the way they do a meeting."

"The best thing I can tell them, and the most successful executives that I see who are mastering this — they book their food or their workouts the way they do a meeting," Errico said.

It's in their calendar on their phones, computers and emails.

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"And it's obviously very prescribed, almost robotical," she said.

"But there's nothing more important than our health and our disciplines around our body and how it functions. Because it affects our health. It affects how we show up as leaders. It affects who wants to work with us and who doesn't."

Water intake is equally important, Errico said.

Business leaders are encouraged to drink plenty of water throughout the workday, leadership coach Errico said. (iStock)

"Keep pounding the water" throughout the day, she said, and avoid sugary drinks.

Finally, she advises all her clients to eat "lots and lots of protein."

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"Protein is so incredibly important," she said. "So, make sure you're choosing protein daily and that you're conversely staying away from complex carbohydrates."

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It's made a difference to one 57-year-old woman who works in the health care industry. She provided a statement to Fox News Digital but asked not to be identified.

"I was going about things all wrong," she said. 

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"I was not making the connection in my mind about how important my food was in connection with my well-being and my performance at work and in my life in general. Small changes led to big changes and I started feeling like a new person in a short amount of time."