That afternoon slump might not be your coffee wearing off. It could be the toxic office air you breathe every day. Think about it.

Just a few weeks ago, all of us who love our bacon got some bad news. Researchers report consuming processed meats including bacon increase your risk of certain kinds of cancer. There were a lot of people freaking out at the idea of saying goodbye to their bacon cheeseburgers and bacon doughnuts.

Another study about health risks in our lives hit the news the same week and it didn’t get half as much attention.  I’m here to change this by getting the word out here on my Good Earth Plants blog. It turns out your office is ruining your brain.

More specifically, it’s the toxins in the office air affecting your brain’s ability to process thoughts. Harvard University health researchers working with a team of scientists published a report through the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental Health Perspectives showing exposure in our indoor built environment to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide slows down your cognitive process. After being in a building for six hours, around 3 p.m. people were given a test. Their thought processes slowed way down and they made many more errors after exposure to typical office indoor air. This is your brain on indoor air!

You might need to worry less about what you are eating, and more about what you’re breathing.

When the same people sat in a green building with cleaner air, their test scores went up 60 percent after just one day in the green building, and they went up 100 percent after just two days.

Some of you might be getting tired of reading my blog posts about this topic. But when I see people on the news getting upset about bacon and not about bad air, it’s my duty to try and get the word out.

Tune into San Diego 6 on Monday at 7:30 a.m. when I show you the best plants to clean your air.

I’m happy to say the smart people at San Diego TV station XETV/CW 6 have invited me on their morning news show “San Diego News In The Morning” to talk about making your office a healthier place to work by adding plants to your work environment. I’m going to bring all kinds of plants in for “show and tell” from my Top Ten List (I’ve even added a few more) of Plants for Cleaning Your Air (you can find the list here in this blog post).

So tune in or set your DVR for XETV San Diego 6 this coming Monday, November 16, at 7:30 a.m. to see the “Eco-Warrior” in action.

If you are really concerned about your health, you should worry less about bacon and a lot more about what you are breathing all day long. Think about it. You are what you breathe. That afternoon slump might not have anything to do with your coffee wearing off.