Notes on: Eating Your Way to Better Focus

'3 Tips for Eating Your Way to Better Focus' is an article by Tess Bredesen and was originally published on thriveglobal.com.

These simple steps will help you be your most productive self.

The food we eat can help improve our focus and make us more productive. There are several healthy habits that promote focus, aside from what we eat, it's how much sleep we get, how often we move and how much we drink throughout the day.

Nootropic is a type of supplement that boosts brain activity, and it is growing in popularity, but the truth is that taking a pill will not magically counteract poor sleep, a bad diet, and lack of movement.

These are three healthy eating strategies you can adopt today to boost your focus:

1. Avoid sugar highs and lows. While eating sugar may seem to boost energy when you are on a rush, it is a focus killer when you are crashing from it. These rushes and crashes do not just come from the obvious sugary foods like sweets, but they are also present when refined carbohydrates, like bread and pasta, are broken down in our digestive system. You can stabilize your sugars with lots of fibre from non-starchy vegetables, good fats like nuts and seeds, and quality protein, like eggs or fish. Adding one of these sugar stabilizing foods to your meal will also help you feel less tempted to snack throughout the day.

2. Hydrate. Our brains are made up of 75% water, and dehydration leads to fatigue and fogginess, and makes it hard for us to focus. Research shows that dehydration can also negatively impact our mood, our ability to reason, and can also cause headaches or anxiety. We become dehydrated when we sleep, as we loose water when we breathe, so it helps to drink water the first thing in the morning. Throughout the day, if you start to feel tired, or even develop a mild headache, having a drink of water can be a quick antidote.

3. Be mindful of your food. When you are hungry, do not just eat, take some time to be mindful as your body has a way of telling you what it needs right now. You can also plan ahead by ensuring your panty and fridge is stocked with food that is going to give you energy and help you focus. When you eat, take time and enjoy the experience, be mindful of the food, the nutrients you are getting and also how you are eating. Staying connected to all your senses helps you stay mindful and boosts energy and focus as well. Think of mealtime as the time to reflect and recharge.