If ever there was a universal cheat-meal week… it must be the week between Christmas day and New Years day. And that’s for the most diligent – if we’re honest, most of us view it as a two-to-three week cheat…
Everyone could use a boost of healthy eating come January!
Here, we’ve rounded up the best things to eat – and how to eat them – to improve concentration, creativity and productivity.
Egg in your face
Pass on the sugary cereal and have that most traditional of breakfast foods early: eggs. Not only do eggs have a decent amount of protein and energy-enhancing Vitamin B, they also have something called choline. Studies have shown that choline can help improve your memory long-term and your focus short-term because it’s a vitamin that actually increases the size of the neurons in your brain, helping them fire the electrical signals across synapses needed for thought better and faster. The result? Your thinking is sharper, quicker and more agile.
Eat less, more often
After your egg-rich breakfast, make sure not to gorge on big meals for the rest of the day but instead snack on smaller meals more often than the traditional three ‘square’ ones a day. That full stomach feeling contributes to secretion of serotonin, which makes you sleepy, and bloating which directly affects cognitive function. It can also spike your blood sugar, depending on what’s in the meal, and therefore lead to a crash both physically and mentally long before office hours are over.
Pump iron
So what should you eat? Iron-rich foods aside from red meat (which most bodies find difficult to process and which can ramp up your cholesterol long term) are great choices for work lunch. Iron increases the amount of oxygen getting into the bloodstream, body and brain. The result is improved alertness, mood and energy.
Sup on salmon
Fish may be a bit whiffy for the office or first thing in the morning, but the so-called ‘oily fish’ such as salmon, trout and mackerel are among the best things you can eat for a great work day. While most foods boost your energy levels or general health, these actually supercharge your brain – they contain omega 3 vitamins, plus iron and vitamin B, all of which combine together into a powerful cocktail that optimises memory recall, mental focus and reasoning. Truly a smart food choice.
No matter how busy your day gets – don’t forget to eat healthily!