Everyone knows how important it is to eat healthy to nourish your body. Have you ever thought about how it nourishes your mind? Just like our muscles and bones, our brains need good food to fuel it. Nutritious meals give your brain the energy it needs. This energy helps carry out all of the cognitive tasks that you need to get done during the day. Recently, I have changed my diet by eliminating refined carbs, reducing my sugar intake, and eating more fruits and vegetables. I always experienced a slump in my day between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. I felt tired, unmotivated, and just ready for a nap. Since I’ve changed the foods I eat, my energy levels have remained consistent throughout the day. I don’t feel my afternoon slump anymore. The foods we eat effects so much in our bodies and our ability to focus is definitely one of them.

How Unhealthy Eating Can Hurt Your Focus

Healthy eating can be harder than you think. Everywhere you look there is a fast food restaurant. The grocery stores are lined with aisles filled with boxed, canned, and packaged foods all with their bright, eye catching logos and designs. As a society, the way we eat has very rapidly changed from that of our ancestors. Three to four generations ago, many our family members were still eating foods that they have grown and harvested themselves. Today, we eat foods that have been cooked in the microwave. In the book Stolen Focus, written by Johann Hari, Hari speaks to Dan Pinnock, one of the world’s most well-known nutritionists. Pinnock says that throughout the Western world we are putting foods into our bodies “which are so far removed from what was intended for human fuel”. Pinnock also says that there are three main reasons why the food we eat now is harming our mental clarity:

• We are eating diets that cause our energy to regularly spike and crash. Eating foods high in refined carbohydrates and sugars, like cereals and pastries, makes your blood sugar spike incredibly high and then drop fast. This makes you feel tired very quickly.
• Our diets are depriving our brains of the nutrients it needs to function. The foods we eat now are full of preservatives and stabilizers that keep them “fresh” longer. Because of this they are striped of much of their nutritional value.
• The foods we eat are filled with chemicals that react, in our brains, like drugs. Common food dyes and additives have been studied and noted that they are linked to hyperactivity in children.

Foods That Boost Your Mental Clarity

Eating an overall healthy diet with definitely help to make you feel more focused. By eliminating highly processed and sugary foods, you will feel the affects on your state of mind very quickly. If you are really looking to boost your brain power, the Harvard School of Medicine recommends eating the following:

• Green, leafy vegetables: Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and collard greens are full of vitamins. These include vitamin K, lutein, and folate. These vitamins can help to reduce cognitive decline.
• Fatty fish: Varieties of fish like cod, salmon, and light canned tuna are full of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are known to lower your blood levels of beta-amyloid which reduces your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Berries: The flavonoids in berries, like strawberries and blueberries, are linked to memory improvement.
• Tea and coffee: The caffeine in both tea and coffee can help to boost your short term concentration. It also helps with your ability to solidify new memories.
• Walnuts: Walnuts are high in both protein and healthy fats specifically the omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is known to lower blood pressure. It keeps arteries clean, which is good to guarantee adequate blood flow to your brain.

The Power of Nourishing Your Brain

Incorporating healthy eating habits into your routine not only benefits your physical health, but also your mental clarity and focus. Fueling your body and brain with nutrient dense leafy green, omega-3s, and whole grains can enhance your cognitive function throughout your day. By cutting back on the processed and sugary foods, you will prevent the energy crashes and brain fog that so many of us have felt. It’s important to start with small changes. Start by swapping unhealthy snacks with more whole foods or drink more water. Over time, you will begin to feel more mentally clear and focused.