What is brain food?

it is common knowledge that what we eat well affects our body. many are in fact the studies that show that the cause of many diseases such as coronary diseases, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer are to be found in bad or poor diet. however, not too many know that what we eat may have even a more powerful influence on our brain, greatly affecting our mood, concentration, motivation, mental performance, memory, speed of reaction, balance, coordination, stress and even brain aging.

the brain is an extremely metabolically active organ, and a very hungry and picky one, too. even if it only represents 2% of the body's weight it uses a quite astonishing 20% of the energy produced by the body. but in contrast to our body our brain cannot store energy, which means we need to feed it regularly in order to keep it functioning. in doing so, and by selecting our foods properly, our brain can be as much as 20% more productive. instead of doping our brain artificially to better our mental performance we can easily relate on brain food.

for successful brainfeeding 3 are the steps to follow:

  • selection of ingredients

  • frequency

  • physical activity

what should we eat? eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially dark leafy vegetables like kale, collards, cabbage and broccoli. all fruits are good, but blueberries, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, kiwis, strawberries and papaya should be your top choice. they are full of vitamins (A, C, E) and minerals (magnesium, zinc, phosphor ). eat the right carbohydrate like quinoa, oatmeal, potatoes, whole-wheat pasta, barley and bulgur. they are full of fibre, loaded with minerals and vitamins and they are slow to digest. drink at least 2 L of water or unsweetened tea. proteins play a very important role in the brain activity, too. choose fish, low fat meat, legumes, milk and milk products if you want to keep focussed all day long.

as our brain has no ability to store energy we should feed it regularly. you should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as two light snacks - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. this is important in order to provide our brain the fuel to keep going. make sure to avoid all sorts of sausages, fatty creamy sauces and sugar.

in addition to the ingredients and the frequency of your meals, you should do some physical activity. the best thing you could do is to take a walk during your morning and afternoon break. get some fresh air before heading back to the office. have a little snack and at lunch take your time to eat. don't rush through your meal, find the pleasure for food and enjoy it.