Eating for Focus & Mental Clarity
Have you ever felt that you are constantly losing focus and concentration?
You may be worrying that you have a busy day ahead and you know that you need to be able to focus… but lately, you have been finding that you are easily distracted
AND this bothers you…
You may have noticed that you are repeatedly having to check your work for attention to detail
And on occasions, you find yourself struggling to find the right word, it’s on the tip of your tongue but it takes a fraction of a second too long to remember it…
You have to double-check that you have locked the door/turned the iron/cooker /hair straighteners off
And, you are constantly forgetting or losing things…
If this is all sounding far too familiar, you may have even started to worry that you have symptoms of early-onset dementia
Or wondering ‘what the hell is happening to me?!’
Why is this happening to me?
Often the answer can be down to what you eat and drink, as well as your changing hormones
Your hormones begin to change in your late 30s or early 40s and many women find that their brain function is affected.
Your body may also become less efficient at managing blood sugar effectively
How does this affect your brain?
Around 20% of your daily energy requirements are needed to fuel your brain
Glucose is its primary source of energy
If you are experiencing spikes in blood sugar (glucose), the blood sugar peaks and troughs that come with eating foods that are high in sugar, highly processed or quickly turned into sugar.
Foods such as cakes, biscuits, pasta, bread, chocolate bars etc, the energy levels in your brain are likely to be affected
So, how do you eat for focus and mental clarity?
By eating a combination of proteins, healthy fats and fibre, especially for your first meal of the day
Protein, healthy fats and fibre can not only help you to focus and manage concentration levels but also provide you with consistent energy levels throughout the day.
What does this look like for breakfast/first meal of the day?
I am a big fan of having last night’s dinner leftovers for breakfast. In fact, I ran a 14-day challenge on ‘dinner for breakfast’ Instagram last year
Eggs (scrambled, poached, boiled, omelette) with non-starchy vegetables and avocado
Grain-free granola with Greek yoghurt and low sugar fruit (berries, apples, pears, kiwi, cherries)
A smoothie including some vegetables, healthy fats, a quality protein powder and maybe a small amount of low sugar fruit. You can find a recipe here
You can find more meal ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner in my free meal plan and menu planner here