Whether your thinking is clear or not has a lot to do with what you eat. If you want to concentrate and react quickly, you might as well start by adjusting the content of food.
American nutritionist Davis once said: “Nutrition can determine appearance, words and deeds, and mood. Whether you are depressed or happy, clear or chaotic, happy or bored with work, innovative or rigid, all are affected by nutrition.”
That is to say, eating the right food every day can not only restore your mind and improve your mood, but also enable you to have clearer thinking and memory when facing heavy work or schoolwork pressure.
Start your day with a good breakfast
A breakfast provides the nutrition and energy of the day, which should not be taken carelessly. But how should it be eaten?
1. Drink a glass of water first to wake up the mind
75% of human brain tissue is water, so drinking a cup of hot water before the brain starts to work can wake up the mind more than any kind of food.
2. High protein, boost mental ability
A high-protein breakfast can make people think sharply, react flexibly, and improve learning and work efficiency
In British novels, a common continental breakfast consists of fish, meat, eggs, hot cereal and cheese. Nutritionist Davis also used to eat hot cereal, ham or eggs, sausage or fried chicken for breakfast as a child, and a bowl of broth, plus a large glass of milk.
Sion, a professor at Harvard University, observed how subjects had different morning and afternoon activities after eating different breakfasts. He found that people who eat a high-protein breakfast, plus protein foods such as eggs and meat before eating carbohydrates such as rice and noodles, can make blood sugar rise slowly and then maintain stability, which lasts from morning to afternoon.
What’s the point of this discovery? The tyrosine in protein can promote the body to secrete dopamine and norepinephrine, make people think sharper, react more flexibly, and improve learning and work efficiency. And tyrosine can be obtained from pork, chicken, seafood, milk and beans.
But tryptophan, which also comes from protein, will stimulate the secretion of serum stimulants, making people relax and sleepy. If you eat carbohydrates first, the blood sugar will rise. In order to lower the blood sugar, the body secretes insulin, which prompts the tryptophan in the blood to reach the brain before the tyrosine, and the thinking is naturally slow. And tryptophan is rich in peanuts, sesame, soybean products, and pork.
3. A cup of coffee has a refreshing effect
Be sure to drink a cup of hot coffee every morning so that your mind and body will start to wake up and feel ready to work.
Breakfast, brewing a cup of coffee, really helps with the spirit and vitality of the whole day. Because caffeine is like taking a hot bath, it speeds up your metabolism and increases your heart rate and alertness.
Although a small amount of caffeine can stimulate brain activity and have a refreshing effect, drinking too much can make people restless, even headache and trembling. Caffeine can also be addictive. There was once a truck driver who drank coffee to refresh himself every day, and the result was that he drank from 1 cup to 15 cups, and the more he drank, the less effective he was.
4. Eat fish, smart and healthy
It is often said that eating fish makes you smarter. Professor Clough of the British Institute of Brain Nutrition has found that eating fish can make the mind smarter, because it contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help to improve memory and learning, and prevent memory decline.
Saury, mackerel (small mackerel), salmon, mullet, and mullet roe have a high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids and are the best sources. In fish, the eye socket is the part with a higher content of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating fish at least 2-3 times a week is not only good for the brain, but also healthier.
Omega-3 fatty acids can be divided into DHA, EPA and alpha-linolenic acid, which can improve learning and memory. Many mothers will coax their children to “eat fish to become smarter”, but it must be noted that because DHA and EPA are highly unsaturated fatty acids, they are very easy to oxidize and spoil. Therefore, buy this kind of fish must be fresh, and the sooner you cook, the better. When cooking, it is best to steam, boil or bake to avoid the loss of DHA and EPA.Recommended reading:
As for vegetarians, as long as they moderately consume foods containing alpha-linolenic acid, such as pinto beans, mung beans, soybeans, black beans, gannatto, and walnuts, the same effect will be obtained.
5. Lecithin, to prevent aging
Scientists say lecithin is an important substance for a flexible mind, which is helpful for short-term memory and learning, because lecithin contains choline, which can improve the ability of the brain to store data and transmit information.
Lecithin can be synthesized by the body itself or obtained from food. For example, scrambled eggs with edamame, boiled peanuts with rice, or a bowl of miso soup can all get lecithin. In addition, it is best to choose plant-based lecithin such as soybeans and tofu, which has no cholesterol burden.
6. Complex carbohydrates for sustained energy
During the day, to reach the peak state of mind, after ingesting high-protein foods such as meat and milk, complex carbohydrates such as rice should be added at the right time.
Complex carbohydrates are directly converted into the only fuel the brain needs, glucose, which supports everything the brain does, such as thinking, memory, problem solving and relaxing the body. When the supply of glucose is sufficient, the brain cells will become active, not only the mind will be clear, but the person will also appear more energetic.
But if you eat too many carbohydrates (two bowls of rice for one meal), it will affect your brain power because of the increased blood flow requirements for digestion. Sugar-sweetened beverages can raise blood sugar and play a role in clearing the mind in a short period of time, but be careful to over-stimulate insulin, which will cause a sudden drop in blood sugar.
7. Don’t ignore B vitamins
In order to boost his brain power, Feld, a 69-year-old chemical engineer, must have a plate of pills and supplements on his breakfast table, swallowing various amino acid supplements and multivitamins every day.
Of all the vitamins, vitamins B1, B2, and niacin are essential substances when glucose is converted into energy in the brain. Therefore, when the vitamin B complex in the body is not enough, the metabolism of glucose will be blocked, resulting in dizziness and dullness.
Similarly, if the intake of blood-replenishing elements such as iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid is insufficient, the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood will be weakened, resulting in insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain, which will also make the brain sluggish.
Scientists at Tufts University in the United States have found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid in their blood perform poorly on tests of mental acuity.
8. Chew slowly to stimulate brain activity
In recent years, studies have pointed out that chewing slowly can promote brain cell activity and improve memory and learning. If you experience the benefits of chewing slowly, you will feel that your mental state will become better, and it will not be easy to overeat.
Lunch to keep your brain energized
You must have had the experience of feeling drowsy all afternoon after eating lunch, most likely because of the wrong food choices.
Therefore, if you can eat a refreshing, healthy lunch without getting hungry too quickly, you will have a pleasant and energetic work mood in the afternoon.
- Low fat, high protein, protect brain cells
Lunch must contain high protein foods such as seafood, tofu, dark green vegetables to increase the tyrosine content and promote focus and energy throughout the afternoon.
Some people are used to eating only one hamburger for lunch, but because hamburger is a high-fat food, it will cause the blood to become cloudy and the oxygen-carrying capacity to become poor. Therefore, it is best to eat less fried food and steak for lunch.
In addition, if the food for lunch lacks vitamin B complex, it will also be unable to help convert it into energy, so that the brain lacks oxygen and nutrients, and the response is slow.
- Vegetables and fruits can also boost brain power
Choose more fresh vegetables and fruits for a refreshing and healthy lunch. Because vegetables and fruits such as spinach, asparagus, watermelon, and guava contain many antioxidants, they can keep blood vessels open and ensure that brain cells can receive sufficient oxygen from the blood.
A light dinner to calm the mind
In the evening, if you want to relax, you can eat carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole wheat bread, baked potatoes, increase the tryptophan in the brain, and quickly produce the relaxing serotonin.
MIT Professor Wittman recommends that a carbohydrate-heavy dinner calms the brain, rejuvenates it, and prepares it for the day ahead.
The three meals have the correct nutrients, so that the brain can be recharged, and every day can be full of energy.
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