RMN'S Blog
Food for Concentration
Food is an important part of life. It affects your quality of life, your concentration, and overall wellness. Being a busy lawyer with a hectic schedule can cause you to make bad choices when it comes to food options. When people are under more stress, they are more likely to choose comfort foods that are not beneficial for your health and higher in calories, sodium, and sugar.
Food that Improves Your Concentration and Mental Abilities
When feeling fatigued, caffeine will make you more alert and energized. Caffeine can be found in a variety of foods: coffee, chocolate, energy drinks and herbal teas. Although the effects of caffeine are beneficial for the moment, it’s a short-lived solution. When taking too much caffeine, the effects are the opposite; it can make you feel uncomfortable, jittery, and unable to concentrate. The key is to use this option in moderation, and not to take too much for a short-term solution.
Breakfast is a very important meal. Skipping breakfast can affect your alertness, ability to concentrate, and ability to use your brain’s full capacity. Studies have found that eating breakfast improves your short-term memory and performance under high stress situations. It’s good to incorporate foods high in fiber, such as whole grains, dairy, and fruit. This combination includes carbohydrates and sugars for energy, and dairy provides protein, which helps to satiate hunger longer. However, over eating and eating high caloric breakfast foods can hinder your mental performances. Here are some healthy breakfast recipes you should try.
A great food for your brain is fish. Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and has amazing effects on your brain’s ability to function. Research on diets with high omega-3 levels has found that it lowers the chances of dementia, strokes, and mental decline. It also helps with memory as you get older. If you are not a fan of fish, other foods rich in omega-3’s are pasture-raised meats, edamame, kale, wild rice, walnuts, flax, beans, and spinach.
Need to stay awake and focused? An alternative to drinking coffee is drinking green tea. Green tea contains caffeine, as well as theanine. Theanine is an amino acid that helps reduce mental and physical stress, boosts cognition, and mental performance. The caffeine found in green tea is released more slowly compared to coffee and energy drinks, which will reduce the “crash” feeling.
Finally, water will help improve your concentration. A large portion of adults are dehydrated, and do not know they are. Water gives your brain the necessary “electrical energy” needed to function at full capacity. If you are well hydrated, you will be able to focus more, think faster and have a clearer thought process and creative mindset.
If your diet lacks essential nutrients, it can hurt your ability to perform at work and everyday tasks. Changing your diet and eating healthier meals can make a huge difference in your quality of life, and in return, it will improve they way you work. Working in a law firm requires an immense amount of brain power, concentration, and mental ability. Making sure you are providing your body with the necessary nutrients it needs to work efficiently is one key in becoming a successful and healthy lawyer.
