Boost your efficiency, productivity, and health by following the best diet for energy and focus.
The foods you’re eating (or not eating) may be killing your productivity, energy, and focus.
That’s right, our diet has a big role in how we feel, how we behave, and how we think.
Imagine that you are trying to drive your car on an empty gas. Or, alternatively, you are filling your tank with oil rather than gas. Your car is probably not going to function very well, right?
The same is true for our bodies. When we fill our body with proper nutrients, we function as the best version of ourselves.
When you’re optimizing your diet, your focus, productivity, and cognitive abilities are also optimized.
On the flipside, if you are filling your body with highly processed foods with little nutritional benefit, it will be hard to function at your true potential, despite all your efforts and attempts.
Do you want to have high energy, sharp focus, and optimal efficiency in your day?
Feel your best physically, emotionally, and cognitively?
Optimize your diet and fuel your body so you can function as the best version of yourself.
Best Diet for Energy and Focus: Balanced Eating
The best diet for energy and focus is one that consists of balanced eating and nutrient dense foods. When we fill our body with nutrients, we are more energetic, focused, and productive.
The best way to do this is by eating balanced meals. Building a healthy plate is a great place to start.
A healthy plate is ½ plate of veggies and fruit (focus on majority veggies), ¼ plate of protein, and ¼ plate of complex carbohydrates.
It is also helpful to have a little bit of fat in your meals to help with absorption of the nutrients you are eating.
You won’t always know the nutritional value of the food you are consuming, but you can focus on building a healthy plate as a great visual.
This will set you up for success in a variety of situations, including eating at home or eating outside of the home.
If you are not familiar with what foods are in what group, that can be a great place to start to see great benefits for your energy, focus, and overall cognitive abilities.
Not only does balanced eating provide you with the nutrients to function at your top capacity, it also helps stabilize your blood sugars.
When we experience blood sugar spikes and dips, this quickly drains energy, causes distractibility, and can mimic stress and anxiety-like symptoms.
Tips for the Best Diet for Energy and Focus
There are many ways to incorporate the best diet for energy and focus. Here are some tips to help you do that with success:
1) Eat the rainbow: Foods that have bright colors usually are the ones that are packed with the most nutrients that support our brain health.
Think fruits and vegetables so you can have a variety of color in your meals.
2) Eat fresh: Focus on perishable foods for the majority of your meals. Perishable foods are usually the ones that provide us with the most nutrients, including macronutrients and micronutrients that help us function at our optimal cognitive capacity.
Fresh foods that are frozen can also be a great, low-cost and easy alternative. Just make sure there is no added sugar, sauce, or salt.
3) Focus on the perimeter of the grocery store: When shopping in the grocery store, focus on the perimeter of the grocery store when doing your shopping.
This is where you will find your vegetables, fruits, and other perishable items that will help you boost focus and energy. Try to fill the majority of your cart with these foods.
4) Avoid blood sugar crashes: When our blood sugar increases and then drops, this is when we are likely to experience low focus, distractibility, and uncomfortable physical symptoms.
Therefore, try not to skip meals or go too long between eating meals. Try to avoid or limit heavily processed and sugary foods that are quick to digest, since this can cause blood sugar fluctuations.
Sugary drinks are the biggest culprits in high blood sugar spikes and dips, so keep a careful eye on those.
5) Drink your H20: Most of our body consists of water. When we are hydrated, our body functions much better and this can also help us differentiate between dehydration and true hunger.
6) Use the 80/20 rule: Try to follow the tips above 80% of the time. This gives you 20% of the time to eat other foods that you enjoy, even if they're not the best for your energy and focus.
Overly restrictive eating plans are difficult to sustain. Instead, focus on balanced eating most of the time, with some wiggle room for other meals.
Eat These Foods for Energy and Focus
There are many foods that are helpful for energy and focus. If you follow the tips above, you are likely to be functioning at your top cognitive capacity from a diet perspective.
Here are some specific foods that can be helpful for boosting energy and focus:
1) Berries: Berries are full of antioxidants and also include fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar
2) Dark, leafy greens: Leafy greens such as spinach and kale contain nutrients that have been thought to slow cognitive decline
3) Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with improved cognitive functioning and energy.
Fish, avocados, and walnuts are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids
4) Eggs: Eggs are considered a complete protein. They also have essential vitamins that have been linked to improved cognitive functioning
5) Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate has antioxidants that have been shown to be helpful for brain health, as well as links to improved learning and memory (yes, chocolate in moderation is great for brain health!)
Summary
Eating for energy and focus is one of the best ways to improve not only your brain and physical health, but also your efficiency, performance, and productivity.
When planning your meals, ask yourself-will this fuel my energy, focus, and brain power, or do the opposite?
Your diet doesn’t need to be perfect, but the more that you fill your body with energy-boosting nutrients, the greater brain and health benefits you will experience.
Are low energy and focus getting in the way of your performance and efficiency? My Master Stress Method has helped hundreds of ambitious professionals improve their attention, energy, and efficiency in just weeks.
Let’s have a quick chat about how we can do that for you, too.
----About Dr. Julia
Hi! I'm Dr. Julia. Health psychologist, stress and sleep expert, and creator of the Master Stress Method.
I have worked with thousands of individuals in major hospitals, university medical centers, and primary care settings to improve their stress levels, sleep, and overall emotional and physical well being.
My current focus is helping busy professionals prevent and manage the high stress that is getting in the way of their productivity, mood, sleep, and their ability to reach their full potential.
My Master Stress Method has helped hundreds of stressed out, overwhelmed, and burned out clients significantly reduce their stress and anxiety, improve their sleep, and maximize their productivity, in just week.
I can't wait to help you stop the struggle with stress, for good. Let's chat :)