Have a big hearty breakfast before your Exams – WRONG

 

I’m a little late with this but it can be applied for you to help you concentrate, today or any other day you need to function mentally at your highest level.

Anything that you need to concentrate for whether it be exams, a meeting, a report etc for a few hours these tips will help massively.

Try these today and watch your concentration and energy skyrocket.

Let me explain a couple of things…

If you are eating cereal/toast for breakfast, you are not doing yourself any favours when it comes to working at your highest level.

Here’s why.

A study published in the Journal of Neurochemistry by a group from Universite Laval in Quebec compared the effects of monounsaturated fats from olive with polyunsaturated fats from meat, fish upon a variety of biochemical changes and electrical properties of cells within a brain region that is critical for learning and memory.

Essentially, a diet high in mono-unsaturated, saturated and polyunsaturated fats altered the basic chemistry and electrical properties of the brain in such a way that learning was enhanced, age-related cognitive decline slowed and the risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease was reduced.

A diet high in good natural fat sources also lead to an increase in the production and release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.  (Acetylcholine is critical for learning and memory.)

Fats have been demonised in the past, but in fact with your brain being made up of approx 60% fat, it makes sense to be feeding it good sources of healthy fat for it to function optimally right?

Saturated fats or MCT to be specific, have been proven to improve brain function through providing a ready available energy source and producing ketones in the liver which the brain thrives on.

It’s preferred source of energy some say is glucose (i.e. sugar) but this is counter intuitive, as when your blood sugar levels yo yo after eating sugar, so does your concentration.

 

Grain Brain

Ever eaten a bowl of porridge, pizza, pasta or toast and felt brain fog, lethargic sleep etc.?

Why?

These foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan that causes sleepiness. Carbohydrates such as grains make tryptophan more available to the brain, which is why carbohydrate-heavy meals can make you drowsy. Not only this, but calcium found in dairy products can trigger the release of tryptphan also.

 

Food Intolerance

Notice, I haven’t talked about how you may react to certain foods from a food intolerance point of view.  You are more likely to be intolerant to grains and dairies that will cause your gut to act up. There is a close link between your gut and your brain, so if your gut isn’t functioning properly, this can cause brain fuzz, lethargy and even anxiety.

It is known as your second brain, so make sure you are taking your probiotics and remove any foods that don’t agree with you to be at your best.

 

So To Put It All Together

What do we need to eat for breakfast for optimal brain function?

A good balance of our three major fat sources:

• Saturated Fat – Coconut Oil / Animal Fat
• Polyunsaturated fats – Olive oil / Avocado / Eggs
• Monounsaturated – Fish / Fish Oils / Eggs

Now having said all this, everyone is slightly different and function more efficiently on different energy systems.

I function far better fasted in the morning or on the below foods/ supps especially when I need to concentrate.  If I had cereal I would to go to sleep, feel bloated and have no capabilities to concentrate.

 

What To Eat For Optimal Brain Function

While I am writing this at 5.30am I have had the following:-

• 3 grams of fish oils
• A T Spoon of Cold pressed organic Coconut oil stirred into my fresh black coffee
• Greens shake

I am fired up and ready to get in the zone for the next couple of hours.

Alternatively, as a pre concentration breakfast this would be in the form of :

• 1 Slice Smoked Salmon / 1 x Salmon darn
• 2 x Fresh butcher bought rashers
• 2 or 3 x whole Eggs
• ½ Avocado
• Greens shake
• Organic Fresh Brewed Coffee with a T-Spoon of Coconut oil

Still want cereal with milk for breakfast anyone?

Nooooooo

Get my drift?

Damian

Dalkey Fitpro

South Dublin

www.completepersonaltraining.ie