Brainfood: The right nutrition for more brain power?
A little brain food and in no time you are smarter and can concentrate better? It would be nice, but unfortunately it's not quite that simple. However, there are certain foods that have been shown to have positive effects on brain development and everyday performance. Especially in today's performance-driven society, everyone is looking for ways to escape the afternoon slump, go through everyday life fitter and maintain the energy curve. We'll tell you what's really behind brain food and what ultimately matters when it comes to the right diet.
What is brain food?
In principle, the trend term brain food means nothing other than food for the brain. Brain food refers to foods that have a positive effect on brain function and brain performance. Ingredients from brain food, such as important nutrients, vitamins and minerals support our thinking organ in the daily challenges. Because only if the brain is sufficiently supplied with the right nutrition can we perform well in the long term.
Why is brain food so important to us?
In many respects, human beings fare pretty badly compared to other living beings. He is neither particularly fast nor particularly strong. In no area of physical ability is man superior to animals. But one organ makes the decisive difference: the human brain. Our brain can be considered our strongest muscle. But only if we use it properly and train it. In order for this to work, it is necessary to give him what he needs, and to do so regularly. Because our brain is a real workaholic and works non-stop, consuming a lot of energy. Although the brain makes up only about two to three percent of our total body weight, it is responsible for about 20 to 25 percent of energy use.
The optimal condition for our brain
You can think of our brain as a plant that we have to take care of. In order for it to shine in full bloom, a wide variety of factors are important: water, nutrients and carbon dioxide from the air. If only one factor is missing, the plant dies. So we see that a healthy balance is essential. The same is true of our brains - except that instead of carbon dioxide, we take in oxygen so that blood can be transported to the brain. Exciting, isn't it? Brain research is therefore dealing with the question of the optimal nutrition for our brain and has so far been able to determine a lot that we want to share with you here.
The most important brain drink
Sometimes the most important substance for constant performance is water . The brain food, or rather the number one brain drink, is the basic requirement for performance. This can be explained as follows: Our blood consists of 90 percent water and is pumped by the heart through all parts of our body. When the body lacks water, the blood thickens and flows more slowly. So it takes much longer for nutrients and oxygen to reach the brain. The transport function is therefore slower and the performance of our brain decreases. Even a small loss of water is noticeable. Therefore, it is recommended to drink about two liters of water a day to optimally supply the brain.
fodder for the brain
However, since we usually do not only eat liquid food, we now also want to know what to look out for when eating the right food! Here, too, it quickly becomes clear that fluid intake plays an important role. Because when it comes to water, fruit and vegetables are at the forefront: They not only contain a large proportion of water, but also numerous vital substances. A colorful mix of fruit and vegetables contains all the important vitamins, micronutrients and trace elements. Proteins are at least as important. Because proteins are not only important for building muscles, hormones and enzymes, but they are also an essential part of our brain cells. Equally important is the consumption of high-quality fats. This lays the building block for proper nutrition and more brain power. However, some foods are specifically labeled as brain foods and score particularly well because they contain above-average nutrients. These include blueberries, nuts, turmeric and the exotic coconut.
Superfoods at I DO
These superfoods can also be found in some of our I·DO juices. Walnuts, for example, are found in our I·DO Essence , a fermented vitamin concentrate to support the immune system. The yellow wonder tuber turmeric has found its way into several products thanks to its many positive properties: the 3 liter BiB ginger turmeric shots and Boost & Protect ginger shots with turmeric and pineapple.
Other factors
So far we have looked at the nutritional factors. But factors such as stress, lack of sleep and environmental factors also affect our brain. Stress means an absolutely exceptional situation for our body and impairs our brain function. In the short term, there can be a performance boost, but in the long term, stress has a negative effect on the body and brain. since stress is considered the greatest health risk of the 21st century, we should learn how best to deal with stress and find more serenity in everyday life. In order to use sleep for regeneration in the best possible way, we have summarized some sleep hygiene tips that can help you to improve the quality of your sleep.
Knowledge to take away
Our brain is a complex organ, with a wide variety of factors affecting performance. The right diet enables a good supply of all the important substances to let our brain run at full speed. The brain works non-stop and must therefore be constantly supplied with the right nutrients. A balanced diet can prevent depression, difficulty concentrating and tiredness and can also be really tasty. As always, the motto is: Pay attention to a healthy and balanced diet in combination with the right lifestyle of stress management and sufficient sleep.
