Foods for the mind: the best foods to regain lost concentration

There are foods and drinks capable of preserving our cognitive abilities and improving concentration and memory

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During the season changes it can happen that you feel tired, with little energy and difficulty concentrating. There are however foods capable of improve concentration and provide the energy to face the transition from summer to autumn.

Index

Fill up on energy at the table

In order to succeed stay active and focused during the day, the first thing to do is take care of your diet. The diet must in fact provide all the macro and micronutrients essential to have enough energy.

Eating too much, too little or in an unbalanced way can therefore worsen physical and mental performance. Skipping meals can also negatively affect energy levels and the ability to focus.

Breakfast, for example, should never be skipped and should provide the body with the right amount of protein, simple sugars and complex carbohydrates, without overdoing the calories.
The same is true for lunch and dinner: each meal should include one serving of whole grains, one serving of protein, and one serving of raw or cooked vegetables. The condiments to be preferred are extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, spices and aromatic herbs.

A balanced and varied diet rich in san foodsi, helps the body and brain to better cope with daily commitments.

Fresh fruit to regain concentration

La fruit it represents an ideal snack to break hunger between meals and to offer nourishment to the brain without tiring.

In fact, fruit provides our body, in addition to water, vitamins and minerals, with a good amount of sugars readily available and substances with an antioxidant action capable of counteracting cellular aging and keeping our whole body younger and healthier. long, including the brain.

I Red fruits, for example, they are rich in flavonoids, tannins and anthocyanins with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasorelaxant action and their consumption helps to keep the cardiovascular system healthy and to improve memory and concentration. Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are part of the red fruits, but also currants, blueberries, pomegranates and Goji berries.

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Every day we should consume two or three portions of fresh fruit, choosing from the seasonal one, possibly organic.

Coffee, tea and energy drinks

Coffee and tea have a stimulating action on our body due to the presence of caffeine, which helps to increase concentration and energy.

The consumption of coffee it should be limited to three cups a day to avoid unpleasant side effects such as shaking, palpitations and difficulty falling asleep.

Tea seems to be more tolerated: they can consume three or more cups of tea a day. In addition to caffeine, green tea contains a series of flavonoids (flavanols, flavonols and catechins) with an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and vasorelaxing action, which help prevent cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Also cocoa and chocolate they have a stimulating action and help to maintain concentration, due to the presence of theobromine, a molecule of the same family as caffeine. Better to choose dark, low-sugar chocolate. Given the high amount of calories, it is generally consumed in small doses: a 10-gram square is more than enough.

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Nuts and flax seeds

Nuts and flax seeds contain high amounts of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant, in addition to essential fatty acids of the Omega 3 series, essential for brain health. Diets that provide the right balance between omega 9, omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids appear to be associated with a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases and capable of maintain cognitive abilities longer.

Omega 3: all the benefits of "good" fats

Fonti di riferimento:Index Copernicus/Food and function/Springer/Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

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