Nutrients that help improve concentration and mitigate fatigue

The flood of information and visual, sound and mental impacts that break daily into our brain can take it to the dispersionto the fatigue or even to blockade. And although it is true that experts advise reducing the influence of hyperconnection Taking up healthy habits related to regularity at schedules, sleep and stress management, we can also find one of our great allies in the food, since some nutrients favor the proper functioning of neurotransmitters that help to be more active, to Focus on the important and be more effective with less effort.

Some nutrients that mimate the brain are the essential fatty acids omega 3, which we can find in fish, in eggs, in olive oil, in nut Degree of nutrition from the European University of the Atlantic. Also vitamins, those of group B (especially B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12), as well as vitamin C favor brain activity. And the same goes for minerals such as phosphorus, potassium, iodine, magnesium and calcium. Nor can water be forgotten, because the brain needs to be permanently hydrated to function properly. Moreover, some low intellectual performance problems may be related to a hydration deficit In the day to day.

Share this analysis of the biologist, pharmaceutical and nutrition specialist, Paula Sáiz de Bustamante, who collaborates with Juice Plus+ in the promotion of healthy habits and remembers that there are also food supplements such as ‘Luminate’, by Juice Plus+ that can contribute to favoring the mental clarity. It is composed of Adaptogens (such as Rhodiola, Salvia and the Mushroom Mushroom of León) that, according to the expert, are natural substances that help balance the stress hormone (cortisol); and of nootropics (such as group B vitamins, especially B1, B5, B5 and B2; such as caffeine and gallanging alpinia extract), which contribute to improving attention, cognitive function and mental performance. «Caffeine improves concentration, enhances the alertness and mental clarity, although it should be remembered that the maximum recommended daily dose is 400 mg (it is estimated that a cup of coffee is about 80 mg). As for the galanga mountainee, it is a plant similar to the ginger that promotes the state of alert and that has a synergistic action with caffeine because its effects enhances, ”says Sáiz de Bustamante.

The expert also ensures that, according to scientific evidence, B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxin) contribute to the proper functioning of the nervous system and, together with the B5, also favor energy production. As for B2, he explains that it helps reduce fatigue and fatigue.

Food also influences

The brain is a muscle that needs energy, as it consumes more than 20% of the total that the body requires. That is why it should be nurtured as it deserves. One of the great nutrients of the brain, according to Professor Elío, is glucose, which is obtained from carbohydrates. This does not mean, however, that we have to atibor from sweets, because the organism can obtain glucose of other foods that are really healthy. Thus, when choosing foods rich in carbohydrates, it is advisable to opt for those who are complex, of slow absorption, such as comprehensive rice, integral paste and whole wheat bread. And the consumption of vegetables (vegetables, vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as including in the menus in balanced manner the high quality proteins and healthy fats.

If we talk about specific foods, nutrition expert Miklas Gustafson highlights some of the allies of our brain that should not be missing in our kitchen. As explained, the cocoa It contains a large amount of flavonoids that reduce the risk of stroke. But it also contains theory and caffeine, great endorphin stimulators that are useful to reduce stress and relieve pain.

Other interesting options, according to Gustafson, are the oatmealrich in vitamin B1 that acts as a reducer of nervousness and fights intellectual fatigue; The egg, a natural protein that helps a correct neurotransmission of the signals and therefore can prevent the degeneration of this network; or nuts such as walnuts or the almonds loaded with vitamins such as vitamin E, which improve intellectual performance. He bananaFor its part, it is the carrier of the potassium par excellence, which helps to reduce blood pressure and improves the circulation of the nervous system, which directly affects brain protection and the improvement of cognitive abilities.

What you eat can harm the brain

But not only have to emphasize what we must eat to concentrate but also in what harms the brain. Meals with refined flours and excess sugars (pastry, pastries, sweets, chucheías …) should be avoided if we want to maintain a mind awake. And also ultraprocessed and empty nutrient foods, as the vitamin and mineral deficit can cause discouragement, tiredness, feeling of drowsiness and difficulties in concentrating.

As Marcos Vázquez, creator of Revolutionary Fitness and author of the book ‘Healthy Mind’ explains those industrial foods, ultra -processed, which are low in essential nutrients, low in protein and fiber and high in additives or sugars damage us in two ways. On the one hand, they do not provide nutrients and include excess of potentially problematic compounds such as “trans fats.” And on the other, they harm the regulation of appetite, one of the factors that most contributes to obesity because the ancestral regulation of the brain is skipped. As? «Our brain is perfectly equipped with sensors to know how much and when we have to eat, but this type of foods so palatables deregulate appetite and increase the probability of gain weight. Let’s give an example about why it is better to eliminate the bad than adding the good. If I tell you that blueberries are good for the brain (of course they are) but 50% of your diet is “garbage,” that handful of blueberries will do nothing for you. That is why before adding the healthy (blueberries, blue fish …), we must eliminate from our lives what damages us, ”he concludes.