How the Right Foods Help You Focus

By Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

One thing I’ve noticed that so many people have in common is scattered thinking.  Some of us call it ADD while some of us try to put a little shine on it and call it “multi-tasking”.  Whatever you want to call it, this is one way of never really getting things done the way we want them.  Yes, we think we can do things this way, but in the end, it never really works out, does it?

The funny thing is we want it all done and we want it done NOW.  It’s a microwave mentality, really.  What we need in order to get things done is a crock pot mentality–we need to warm up, stay consistent and keep the heat on!

Well, in my research, I’ve discovered that there is a way foodwise, to help us stay focused!  Yes indeed, you can fuel your brain to think better!  I love that personally, because I have so many things I write about each week.  When I’m “multi-tasking” in all my scattered glory, I can really make a mess of it all and take forever to get something done.  I’ve sometimes had up as many as 5 or 6 screens up on my computer, writing on this, writing on that and ended up being frustrated and not getting my work done like I need to.

Obviously, I need to stop behavior that isn’t benefiting me (this is the definition of SANITY–doing something different if the old way wasn’t working!) and do something else.  So I did.  I’ve also become aware of foods that help me focus and it’s really making a difference. Here are some foods you might want to try:

*Raisins, apples and nuts.  I eat raw almonds nearly everyday (just about 10), one or two apples and sometimes a handful of raisins go in my steel cut oats in the morning.  Boron is the main component to these three and boron has been shown to help folks do better in memory and attention tests.  Sign me up, right?

*Eggs and kefir.  I eat eggs several times a week and put kefir in my smoothies. Choline, which is rich in eggs and dairy products, helps your brain to store and recall information. I need all the help I can get!

*Coffee or tea.  Caffeine isn’t the enemy unless you go overboard.  Caffeine actually helps your attention improve and gives you better problem solving skills–isn’t that great?  One cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea in the afternoon does the trick for me when I’m under deadlines.  Give it a try yourself!

I don’t know about you, but I feel sometimes like I’m being squeezed from all angles with my time.  Being able to stay focused and get one task at a time done keeps me from multi-tasking perfectionism which in the end, both frustrates me and makes me feel guilty!

Let’s stay focused this week and eat foods that will feed our brains!

Leanne Ely is a New York Times best-selling author and the author of the Saving Dinner series. According to Woman’s Day Magazine, she is the expert on family cooking. Her media experience includes multi-city book tours, satellite media tours, QVC several times as well as guesting on several national television shows, including HGTV’s Simple Solutions, ABC Family’s Living the Life, Ivanhoe’s Smart Woman, Small Talk for Parents and Talk of the Town. She has guest chef-ed on the cooking show, Carolina Cooks and has taught cooking classes all over the country for Bloomingdale’s.