Are you walking around in a brain fog, wishing for more clarity and focus? Are you waking up every morning with heavy eyes?
I hear a lot of people ask for more clarity and focus. In fact, most of us lack the energy we desire or need to get everything done in our fast-paced, high-demand world. In our culture, it is difficult to stay focused, especially if you are not properly nourished. Food has the power to help you create specific moods; to enhance your energy and focus; and to increase your clarity and goal-keeping. Food is powerful, and the beautiful thing is that we have the ability to tap into that power by choosing what to (or what not to) eat.
Inflammation is one of the key blockers of clarity, energy, and focus. Inflammation, caused by stress, diet, or environmental factors inhibits our wellness by creating pain, discomfort or fatigue. Sugar, processed foods, low quality meats, rancid oils, and for some – dairy and gluten – create an inflammatory environment in our body, setting the stage for disease and illness. In contrast, foods like leafy greens (kale, parsley, chard, spinach, cilantro, etc.), cleanse the blood and release toxins causing inflammation. Leafy greens are also powerful sources of energy due to chlorophyll, which makes them green. Chlorophyll is packed with vitamins and minerals to help repair and rebuild damaged cells, prevent cancer, and improve digestive health. Greens can be easily incorporated in to your diet through smoothies, salads, soups or simply by steaming or sautéing for a side dish. Other powerful anti-inflammatory foods include turmeric, ginger, garlic and wild blueberries.
Although most any fruit or vegetable will contribute to improved energy and overall health, there are specific foods noted for boosting brain function. Walnuts, broccoli, avocado, celery, olive oil, salmon, rosemary and green tea are full of antioxidants and micronutrients, which fight inflammation and clear the muck that is blocking focus and clarity.
Including brain-boosting foods into your diet, is simple and doesn’t require a lot of effort. For instance, add blueberries, ground flax seed, and some walnuts to your oatmeal in the morning with a drizzle of olive oil or a teaspoon of coconut oil. For lunch, have a salad with avocado, celery and baked salmon. Dinner can include a curry full of gorgeous spices and herbs like turmeric, curry powder, ginger and cilantro. It is important to make the effort as well to cut back on sugar, processed foods, and caffeine to reduce your body’s burden and help it focus on cleaning things up.
Every choice you make to improve your health through diet will promote healing in your body. By choosing anti-inflammatory foods on a daily basis, we support our bodies in releasing the blockages, free radicals and stress, thereby easing our body’s burden and feeding our cells what they need to function optimally.
To find out more, listen to my latest CYACYL interview
Read this post, published in 24/7 Magazine, May 2017 Edition
Leave A Comment