Feeling sluggish and struggling to concentrate? These beverages can help you think clearer to deal with your day.
Plain water
Your brain is about 75% water, so even mild dehydration can leave you lethargic and thick-headed. Keep a jug on your desk, and rather than counting glasses, drink when you feel thirsty or even hungry – what you first take for hunger is often thirst. Go by the colour of your pee: "It should be straw-coloured, no darker," says Gauteng registered dietitian Watkins. For added zip, add a squeeze of lemon – vitamin C can help protect cells against oxidative stress, but the main advantage is the smell: researchers at Takasago, Japan’s biggest producer of fragrances, found people who work with computers made 54% fewer typing errors when the workplace was scented with lemon.
Green tea
This traditional Chinese brew contains the amino acid L-theanine, thought to increase alpha brainwaves associated with the ‘alert relaxation’ achieved in meditation. According to a study of its effects in the Journal of Functional Foods, "results demonstrated that l-theanine clearly has a pronounced effect on attention performance and reaction time response in normal healthy subjects prone to have high anxiety".
Coffee
Don’t dismiss this classic pick-me-up. The caffeine in coffee not only makes you more alert, it boosts concentration and mood. And according to a study by the Krembil Brain Institute in Canada, drinking coffee may also protect you against developing both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
The researchers identified compounds known as phenylindanes, which emerge as a result of the roasting process of the beans. "Phenylindanes are unique in that they are the only compound investigated in the study that inhibits both beta amyloid and tau, two protein fragments common in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, from clumping", they said.
Hot chocolate
It may be associated with bedtime, but the flavonols in cacao can also preserve and improve cognitive functions such as memory, attention and learning by day. Use dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for the best boost. A recent study in the journal Nutrients found that "after chronic intake of cocoa flavanols in young adults, a better cognitive performance was found together with increased levels of neurotrophins. This systematic review further supports the beneficial effect of cocoa flavanols on cognitive function and neuroplasticity".
Berry smoothies
Berries are not just delicious, they’re rich in antioxidants and plant chemicals like anthocyanins, which stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and help keep the mind fresh. Studies have linked consuming more of the darkly pigmented ones like blueberries, especially, with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's. And British scientists at Reading University found volunteers who drank a blueberry smoothie in the morning did much better at mental tasks in the mid-afternoon than people who had an alternative drink.
IMAGE CREDIT: 123rf.com