After five and a half decades of experiencing life, I know that my thinking is more capable, more effective, and more focused when I eat well. When I eat ultra-processed food or lots of sugar, I notice differences in my head and body. I am easily distracted and disrupted in my head, and I have to exert a lot of energy to focus and be still. But when I eat nutrient dense food regularly, my body and mind are clear and calm.
The brain is only about two percent of your body's weight, yet your brain uses about twenty percent of your body's energy. Your brain uses glucose, a sugar your body gets from food, for energy.
How fast that sugar arrives matters. Food from plants, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, gives your body sugar along with fiber. Fiber is the part of plant food the body cannot digest, but fiber slows down how fast the sugar from food enters your blood. When sugar enters your blood slowly, your brain receives energy steadily, and focus stays even between meals. Soda, candy, and sweetened drinks have sugar with little or no fiber, so the sugar enters your blood quickly. Blood sugar rises fast and can then drop, and the drop can leave you tired, hungry, or less focused.
Sugar alone is not enough for thinking. Even using sugar for energy requires nutrients. B vitamins help cells turn glucose into energy, and iron in the blood carries oxygen to the brain. The brain is also built partly from fats, including omega-3 fats found in fish and walnuts, and the brain uses protein to make chemical messengers that carry signals between brain cells. Ultra-processed food often gives the body energy with few of these nutrients. Real food brings energy and nutrients together.
Sugar can feel like a quick boost, but the boost people feel often comes from the sweet taste or from caffeine. Research has not found that sugar makes people more alert. And one review of studies found that people felt more tired and less alert within an hour of eating sugar.
Because my brain works day and night, my body requires fuel regularly. When it is time to eat again, I notice my focus lessening. That is my body telling me it requires more fuel and more nutrients.
You are welcome to eat well to think well.
Stacy 🌺
Information in this post comes from my learning and research.
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I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.