USING NUTRITION
What we decide to fuel our bodies with can impact us both negatively and positively in many different areas of our lives. Spending a little bit of time ensuring that you are getting the nutrients you need in your diet can have a significant positive effect on many different things; mental health, immune system functionality, sleep, and focus are all things that are strongly impacted by our diet. There are lots of small things that you can do to ensure your diet is enhancing your life in the best way it can:
Increasing your Magnesium Intake
Magnesium has been found to not only be helpful for sleep but also has been proven to fight against depression and anxiety. Magnesium can be found in most nuts and seeds (sesame seeds and almonds especially!), but also in foods like tuna, quinoa and dark chocolate.
Decreasing your caffeine intake before bed
It sounds like a no brainer, but a lot of people consume food and drink with high caffeine levels without realising. Late night sugary snacks, such as cookies, chocolate and ice-cream, are all high in caffeine content and may be preventing you from getting a full night’s sleep. Swapping to foods like cherries, yoghurts or oat based snacks may help you to get your well-deserved rest.
Focusing on your greens
If you are finding yourself lacking in focus throughout the day, or you know you can be very forgetful, leafy greens could be the answer. Kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli give us lots of vitamin K and folate which research suggests can boost our focus and help to slow cognitive decline..
Fighting illness through food
If you find yourself to be more prone to getting ill, especially as we move towards the colder months, your diet could be contributing to this. Aiming to eat foods high in vitamin C,D, and E can help prevent and reduce symptoms of common colds and the flu. However, if problems with illness are persistent, please remember to always seek medical advice from your GP.
