If you’re one of those busy business owners or executives, you have a constant demand upon your abilities in critical thinking, creativity, risk taking, and action taking responses to new circumstances. Now, do you ever get monster headaches? Do you ever feel “brain drain”? Do you ever forget your first name when you’re trying to sign a paper? If you’re like most, you do.

Now, what if there were foods you could eat that would help you concentrate; increase your memory capacity; tune-up your motor-sensor skills; keep you motivated even under fire; speed up your reaction time; reduce your levels of stress; and even slow down the aging of your mind? You would probably like to eat them, wouldn’t you?

But, what if those foods were bad-tasting, un-filling, or pill-like? You might think twice, or at least prepare yourself for some times of misery to enhance your work performance. However–you don’t need to do that. For there are foods that you can eat that will elevate your brain power AND taste great AND make you feel like you actually ate something!

And, if you’re one of those busy business execs who thinks it doesn’t matter much what you eat, at least as far as your mental prowess on the job is concerned, think again.

Bethany Thayer, MS, RD, a Detroit nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), says, “Give the body junk food, and the brain is certainly going to suffer.”

Yes, we’ve all heard how junk food is bad for your waistline. But if you are involved in business “brain work”, you may have to start thinking twice (no pun intended) about how you feed your head when you’re feeding your body.

With that thought in mind, let’s contemplate what some of the best brain enhancement foods are for you to incorporate into your diet.

1) Whole grain foods. These work for your brain because they have high levels of folate and, by stimulating your digestive system more than “white bread” foods, they get more blood flowing to your brain. They even are rich in wheat germ (memory enhancer) and vitamin B6 (brain longevity enhancer). It’s important to note here that “whole wheat” bread is NOT a whole grain food. If you want to eat whole grain bread, the package has to SAY “whole grain”, like on the brand Roman Meal.

One of the best sources of brain stimulating whole grains? Oats–especially as part of your breakfast of champions. “Oats provide excellent energy or fuel for the brain that [people] need first thing in the morning,” according to Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, LD/N, a St. Petersburg, Florida consultant and ADA spokeswoman.

2) Go nuts! Nuts in general are known from research to be excellent at clearing out the “brain fog”. One of the best nuts you can have as brain food is the brain-shaped Walnut which is rich in both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins E and B6. All of these are outstanding nervous system fortifiers, meaning they will reduce your stress, improve your blood flow, and let you think more clearly under fire. Omega-3 in particular is also hugely supportive of brain structure, which is 60% fat and which needs to be mainly omega-3.

Another wondrous and more common nut-source is the humble peanut. According to Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a Los Angeles nutritionist and ADA spokeswoman, says, “”Peanuts and peanut butter are a good source of vitamin E, a potent antioxidant that protects nervous membranes — plus thiamine to help the brain and nervous system use glucose for energy.”

3) Strawberries and blueberries have been shown in studies to enhance communication between even those neurons that are already harmed by aging. “In general, the more intense the color, the more nutrition in the berries. But eat the real thing to get a more nutritious package. The seeds from berries are also a good source of omega-3 fats,” says Krieger, who recommends a diet full of strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and blackberries.

4) How about a seafood (and eat it) diet? Seafood protein in general is great for your brain–your grandmother or great-grandmother’s admonition that “fish is brain food” was SCIENTIFIC. However, the most commonly eaten seafood in the U.S. doesn’t stack up against most other seafood protein sources as far as the brain-enhancement is concerned. “Because [tuna is] so lean it’s not very high in omega-3s like canned salmon is”, says Giancoli. The good news? Canned salmon and canned mackerel aren’t that much more expensive than canned tuna. The other good news? Eat those crab legs and find an excuse to spend a little extra on shrimp–and even lobster.

5) The incredible, edible egg. Even though Lyndon Johnson put the scare into people about eggs for dubious political reasons back in the 1960s, research over the last decade has thankfully overturned that nonsense and reminded people of what they already knew–eggs are great for the body and great for the brain. They’re high in omega-3 and high in the “good” cholesterol that the body needs; and the brain needs that HDL cholesterol to stay together and keep its cells full of energy and regenerative capacity.

Eggs and whole grain toast for breakfast and salmon sandwiches with some nuts and berries on the side to eat at the office? That doesn’t sound like a bad day’s worth of eating.

About the Author



John Tanner is a marketing consultant and founder of VAR
Strategy. 
After a career in military intelligence John helped grow businesses in various
industries through sales and marketing, eventually finding a passion for
challenges and opportunities for business development in the IT channels.

VAR Strategy is a product of this passion and was created to provide
helpful information and resources to assist VAR's in growing their businesses. 

Visit his blog and signup free to get tested marketing and business
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