My wife, Heloise, is a nutrition nut…

We’ve got a kitchen cupboard rammed full of mushroom powders, vitamin supplement capsules and herbal tinctures.

She swears by a lot of this stuff for maintaining her energy and focus throughout the day.

I’ll admit, I’m a bit more old school.

I rely on two 4-shot espressos before 10am…

Then I pretty much wing it for the rest of the day!

However, I’ve often wondered why I often get a post-lunch slump.

You might know the feeling….

The heavy eyelids… the wandering mind… the drained motivation… and the urge for quick, easy distraction.

It can wreak havoc on your productivity.

This might be especially true if you have to work on your home business projects in the evenings after work.

Sometimes it feels like you’re wading through treacle.

Like me, you might usually rely on caffeine and willpower to get you through.

But caffeine has its drawbacks.

It can make you jittery and anxious.

Not only that but it tends to give you a spike in energy, which goes up, but then comes crashing. down.

And as for willpower…

Well, it’s not the most reliable back-up plan, especially when you’re tired or in a bad mood.

So I’ve decided to research ways that you (and I!) could potentially use foods and supplements to supercharge focus and energy.

Let’s start with simple tweaks you can make to your diet.

Everyday Foods That Boost Focus & Energy

Oily fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are packed with DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), two Omega-3 fatty acids that have a strong effect on the brain.

Studies show that people who eat lots of these fatty acids have better learning abilities and a sharper memory. They can also lift your mood by affecting the serotonin receptors in your brain.

However, you don’t need to eat fish.

If you’re vegetarian, flaxseed, chia seeds, avocados, and walnuts provide ALA, a plant-based omega-3 that the body can partly convert into DHA.

This can work just as well as fish oils.

For instance, a 2020 Nutritional Neuroscience study showed that people with higher levels of plant-based omega-3s performed better on intelligence and reasoning tests.

Plants, in general, are pretty good for your brain anyway.

For example, a Rush University study found that people who ate leafy greens every day had the brainpower of people 11 years younger than those who didn’t.

You should also consider choline, which is found in egg yolks. This supports memory and cognitive function by helping to form acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter.

So a lunch of boiled eggs, walnuts, kale and mackerel would be an ideal brain-boosting feast.

And if you wanted a mind-sharpening drink to follow all of that….

Get Your Caffeine Boost Without The Jitters

Japanese monks traditionally drink green tea before their lengthy meditation sessions to maintain their calm and focus.

And there’s a good scientific reason why…

Green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier and stimulates alpha brain waves, which is what you’re trying to achieve when meditating.

A 2019 overview of multiple studies into green tea concluded that its combination of caffeine and L-theanine improved attention, memory, and accuracy, while reducing anxiety and jitteriness.

You could also try Matcha, a form of powdered green tea, which has higher concentrations of L-theanine.

However, it’s powerful stuff, so if you’re sensitive to caffeine, have it before midday.

Watch Out for These Brain-Sapping Deficiencies

Sometimes, your lack of concentration can come down to deficiencies in your diet.

For example, most of us are mildly deficient in magnesium, a mineral involved in energy production and nerve function.

A 2016 study in Neuropharmacology found that magnesium regulates NMDA receptors, which are crucial for learning and memory.

When your levels are too low, your brain’s neurons fire erratically, leading to anxiety, irritability and poor focus.

So it’s worth getting your levels checked, then adding magnesium-rich foods to your diet.

Good sources include almonds, pumpkin seeds, spinach, kale and dark chocolate (make sure that it contains 70% cocoa or – ideally – higher.)

In fact, a few squares of dark chocolate during a mid-afternoon slump is as good as an energy drink, but without the risk of a crash.

I’d also recommend you check your vitamin B12 levels.

Even a mild deficiency can cause cognitive decline and fatigue.

If you’re low, you can get B12 from beef, liver, sardines, mackerel, eggs and full-fat dairy. Or if you’re vegetarian, look for methylcobalamin B12 supplements.

Another important B-vitamin is folic acid, found in sprouts, spinach, liver and kidney.

Folic acid is processed by your body into a substance called methylfolate.

But if levels of methylfolate in your brain fall too far, it can lead to irritability, forgetfulness and even depression.

The SAD Factor

Another common deficiency at this time of year is Vitamin D. which is actually more like a hormone than a vitamin.

A 2021 study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that vitamin D receptors are highly concentrated in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory and learning centre.

Low levels are linked with slower processing speed, meaning you find it hard to keep information in your mind, or work through tricky problems.

The trouble is, our body creates most of our vitamin D from natural sunlight, which is in short supply at this time of year here in the UK.

So try a good quality Vitamin D supplement throughout the winter months (and even consider it all year round).

If you’re still feeling seriously sluggish, and can’t muster up much enthusiasm for anything at all, it could be a case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

This is where the short, dark winter days cause a consistently low mood, fatigue, and brain fog.

To solve this, you could try a SAD Lamp, which gives you a blast of bright light (10,000 lux, ideally) for 30 minutes every morning.

If you can’t afford one, even a 30-minute morning walk in daylight can raise your serotonin levels and boost your mood.

And here’s an unusual one you might not know about…

How to Boost Your Memory Through Your Nose

Your sense of smell is linked to an area of the brain known as the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and emotions.

After viral infections (or with increasing age) many people lose their sense of smell, which can dull our mental sharpness and impair our powers of memory.

But there are ways you can reverse this through ‘smell training’.

In 2023, researchers at the University of California found that exposing older adults to different scents for two hours a night over six months led to a 226% improvement in memory tests compared to a control group.

To try this at home, pick four scents (for example, lemon, rose, clove and eucalyptus) and keep them in jars without labels on.

Once or twice a day, inhale each scent for 20–30 seconds.

Focus on identifying the smell, and try to recall a memory linked to that smell.

Do this consistently for three or four months and it should strengthen the neural pathways between your nose and your brain.

Finally, let’s get into the hardcore enhancers…

Nootropics for a Super-Powered Brain

When most people think of ‘Nootropics’ they think of ‘smart drugs’.

These include products like Piracetam, Modafinil and Phenylpiracetam, which are synthetically created to enhance alertness, memory and mental stamina.

However, these are usually prescription-only, or sold by dubious suppliers on the black market.

And you don’t really need them.

Because true nootropics aren’t stimulants that force your brain into overdrive (like, for example, amphetamines)….

They are herbs, mushrooms and amino acids that support good brain function, producing more neurotransmitters, boosting oxygen flow and repairing damaged cells.

Examples include:

• Lion’s Mane Mushroom – This white fungus has been prized in East Asia for centuries as a tonic for the brain and nerves. Modern studies show that Lion’s Mane stimulates the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein that helps neurons grow, repair and communicate.
• Cordyceps – A parasitic fungus once harvested from high-altitude caterpillars in Tibet (though now mostly cultivated sustainably). It can increase your levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). the molecule your brain cells use for energy.
• Rhodiola Rosea – A hardy Arctic plant that helps balance your levels of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These are the same neurotransmitters that control motivation, focus, and resilience under pressure.
• Bacopa Monnieri – A herb from India that enhances the transmission of electrical impulses between neurons. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2016) found that participants taking Bacopa for 12 weeks showed significant gains in memory recall and processing speed, compared with a placebo group.
• L-Tyrosine – An amino acid found in cheese, chicken, and soy. Your brain uses it to make dopamine and norepinephrine, the neurotransmitters that keep you alert and motivated.
• Alpha-GPC – A concentrated source of choline, which the brain converts into acetylcholine, the key neurotransmitter for learning and memory.

If you experiment with any of the above, I recommend you try one at a time and give it 2 or 3 weeks before you assess the results.

Anyway, that’s quite the menu of foods and supplements to consider!

It isn’t the usual subject matter I’d cover in What Really Makes Money.

But the more I look into it, the more it seems like it could be helpful to readers who struggle with motivation, energy and concentration.

What do you think?

Are you interested in finding out more about this subject?

If so, I could look into foods and supplements….

Complementary medicine and alternative therapies….

Plus daily techniques for calming the body and mind so that you’re more alert and focussed.

Just let me know if you’re interested with a simple “yes please” reply to this email.

Stay sharp! 😉