Torwen:

Hello and welcome back to the Ideal Nutrition podcast. My name is Torwen and I’m here with my co-host Aidan. Today we’re going to be discussing the role of nutrition for focus and productivity. The biggest problems we see are people reporting brain fog and a mid-afternoon slump. They are unable to focus or get easily distracted. They also report low motivation and generally low energy.

Aidan:

We’re going to talk about nutrition strategies that help those problems. We’ll start with some theoretical background and then go more practical.

Torwen:

Yeah. The obvious place to start for me is the brain. We know the brain consumes a massive amount of energy. It uses around 20% of the body’s daily energy. It is about 2% of body mass. So it is a pretty energetically costly organ.

That means learning, working, and memory formation incur significant energy costs. We have to make sure the brain has enough fuel.

Aidan:

Yeah. I wouldn’t freak out about a small to moderate calorie deficit. Your brain doesn’t just stop functioning. But being on low calories for an extended time can play a role.

Torwen:

We know the brain relies on glucose as its main energy source. That includes firing neurotransmitters, ATP generation, and cellular maintenance. If glucose is its preferred fuel, we are largely talking about carbohydrate. Yes, we can use ketones in fasting or very low-carb states. But glucose is what it prefers.

Aidan:

Adding some numbers helps. With the 20% resting energy expenditure, that averages about 100 to 120 grams. Of glucose per day, with large individual variation. Size and energy requirements influence that variation. During fasting and low-carb states, this can change. Ketones can cover enough that glucose needs are about 40 grams per day. Not all needs must come from carbohydrate. Protein can convert to glucose as well. Those are numbers I think are interesting.

Torwen:

If we chat about stable blood glucose, do we need to consider it? In general, stable, steady fuel supports mental energy stamina. Swings in blood sugar may cause dips in focus, mood, and energy. A meta-analysis looked at glycaemic load and cognitive performance. It examined lower GI breakfasts and their impact.

Low-GI breakfasts generally benefited episodic memory around two hours later. The benefit was biggest in adults younger than 35.

Aidan:

Yeah, we prepped separately and I have that study as well. I was interested in how much stable blood glucose matters. I work with athletes who have high-carb needs and day jobs. They also have goals outside of training.

We also see the other extreme with lower-carb diets. Theoretically, they have more stable blood glucose levels. Although we just spoke about brain glucose requirements. The first interesting angle compares high GI versus low GI. Does this matter? That study showed slight favourable benefits for low GI.

Torwen:

Something specific stood out from that study. In ages five to seventeen, a lower-GI breakfast supported better attention. That is practical for school-age kids. Ideally, teachers would want kids to have better attention. That is something to consider as well.

Aidan:

That research focuses on low GI versus high GI with matched carbohydrate. The next place I look is low-carb more broadly. Anecdotally, many report mental clarity and more productivity. I would not ignore that. Randomised controlled trials often show another picture. There are performance impairments in the first few weeks.

As people adapt, differences often disappear. That’s cool, because you can do what you like if there’s no difference.

Torwen:

Yeah. That relates to the time it takes plasma ketone bodies to rise. They become an alternative fuel the brain can use.

Aidan:

Anything more to cover on blood glucose?

Torwen:

I don’t think so. Yeah.

Aidan:

Yeah, cool. I don’t think this is massive, but you want to avoid huge swings. You don’t want big spikes and crashes. You definitely don’t want to go hyper either. Obviously, that is an issue as well.

Torwen:

Makes sense.

Aidan:

Let’s shift to nutrients for focus. There are a few we’ll cover. I’ll start with omega-3s. A systematic review found omega-3 ingestion increases learning, memory, cognitive wellbeing, and brain blood flow. That’s cool. Baseline intake matters with omega-3s. If someone already eats plenty of omega-3, extra supplementation may not help. If someone never eats fish or targets omega-3, they may benefit more.

Torwen:

We know omega-3s must come through the diet. The three main ones are EPA, DHA, and ALA. For the brain, DHA impacts neurotransmitters and functions. That’s why supplement choice matters. Yes, you can get omega-3s from plant foods. Converting ALA to DHA is not optimal. I use a fish oil supplement if someone doesn’t consume much fish. For plant-based clients, I use an algae oil supplement.

Aidan:

Yeah, for sure. I would go triple-strength fish oil. Research on fish oil is broad. Higher doses can move the needle more. You also need fewer capsules in triple-strength form.

Torwen:

Yeah, makes sense. Another randomised trial looked at DHA in older adults. Most studies target older adults and cognitive decline or mood. Supplementing 900 milligrams per day of DHA helped memory in older people. That dose is a bit more than a triple-strength fish oil. Good to know.

Aidan:

Next up is caffeine. There’s so much to talk about here. We obviously know caffeine can boost motivation and focus. Downsides include sleep disruption and anxiety. You might feel jittery and find focusing harder. Timing matters a lot. For a mid-afternoon crash, consider splitting your daily caffeine. Have some around seven or eight am. Then have some again around eleven am. Because of the half-life, you still have some later. You can cover the afternoon without hurting sleep, depending on dose.

Torwen:

That’s a good tip. The half-life of caffeine is long. Ideally, stop caffeine about nine hours before bed. It stays in the system a long time. I’d love your thoughts on the transient performance boost. You may still have some in your system. Will it be enough to curb that slump?

Aidan:

It’s hard to say, but I’d go by the half-life. We know caffeine interrupts sleep if taken too late. If it can still interrupt sleep late, it likely still has effects. Even smaller doses can feel like a pick-me-up. A can of Pepsi Max is less than coffee yet can help.

Torwen:

Let’s move on to L-theanine. It’s an amino acid in green tea, or a supplement. I know you might recommend it more often than I do. What are your thoughts?

Aidan:

I’m massive on L-theanine. At uni, a friend was very into nootropics. We even used caffeine powder and L-theanine powder. Looking back, that was silly. It is easy to access coffee. Caffeine powder can be dangerous if misdosed.

L-theanine has a synergistic effect with caffeine. It offsets a lot of downsides. If someone feels jittery or has an increased heart rate, it can help. If anxiety is linked to caffeine, it can help there too. It does not make people drowsy. People often just feel less stressed. L-theanine links with improved sleep, likely via reduced stress.

Torwen:

What about using it on its own? A 2021 randomised trial used about 100 milligrams. In middle-aged to older adults, acute dosing reduced reaction times. It enhanced working memory acutely. Over 12 weeks, there were no significant chronic changes.

Aidan:

I see it as an acute aid, especially with caffeine. Many stacks include it to balance a stimulant. If someone struggles to focus due to stress, it could help. That is a niche application, though. I’m also big on it because it is very safe. One client with one kidney doubled supplement dosages one day. They were more stressed than usual. They doubled ashwagandha and L-theanine. That made me recheck safety data. Two hundred milligrams looks clearly safe. What about four hundred milligrams?

There aren’t many human studies at that dose. Animal research used very high human-equivalent dosages. Nothing went wrong in those rodent studies. That makes me think 400 milligrams is very likely safe. It boosts confidence about 200 milligrams. Some people anecdotally report feeling more tired. Placebo-controlled research does not show sedation. Maybe they expected that effect. Or they were running on adrenaline, and once calmer, they felt tired.

Torwen:

There are a few other nootropics to cover. This is your area of interest. Let’s chat about alpha-GPC.

Aidan:

We’ll talk about alpha-GPC, tyrosine, rhodiola rosea, and ashwagandha. I don’t recommend these as frontline options. I use them if someone is very interested. Alpha-GPC provides precursors that help brain function. Evidence looks solid in dementia. General cognitive enhancement data are weaker. It is an easy addition with minimal downside. Some people are bigger on this than me.

Tyrosine is a precursor for key neurotransmitters. It supports focus, motivation, alertness, and stress response. Under stress, evidence consistently shows benefit. Outside stress, effects are harder to say. Downsides are minimal. Rhodiola rosea has solid evidence under high stress. It can improve focus, mood, and motivation. Without stress, it’s harder to say. Many evidence-based practitioners include it in blends.

Ashwagandha is similar logic to L-theanine. Anecdotal negatives occur more often than with L-theanine. Years ago, I read every study I could find. Many results looked very positive. Some looked too good to be true. There is a bench press study showing a 42% increase in eight weeks. That’s not happening. Anecdotally, some feel emotionless or like a zombie. Research hasn’t clearly shown that. But there isn’t much research. If someone is very stressed, I would consider adding it. They might feel better and more productive.

Torwen:

What I have found with this category of supplements is that the responses are individual. I’d suggest a trial. If it doesn’t help, don’t continue it long-term.

Aidan:

Yeah, for sure. I agree with that.

Torwen:

The last supplement on my list is creatine. Research in this area keeps growing. Creatine shows positive effects on memory and attention time. It also improves processing speed.

Aidan:

The biggest area is high doses under stress or sleep deprivation. Creatine is typically a chronic supplement. Benefits build as it saturates stores. But there are acute benefits for cognition. If someone wakes sleep-deprived and takes 20 grams, it may help within hours. That can aid memory and processing speed. It’s exciting to have another lever on tough days.

Torwen:

That brings us to recommended doses. The typical dose is about five grams per day consistently. That helps muscle growth and can help mental aspects. More likely, 10 to 20 grams per day is where brain benefits lie.

Aidan:

There is still a gap here. The body seems to prioritise storing creatine in muscle over brain. That also goes the other way. Plant-based people not supplementing creatine have similar brain stores. Their brain creatine is not lower.

The brain seems the last thing pulled from and the last thing added to. It keeps that relatively stable. Going higher than five grams makes brain storage more likely. We have acute data at 20 to 25 grams. What about 10 grams every day?

Would we get the same benefits? Hard to say. It has shifted me towards higher than five grams daily. If I’m sleep-deprived, I’d add a random 20 grams. I have no gut issues, so there’s no downside for me. It’s easy for me to do.

Torwen:

Great. Is there anything else to add on supplements?

Aidan:

We could talk electrolytes.

Torwen:

Let’s chat about it. Let’s start with the background. Mild dehydration can affect concentration. It increases mental effort for tasks and reduces cognitive efficiency. That can translate into lower productivity. Drinking water boosts attention, memory, and reaction speed. It helps reduce fatigue overall. Proper hydration helps maintain focus and performance. Where do electrolytes come in?

Aidan:

I don’t know if we listen to the same type of podcast. Do you hear advertising for electrolytes on podcasts?

Torwen:

Unfortunately, I do.

Aidan:

There are so many that talk about replacing coffee with electrolytes for focus and energy. It’s a bit odd to me, because they are separate things. How dehydrated are you walking around? I don’t know if adding electrolytes makes a huge difference. Let’s talk about it. If somebody had an insufficient intake leading to dehydration, electrolytes would help.

One of the main ones is obviously sodium. If we’re talking about certain brands, they might have 1,000 milligrams of sodium. I think the average person already has a good sodium intake. It might even be more than necessary. We don’t need to add more beyond specific situations. There are specific situations.

I think most people have enough potassium and magnesium to avoid dehydration from those. People could still benefit from more of those nutrients. Most people would benefit from more water in general. Beyond fixing an insufficiency, electrolytes won’t help focus much more.

Torwen:

We did another podcast on this. Advertising around electrolytes can be misleading. It makes you believe you need them to feel hydrated. Often water, and dietary sodium, is enough. If we give practical recommendations, do you want to cover meal timing or frequency?

Aidan:

This leads back to electrolytes. I had one last thing to add. One exception is if somebody uses a fasting approach. I am more pro electrolytes then. You are not getting anything through food. You aren’t eating food. Electrolytes could actually make someone feel better.

Let’s go through meal timing and frequency. There are many reports of mental clarity with fasting. That is an extreme thought experiment to start with. If some people report clarity with fasting, what if someone grazes constantly? At a minimum, people who fast don’t stop to eat. That could help them get into a flow state. They don’t need to stop.

But it is hit and miss. Many people report fatigue and brain fog when they don’t eat. From a research perspective, 16:8 approaches, where people have a 16-hour fasting window and an 8-hour eating window. They seem neutral to slightly positive for alertness and fatigue. Long fasts can have the opposite impact. People often feel more fatigued because no food is coming in. Individual anecdotes will differ. Some say on day three they felt incredible.

At the other end, big meals can cause slumps in focus and productivity. It’s the food coma effect on a smaller scale. That is relevant with or without fasting. If fasting and still needing enough calories, meals get big. Big meals can cause that slump.

Torwen:

Aside from fasting, let’s look at people eating regularly. Linking back to stable blood sugar, eating every two to three hours helps. Balanced meals with low-GI carbs, protein, fibre, and healthy fats help. They help maintain energy and potentially focus. When working, it can be difficult to eat that frequently.

Aidan:

I don’t know if you’ve had this struggle. I have with athletes with very high calorie needs. Some aim for over 4,000 calories. They also care about productivity. We still need to get all this food in and feel great.

Torwen:

Where do you do that? Do they have time to stop for a proper snack? Yeah, will it end up being a bigger meal, which maybe isn’t optimal either?

Aidan:

Yeah, there isn’t heaps that can be done there. I still look at spacing food as we discussed. Eating every two to three hours helps avoid massive meals.

Torwen:

Practical tips people can use then. The biggest barrier is not taking breaks. Take breaks through the workday to eat and drink. Stop to have a bite or some water. Workplaces should help facilitate this as well.

Aidan:

The workplace facilitating this is huge. With clients, I always push lunch breaks and snacks. It’s hard because I’m not there. I don’t know their exact situation. I’m curious because I never miss lunch. I am self-employed now, which makes it easier.

Torwen:

We prioritise lunch breaks at Ideal Nutrition.

Aidan:

I had an experience on placement where my supervisor asked a question. Do you want to do this task or have lunch? I thought she was serious, and I chose lunch.

Torwen:

Wrong answer as a student.

Aidan:

She marked it on my report. I didn’t realise it was a serious question.

Torwen:

Maybe we can make that easier. Discuss it with your workplace and get approval. In general, that should be common practice. Make it easier by being prepared. Bring food so you can eat when you have time. Keep snacks, meal prep, or food available. You can then eat quickly. It won’t take a lot of time.

Aidan:

That’s a big one I was going to add. Prep ahead so food is ready. You won’t waste time cooking during the day. It’s prepped in advance. That’s all I’ve got.

Torwen:

Me too, I think that’s everything.

Aidan:

Cool, we will wrap up. This was episode 225 of the Ideal Nutrition Podcast. As always, please leave a rating and review. That would be greatly appreciated.