Could Adding This Nutrient Help Sharpen Our Focus?

What if all we needed to do to focus is modify our diet?

We are constantly trying to find new ways to focus. In our workaholic, go-getter culture, the pressure is always on to be on top of our A game and get everything done no matter what cost we place on ourselves. In addition to being overworked, our population is chronically sleep deprived. According to recent studies, a whopping 79% of Americans are getting less than the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night. This all contributes to greatly decreasing our focus and mental state.

Unfortunately, this pressure to succeed comes at a great cost. The pressure and our chronic lack of sleep lead us to not only become more stressed but contribute to us being less efficient and focused. It’s a combination that leads to disaster. We can easily fix this by adjusting our lifestyle habits like sleeping the proper amount every night and creating a daily self-care routine. This can help improve our memory and streamline our focus.

However, we can also start to look at nutrition for our productivity needs. One nutrient that we can add to our routine to increase our focus and productivity is choline.

Very few people have heard of choline, but it is important to learn more about it. The essential nutrient can do so much for our brain and our body but, as a population, we are surprisingly deficient in it. 90% of Americans, according to the Choline Council, are not meeting their daily choline intake.

So how exactly can choline help us improve memory and focus?

• Helps Brain Cells

Choline helps our brain cells produce a neurochemical called acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is essential for mental focus and cognition. Acetylcholine also helps us process and store memories, which is important in helping us retain information. Insufficient intake of choline contributes greatly to a decline in concentration, memory, and other cognitive issues as we age.

• Essential for Brain Development in Infants

There is a definite link between choline and fetal brain development. More evidence points to the importance of choline in the development of the brain. Early childhood is a time of rapid brain development. That is why choline is important for boosting the brain’s ability to grow and function properly. Studies also point to choline intake for the fetus can have a positive effect on the individual as they age.

• Helps to Manage Our Bodily Functions

Choline is a major methyl donor to methyl groups. Our brain needs this to manage and promote the health of our neurons.

Our neurons and various other cells rely on the methyl Choline contribute do a lot. They need it to make and maintain their DNA. Neurons also need it to make sure their gene activity is healthy and functional. They also need it to help maintain and regulate homocysteine. Homocysteine can be potentially toxic to the nervous system if left unchecked.

How can you add it to your diet?

You can build choline into your daily diet. We need approximately 550 mg of choline a day to maximize the benefits we receive from the essential nutrient. A sample daily diet would need to include:

• 2 whole eggs with yolks
• 1/3 cup of lima beans
• 1 (3 oz) chicken breast
• ½ cup wheat germ cereal
• 1 cup of brussels sprouts

Making an effort to add choline into your diet will benefit you. However, you can’t be certain that you’ll get all your nutritional needs met. This is especially so for vegetarians and vegans because choline is mostly found in animal products. You may want to consider a nutritional supplement that contains choline like Omax Cognitive Boost.

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