Editorial Staff – Page 4

For busy professionals, intermittent fasting could be a good way to boost your brainpower, get more done, and handle stress better. Instead of the usual energy ups and downs, fasting might help your brain run on a steadier fuel source, giving you that focus you need for tough tasks all day long. Plus, it could even help your brain stay healthy in the long run, which is a big win for a demanding career. But just skipping meals isn't enough; you gotta be smart about it. That means picking a fasting schedule that fits your work life, timing your fasts for when you need to focus most, eating good stuff when you do eat, and being flexible when things get crazy with travel or stress. You also gotta make sure you're drinking enough, getting your electrolytes, and sleeping well. IF isn't a magic fix for being productive, but if you do it right as part of a healthy lifestyle, it could give you a real mental edge, helping you stay sharp, handle pressure, and really crush it at work. In the high-stakes world of demanding careers, your brain is your most valuable asset. Whether you're an executive navigating complex decisions, an entrepreneur juggling a thousand priorities, or a professional striving for excellence, sustained focus, sharp mind, and sheer mental endurance are non-negotiable. Yet, the very nature of these roles – long hours, high stress, constant connectivity, decision fatigue – often leads to the exact opposite: energy slumps, pervasive brain fog, and dwindling productivity. You might rely on caffeine, strict time management systems, or sheer willpower to push through, but what if there was a physiological strategy to help optimize your brain's performance from the inside out? Enter Intermittent Fasting (IF). While often discussed for weight management or general health, IF is gaining traction among high-performers specifically as a tool for cognitive enhancement and sustained energy. The idea is compelling: could strategically timing your meals help you maintain peak mental performance throughout demanding workdays, minimize those productivity-killing afternoon slumps, and build greater cognitive resilience against stress and burnout? For busy professionals whose success hinges on mental acuity, this is more than just a health trend; it's a potential performance strategy. But how does IF realistically fit into a life filled with early starts, late finishes, client dinners, unpredictable travel, and high-pressure deadlines? Can you really fast and still perform optimally during a critical presentation or a marathon strategy session? The answer lies in smart implementation. It's not just about if you fast, but how you sync your chosen intermittent fasting schedule with the unique demands of your professional life. It involves understanding the potential cognitive benefits – like stable energy from ketones or boosted BDNF – and leveraging them strategically, while also navigating the practical challenges. This article is specifically for you, the high-performing professional considering IF. We'll delve into how IF might give you a cognitive edge, compare schedules for demanding roles, offer practical productivity hacks for aligning fasting with your workflow, discuss fueling strategies for sustained brain energy, and provide tips for managing IF during travel, stress, and irregular hours. Let's explore how timed eating could become part of your high-performance toolkit. The High-Performer's Focus Challenge: Why Brainpower Matters In demanding professional roles, the pressure to consistently perform at a high cognitive level is immense. Your ability to think clearly, solve complex problems, make sound decisions, communicate effectively, and maintain focus under pressure directly impacts your success and career trajectory. Yet, the modern work environment often feels designed to undermine these very capabilities. The Modern Executive's Brain Drain High-performers frequently grapple with unique cognitive challenges: Decision Fatigue: Making numerous high-stakes decisions throughout the day depletes mental resources, leading to poorer judgment and procrastination later on [1]. Information Overload: Constant streams of emails, data, reports, and messages create mental clutter and make it difficult to prioritize and focus deeply. Context Switching: Jumping between meetings, tasks, calls, and crises fragments attention and reduces overall efficiency [2]. Chronic Stress: Persistent pressure, deadlines, and high expectations activate the body's stress response, releasing cortisol which can impair memory, focus, and executive function over time [3]. Long Hours & Sleep Debt: Sacrificing sleep to meet demanding schedules directly impacts cognitive performance, mood regulation, and decision-making the next day [4]. The Dreaded Afternoon Slump: Many professionals experience a significant dip in energy and focus post-lunch, hindering productivity during crucial afternoon hours. The Cost of Cognitive Underperformance When brainpower flags, the consequences can be significant: reduced productivity, missed deadlines, strategic errors, communication breakdowns, increased stress, and eventually, burnout. Maintaining peak cognitive ability isn't a luxury; it's essential for navigating the complexities of high-stakes roles and achieving sustainable success. This constant need for mental endurance drives many high-performers to seek out strategies – from biohacking to mindfulness to nutritional optimization – that can provide a reliable cognitive edge. Could Intermittent Fasting be one such strategy? How IF Might Boost Your Professional Edge (Mechanisms Recap) Before diving into practical scheduling, let's briefly recap why Intermittent Fasting holds potential specifically for enhancing the cognitive function demanded in high-performance roles. This mechanisms directly address some of the key challenges faced by busy professionals. Stable Energy, Sharper Focus (Ketones & Blood Sugar) One of the most immediate potential benefits for productivity is escaping the energy roller coaster. Avoiding Glucose Crashes: Traditional meal patterns, especially those high in refined carbs, can lead to blood sugar spikes followed by insulin surges and energy crashes – often hitting right during critical afternoon hours. IF helps stabilize blood sugar levels during the fasting period [5]. Ketone Power: By encouraging the shift towards using ketones for fuel, IF can provide the brain with a steadier, potentially more efficient energy source [3]. This stable fuel supply can translate directly into more consistent focus, reduced brain fog, and better mental endurance throughout the workday. Enhanced Cognitive Resilience (BDNF & Stress Resistance) High-pressure jobs demand resilience. IF might help build it at a cellular level. BDNF Boost: Increased BDNF not only supports learning and memory but also enhances neuronal stress resistance [1, 6]. This could make your brain better equipped to handle the physiological and psychological stressors of a demanding job. Cellular Stress Conditioning: The mild, intermittent stress of fasting itself can activate cellular pathways that improve resilience against other stressors [7]. It’s like training your brain cells to be tougher. Cellular Maintenance for Long-Term Performance (Autophagy) Burnout is a real risk for high-performers. Supporting long-term brain health is crucial for sustainable careers. Autophagy Cleanup: IF promotes autophagy, clearing out cellular debris and damaged components [2]. This regular maintenance helps keep neurons functioning optimally and may contribute to long-term neuroprotection. Maintaining healthy brain cells supports sustained high performance over the course of a career. Potential for Improved Clarity and Decision Making By reducing brain fog, stabilizing energy, and potentially calming inflammation, IF may create a clearer mental landscape. Reduced Cognitive Load: A brain running more efficiently might experience less background "noise," freeing up cognitive resources for complex problem-solving and decision-making. Less Reactive Thinking: Stable energy and potentially improved mood regulation might lead to less impulsive or stress-driven decision-making. These mechanisms suggest IF isn't just about skipping meals; it's about potentially optimizing the very biological processes that underpin peak mental performance and intermittent fasting productivity. Choosing the Right IF Rhythm for Your 9-to-Whenever Okay, the potential benefits look promising for tackling the demands of a high-performance career. But which Intermittent Fasting schedule actually works with long hours, early meetings, potential travel, and the need for consistent cognitive output? Choosing the right rhythm is critical for success. Why Sustainability Trumps Intensity for Professionals While more intense schedules like ADF might offer stronger theoretical biological stimuli (as discussed in "16/8 vs 5:2 vs ADF"), they are often impractical and unsustainable for individuals needing reliable focus every workday. Consistency is key for adaptation and sustained benefits. The Case for 16/8 (or Similar Daily Windows): For most busy professionals, a daily time-restricted feeding window like 16/8 (or potentially 14/10 or 18/6) offers the best balance. Predictability: Fits into a daily routine, making planning easier. Consistency: Provides a regular metabolic stimulus without the drastic energy fluctuations of ADF or 5:2's low-calorie days. Social/Work Flexibility: An 8-hour window can usually accommodate work lunches or dinners with some planning. Focus During Work Hours: Allows for potentially heightened focus during the fasted morning hours or sustained energy after a well-timed break-fast meal. Tailoring Your Window to Your Peak Performance Needs Within the 16/8 framework, timing matters. Consider your typical workday and when you need maximum brainpower: Morning Deep Work: If your most critical thinking happens before lunch, delaying your first meal (e.g., eating 12 pm - 8 pm) might allow you to leverage fasted focus. Many report peak clarity in the later stages of their morning fast. Afternoon Slump Prevention: If afternoons are your challenge, ensure your eating window includes a satisfying, nutrient-dense lunch but perhaps closes earlier (e.g., 10 am - 6 pm) to support better sleep and prevent late-night eating that can impair next-day focus. Experimentation: Track your energy and focus levels with different window timings (keeping the 16-hour fast duration consistent) to find your personal sweet spot. What About 5:2 or ADF for High-Performers? 5:2 Challenges: The low-calorie days can significantly impair focus and energy, making them difficult to align with demanding workdays. Might be feasible if those days can be scheduled during lighter workload periods or weekends, but consistency can be tough. ADF Challenges: Generally impractical for most high-performers due to the significant energy dip and potential cognitive impairment on fasting days, plus major social/travel hurdles. For sustained productivity and intellectual function in a demanding career, a consistent daily fasting window like 16/8 is typically the most effective and sustainable starting point. Syncing Your Fast with Your Workflow: Productivity Hacks Choosing the right IF schedule is step one. Step two is strategically integrating it with your workday to maximize productivity and leverage those potential brain function benefits. It's about making your fasting rhythm work for you, not against you. Time Blocking Your Deep Work During Peak Focus Periods Identify when you feel mentally sharpest during your IF cycle (often late morning in a fasted state, or perhaps shortly after your first nutrient-dense meal) and fiercely protect that time for your most demanding cognitive tasks. Schedule Deep Work: Treat your peak focus window like a critical meeting. Block it out on your calendar for concentrated, uninterrupted work on high-priority projects [8]. Minimize Distractions: Turn off email/chat notifications, close unnecessary browser tabs, put your phone on silent. Create an environment conducive to deep concentration during this prime time. Align Tasks with Energy: Schedule less demanding tasks (routine emails, admin, calls) for periods when your focus might naturally be lower (e.g., early in the fast, later in the eating window). Strategic Break-Fast Timing and Composition How and when you break your fast can significantly impact afternoon productivity. Avoid Heavy Carb Loads: Breaking your fast with a large, refined-carb-heavy meal is a recipe for a post-meal slump, negating morning focus gains. Prioritize Protein & Healthy Fats: Start with a meal rich in protein and healthy fats, with moderate complex carbs/vegetables. This promotes satiety and more stable blood sugar/energy levels [9]. Think salad with grilled salmon and avocado, or eggs with spinach and whole-grain toast. (For food ideas see "Top 10 Brain Boosting Foods"). Time it Before Key Afternoon Tasks: If possible, time your first meal so you're fueled but not sluggish before important afternoon meetings or work blocks. Leveraging Fasted Mornings (If Applicable) Many high-performers find their fasted mornings particularly productive once adapted. Clarity & Reduced Distraction: Without the digestive load of breakfast, some experience heightened mental clarity. The simple lack of food decisions/prep can also save time and mental energy. Fuel with Hydration: Ensure adequate water and possibly black coffee/tea to support focus during this period (see "Hydration Hacks for Fasting"). Utilizing Transition Times Effectively Use the start and end points of your fast/eating window strategically. Pre-Fast Routine: Wind down work and prepare for your fast. Maybe plan tasks for the next morning. Eating Window Prep: Use brief moments before your eating window opens to prep your first meal, minimizing downtime once you break your fast. By consciously aligning your work tasks and eating patterns, you can create a synergistic rhythm that enhances your productivity during intermittent fasting and helps you maintain focus throughout your demanding day. Fueling Peak Performance: Smart Eating for Busy Schedules Practicing Intermittent Fasting doesn't mean nutrition becomes less important – arguably, it becomes more critical, especially for high-performers needing sustained brain energy and cognitive function. Since you have a condensed eating window, making nutrient-dense choices is key to fueling both your body and brain effectively for demanding workdays. Nutrient Density is Non-Negotiable With fewer hours to eat, every bite counts. Focusing on high-quality, nutrient-dense foods ensures you're getting the vitamins, minerals, macronutrients, and phytonutrients needed for optimal brain function and energy levels. Prioritize Whole Foods: Base your meals around unprocessed ingredients: lean proteins, fish, eggs, legumes, abundant vegetables (especially leafy greens), fruits (especially berries), nuts, seeds, and healthy fats (avocado, olive oil). Brain-Specific Nutrients: Pay attention to foods rich in nutrients known to support cognition: Omega-3s: Fatty fish, walnuts, flax/chia seeds. Antioxidants: Berries, colorful veggies, dark chocolate. Choline: Eggs. B Vitamins: Diverse sources. Avoid Empty Calories: Minimize processed snacks, sugary drinks, refined grains, and fast food, which provide little nutritional value and can contribute to energy crashes and inflammation. Meal Prepping for Success: Strategy for the Time-Crunched Busy schedules often leave little time for elaborate cooking during the work week. Meal prepping is a crucial strategy for ensuring healthy choices are readily available during your eating window. Batch Cook Basics: Cook larger portions of staples like grilled chicken, quinoa, roasted vegetables, or hard-boiled eggs on the weekend or a less busy evening. Assemble Quick Meals: Use prepped ingredients to quickly assemble lunches or dinners (e.g., salad jars, grain bowls, protein boxes). Healthy Snacks on Hand: Keep nuts, seeds, fruit, yogurt, or pre-cut veggies available for quick, healthy options within your window if needed. Plan Your Break-Fast: Having your first meal planned and possibly prepped prevents impulsive, less healthy choices when hunger strikes at the end of your fast. Hydration and Electrolytes: Still Crucial Remember to continue prioritizing hydration and electrolyte balance even during your eating window, complementing your fasting hydration strategy. Water-rich foods (fruits, veggies) contribute, but keep sipping water. Ensure meals include sources of potassium and magnesium. Fueling strategically during your eating window provides the necessary building blocks and energy to complement the metabolic benefits of fasting, supporting constant focus and productivity throughout your demanding professional life. Navigating Work Travel, Late Nights, and High-Stress Periods The life of a high-performer rarely follows a perfect 9-to-5 schedule. Business travel, late nights working on deadlines, client dinners, and periods of intense stress can all throw a wrench into even the best-laid Intermittent Fasting plans. Learning to adapt your IF practice during these demanding times is key to maintaining consistency and sanity. IF On the Go: Tips for Business Travel Maintaining your routine while traveling requires planning: Adjust Windows for Time Zones: When crossing time zones, gradually shift your eating window over a day or two to align with the new local time, aiming to maintain your usual fasting duration. Pack Healthy Snacks: Bring non-perishable, fasting-friendly snacks (nuts, seeds, protein bars - for your eating window) so you have healthy options readily available and aren't reliant on airport or hotel food. Hotel Room Strategies: Utilize hotel gyms for exercise (helps regulate rhythm). Request a mini-fridge for storing healthy snacks or pre-made items if possible. Stay extra hydrated on planes. Restaurant Choices: Use the menu-scouting tips mentioned earlier. Look for simple grilled proteins and vegetables. Don't be afraid to make special requests (e.g., dressing on the side, steamed veggies). Flexibility is Key: Sometimes, perfect adherence isn't possible during travel. Prioritize staying hydrated and making the best available food choices during your (potentially adjusted) eating window. Don't stress about minor deviations. Late Nights and Shifted Schedules Deadlines or projects sometimes require burning the midnight oil. Maintain Fasting Duration: If you work late and eat later, simply start your fast later and break it later the next day to maintain your 16-hour (or chosen duration) fast. Prioritize Sleep (Even if Delayed): Aim for your usual amount of sleep, even if the timing is shifted. Sleep deprivation will tank your focus more than a slightly shifted eating window. Avoid Late-Night Junk Food: Resist the urge to fuel late-night work sessions with sugary snacks or greasy takeout, which will likely lead to crashes and impair next-day performance. Stick to water or plain tea/coffee if working during your fast. Managing IF During High-Stress Periods Intense stress can impact appetite, digestion, and stress hormones, potentially making IF feel harder. Don't Add Unnecessary Stress: If IF feels like too much during an acutely stressful period, consider temporarily shortening your fasting window or taking a brief break. Pushing through severe stress with aggressive fasting might be counterproductive. Focus on Foundational Habits: Double down on stress management techniques (brief meditations, walks), prioritize sleep even more, and focus on nutrient-dense, comforting foods during your eating window. Listen to Your Body: Intense stress affects everyone differently. Be kind to yourself and adjust your IF practice as needed to support your overall well-being, rather than adding another stressor. Adapting your IF practice during irregular or stressful periods requires planning, flexibility, and self-awareness, ensuring it remains a supportive tool rather than an additional burden. Troubleshooting Dips: Maintaining Energy & Focus on Demanding Days Even with the best planning and adaptation, occasional dips in energy or focus can happen, especially on particularly demanding workdays. Having a few troubleshooting strategies in your back pocket can help you stay on track with both your work and your Intermittent Fasting practice. Quick Checks: Hydration & Electrolytes First! Before assuming your dip is due to fasting itself or low blood sugar, always check the basics: Are You Hydrated? Have you been sipping water consistently? Try drinking a large glass of water immediately. Often, mild dehydration is the culprit behind sudden fatigue or brain fog. Electrolyte Top-Up Needed? Consider having a pinch of natural salt in water, especially if you've been sweating, stressed, or experiencing headaches/dizziness. Addressing these fundamentals often resolves temporary dips quickly and easily. Strategic Use of Caffeine (If Tolerated) For those who tolerate it well, caffeine can provide a temporary boost during a slump. Timing: Consuming black coffee or plain tea during your fasting window can enhance alertness. Be mindful of your individual sensitivity and avoid consuming it too late in the day, as it can disrupt sleep [4]. Know Your Limits: Too much caffeine can lead to jitters, anxiety, and ultimately hinder focus. Taking a Short Break: Movement or Mindfulness Sometimes, pushing through a mental block is counterproductive. A brief break can reset your focus. Movement Break: Step away from your desk for a 5-10 minute brisk walk, ideally outdoors. This boosts blood flow to the brain and can clear your head. Mindfulness Moment: Engage in a few minutes of deep breathing or a short mindfulness exercise. This can help calm a stressed nervous system and restore focus [10]. Adjusting Your Fasting Window (Temporary Tweak) If dips consistently happen at a certain point in your fast (e.g., late morning before your eating window opens), and basic troubleshooting doesn't help: Consider a Slightly Shorter Fast: Maybe 15 or 14 hours is your sweet spot for maintaining focus, rather than pushing to 16 or 18. Experiment gently. Shift Window Timing: Could starting your eating window slightly earlier prevent the dip without sacrificing too much of the fasted state? Ensuring Adequate Fuel During Eating Window Persistent energy dips despite troubleshooting might indicate you're not consuming enough calories or the right balance of macronutrients during your eating window to support your demanding schedule. Review Your Intake: Are you getting enough protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs? Are your overall calories sufficient for your activity level? Nutrient Timing: Ensure your meals are balanced and provide sustained energy. Avoid relying on quick sugar hits. By having these troubleshooting strategies ready, you can manage occasional energy dips effectively, maintaining productivity while intermittent fasting and focus even on the most demanding days. Quick Takeaways: IF for Peak Productivity Targeted Benefits: IF may boost focus for high-performers via stable energy (ketones), enhanced cognitive resilience (BDNF), cellular maintenance (autophagy), and reduced inflammation. Sustainability is Key: For demanding schedules, consistent daily IF (like 16/8) is generally more practical and sustainable than intense schedules (5:2, ADF). Sync with Workflow: Align your peak focus window (often fasted morning or post-break-fast) with deep work; schedule less demanding tasks accordingly. Fuel Smart: Prioritize nutrient-dense whole foods during your eating window. Meal prep is crucial for busy schedules. Adapt to Challenges: Plan for travel, late nights, and high stress by adjusting windows flexibly, prioritizing sleep, and managing stress. Don't force IF during acute overwhelm. Troubleshoot Dips: Address energy/focus dips first with hydration and electrolytes. Consider caffeine, short breaks, or minor schedule tweaks if needed. Holistic Approach: Combine IF with sufficient sleep, stress management, and exercise for optimal cognitive performance and productivity. Conclusion For the driven professional navigating a demanding career, Intermittent Fasting offers more than just a potential health benefit; it presents a strategic tool for potentially optimizing cognitive function, higher productivity, and building mental endurance. By moving beyond the typical blood sugar roller coaster and tapping into the stable, efficient energy of ketones, IF may provide the sustained focus needed to tackle complex challenges throughout the workday [3, 5]. Mechanisms like boosted BDNF and enhanced autophagy further suggest potential for improved cognitive resilience and long-term brain health – crucial assets for a sustainable high-performance career [1, 2]. However, successfully integrating IF into a high-stakes professional life requires more than just skipping breakfast. It demands a thoughtful approach: choosing a sustainable schedule (often 16/8) that aligns with work demands, strategically syncing fasting periods with deep work, fueling wisely during eating windows through careful planning and meal prep, and mastering the art of flexibility to navigate travel, stress, and unpredictable hours. It also means diligently troubleshooting dips in energy or focus, prioritizing fundamentals like hydration, electrolytes, and sleep [4, 8]. IF is not a magic bullet for productivity, nor will it eliminate the inherent stresses of a demanding job. But when implemented intelligently and consistently as part of a holistic approach to well-being, Intermittent Fasting can potentially provide a significant physiological edge. By optimizing your brain's energy supply and activating its innate protective pathways, you might find IF helps you maintain that sharp, resilient, and focused mindset needed to not just survive, but thrive in your high-performance arena. High-Performers & IF: Your Productivity Secrets? Are you a busy professional practicing Intermittent Fasting? How has it impacted your focus and productivity? Which IF schedule works best with your demanding job? What are your top hacks for syncing fasting with your workflow? How do you manage IF during travel or high-stress periods? Share your experiences and productivity tips in the comments below! Your insights could help other professionals optimize their performance. Found this guide useful for your demanding schedule? Share it with colleagues or contacts who might benefit! IF for Professionals FAQs: Productivity & Performance Can I do important meetings or presentations while fasted? Yes, many high-performers find they have excellent focus and mental clarity during their fasted state, especially once adapted. Ensure you are well-hydrated and have managed electrolytes. If you feel better after eating, schedule your break-fast meal strategically before critical events. Experiment to find your personal peak performance time. How do I manage IF with frequent business dinners or client lunches? Flexibility is key. Aim for a schedule (like 16/8 ending later) that often accommodates dinners. If a lunch is unavoidable, shift your window for that day or consider it a planned "off" day. Focus on the business/social connection, make healthy choices if eating, or politely stick to zero-calorie drinks if fasting. (See "Your IF Social Life"). Will IF negatively impact my creativity or complex problem-solving? Once adapted, many report enhanced clarity and creativity, potentially due to stable energy and reduced brain fog. During the initial adaptation, cognitive function might temporarily dip. Ensure adequate sleep and brain-supportive nutrients during your eating window, as these are crucial for higher-level thinking. Is it better to exercise in the morning while fasted or during my eating window for workday focus? Both can work. Fasted morning exercise can potentially enhance fat burning and ketone production. Exercising during your eating window ensures you have fuel readily available. Experiment to see which timing leaves you feeling most energized and focused for your workday. Listen to your body, especially with intense workouts. I work shifts / irregular hours. Can I still do IF effectively? It's more challenging but possible. Focus on maintaining a consistent fasting duration (e.g., 14-16 hours) rather than fixed clock times. Your eating "window" will shift along with your work schedule. Prioritize sleep whenever possible, stay extremely vigilant with hydration, and perhaps opt for a slightly shorter fasting window for sustainability. References Mattson, M. P., Moehl, K., Ghena, N., Schmaedick, M., & Cheng, A. (2018). Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 19(2). Madeo, F., Zimmermann, A., Maiuri, M. C., & Kroemer, G. (2015). Essential role for autophagy in life span extension. The Journal of clinical investigation, 125(1). Veech, R. L., Chance, B., Kashiwaya, Y., Lardy, H. A., & Cahill Jr, G. F. (2001). Ketone bodies, potential therapeutic uses. IUBMB life, 51(4). Pilcher, J. J., & Huffcutt, A. I. (1996). Effects of sleep deprivation on performance: a meta-analysis. Sleep, 19(4). Halberg, N., Henriksen, M., Söderhamn, N., Stallknecht, B., Ploug, T., Schjerling, P., & Dela, F. (2005). Effect of intermittent fasting and refeeding on insulin action in healthy men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 99(6). Duman, R. S., & Monteggia, L. M. (2006). A neurotrophic model for stress-related mood disorders. Biological psychiatry, 59(12). Calabrese, V., Cornelius, C., Trovato-Salinaro, A., Iacono, A., Siracusa, R., Di Mauro, M., … & Calabrese, E. J. (2011). Hormesis, cellular stress response and redox balance in the aging brain. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 15(8). Newport, C. (2016). Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central Publishing. Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2008). Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature reviews neuroscience, 9(7). Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and cognition, 19(2).