20 Foods To Snack On For Enhanced Productivity

Markus says on January 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am

Thanks again for your work.

And I’m glad that dark chocolate is in your list!!

Zuggu says on January 22nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Eating well changed my life. I was probably eating only 3 times a day, a bad breakfast, good lunch, and a so so dinner. Right now I am eating 6 times a day focusing on items like the list you gave and I just feel more energized, its fantastic, I can’t express how important it is to eat well

Al at 7P says on January 22nd, 2008 at 2:31 pm

This is a great list. I can personally attest to the flax seeds helping with dry eyes. I used to put either grounded flax seed or flax seed oil into my morning cup of OJ, and the problem went away. Before I would apply artificial tears, but that only addressed the symptoms. The flax seed somehow helped to solve the problem.

Kavit Haria says on January 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Hello all,

Markus - Yes, dark choc is good, but in moderation of course.

Zuggu - Wow, you are great testimony to how well this stuff works. Thanks for sharing.

Al - I don’t like artificial tears, never used it and don’t like the sound if it. and anyway, flax seeds proves you don’t need them. Good stuff.

All the best,
Kavit

http://www.wellness-junction.com

Svemir Brkic says on January 22nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm

I do consume many of these items as a snack, but ginger causes a weird feeling in my throat - as if I am choking. Does anyone else have a similar experience?

gregp says on January 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 pm

Be judicious with the figs and raisins, as they can have certain undesirable gastro-intestinal side effects. Like wicked runs.

Sean says on January 23rd, 2008 at 2:32 am

Green tea is a very good choice. If you want it to be maximized, get quality tea not available at your local super market. I personally find http://www.teanobi.com/ to offer a good selection at a great price.

Sean says on January 23rd, 2008 at 2:33 am

Green tea is a very good choice. If you want it to be maximized, get quality tea not available at your local super market. I personally find http://www.teanobi.com/ to offer a good selection at a great price. And no im not associated with them, just wanted to give some honest advice.

John says on January 23rd, 2008 at 7:54 am

Hi, thank you for the great list! I am a converted health freak from a few years back and even I didn’t know about some of these (eg. that olives help inflammation, but google agrees.)

One thing though: how can raisins be high on energy and low on calories, when energy and calories are the same thing?

foxnomad says on January 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 am

Raisins are not low in calories…but good for you nonetheless.

Jen says on January 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Svemir Brkic, that choking sensation could be an indicator of either a mild systemic allergy, or an oral allergy (ie an allergy that affects your mouth and throat, but not the rest of your body, although it can become systemic over time). Or a sensitivity to ginger for that matter.

It’s worth checking out with a doctor… a choking or itching sensation when you eat a certain food is usually not a good sign.

Michael says on January 23rd, 2008 at 2:50 pm

Yoghurt?

Kayla says on January 23rd, 2008 at 3:21 pm

I just made a smoothie with some of the foods from this list–and it was delicious! A very good start to my morning.

http://www.micronutrientgourmet.com/?p=40

Bianca says on January 23rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm

My bet is on walnuts.. nothing boots your energy level and sharpens your brainpower like good ol’ walnuts.

missginsu says on January 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm

A good list! I like Bianca’s add-in about walnuts (yay, walnuts!) and I have to lodge a disagreement with Sean on the figs/raisins issue. I eat figs and raisins like they’re going out of style and I’ve *never* had an intestinal issue with ‘em.

Just one caveat on flax: flax seeds make a nice mix-in to granola or whatever, but it’s *really* difficult to just toss a bunch in your mouth as a snack. Those suckers are really small and really slippery.

that guy says on January 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/carrots.asp

carrots do not improve eyesight

Kari says on January 23rd, 2008 at 5:54 pm

RE: Ginger
The first time I had a real, fresh ginger ale, my throat got so inflamed and itched like crazy. I found out it’s not an allergy, but a symptom of the amount of ginger. I liken it to hot sauce. I love hot sauce and consume large amounts whereas my husband can barely handle it. So not necessarily an allergy but ginger is just really strong. Awesome list! My contribution would be a list I compiled of organic necessities: http://www.mydailypeace.com/20.....es-better/

Austin says on January 24th, 2008 at 10:38 am

” I am glad to see chocolates on the list, it is my favorite. Interesting topic, now I know what to snack on to keep me productive. Please allow me to talk about the Young Entrepreneur Society. Good useful content from this site.
“

obsidianjaguar says on January 24th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

Amazing list .. a few tweaks

Almonds: best to blanch them overnight , remove skins and mix with another one of your excellent choices: rasins .. the reason for this is the skin of the almond is high in the element of air ( and has a bitter taste, while the sweetness of the rasins will help kerb sugar cravings .)

Flaxseeds: Also be sure to chew or crush the tiny buggers up , to release the Omegas living inside .. the outer casing of linseeds ( flaxseed same plant) survives the entire gastointestanal track, as evidinced by the many intact seeds you may obsverve at the end of the journey . breaking this seal prior to swallowing allows all the goodness into your body . Soaking them overnight in water or Natural ( no added anything) juice will soften them up , also releasing souluable fiber and giving the liquid a slimy feel you can offset this by adding rice bran , rolled oats , and a bit of fruit , heating a few tablespoons with your favorite milk in the morning will really maximise your day with slow released , l energy .. Lovley site by the way

Hell says on January 24th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

where is coffe?

Olli says on January 25th, 2008 at 3:42 am

Thank you for your suggestions. I hope they’ll help me

surplusj says on January 25th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

Raisins are high in energy but low in calories? What is that supposed to mean?

monica says on January 26th, 2008 at 2:44 am

Pretty great list, but while I’m a fan of flaxseeds, I can’t imagine eating them as a snack. As the previous commenter said, you need to really grind them up in order to get their benefit. I do this by adding them to cereal or putting flax oil on salads. But to chew them as a snack? Does anyone really do this???

Maryam Webster says on February 1st, 2008 at 1:31 am

In regard to the walnuts, which are great nutritive food, please soak them at least 24 hours in purified water to leach the bitter tannins and acids out of them. This is why most people who don’t like walnuts don’t like them - because of the acrid backbeat. It also makes walnuts really difficult on the digestive system. You get much more mileage out of soaked walnuts. I like mine soaked 3 days and I change the water every day so they don’t reabsorb the bitter principles.

Also, one of the nutri-power foods I really love are Goji berries from Tibet. They come dried, are a dusty red and pretty little fruit and taste a little like caramel. They are suitable for diabetics as they are quite low in sugar, contain anti-oxidants and are implicated in Tibetan people’s longevity. I like them because they’re a quick and very even hit of energy that doesn’t leave you zooming during or flat afterwards like chocolate, caffeine or sugar.

I also don’t think anyone has mentioned blueberries. Great anti-oxidants and packed full of vitamins, taste great in smoothies, baked goods and even blueberry soup! Cold blueberry soup - puree your berries, with a little yogurt and brown sugar, blue agave syrup or honey.

Going gluten-free is another good way to nourish yourself, though it’s taking away rather than adding in. Just stop eating any grain with gluten - wheat, barley, rye, corn, spelt, kamut etc. Most Westerners are mildly to seriously allergic to gluten, a large percentage have a disease called celiac sprue caused by gluten intolerance. I don’t have that but am moderately intolerant. The symptoms are *not* pleasant. Suffice to say I lost 4″ of bloat off my abdomen, lost fat and gained an amazing amount of energy when I went g-free. Google “gluten free” and “gluten intolerance” for more info on this growing lifestyle choice.

Cranberry water is something else, from Ann Louise Gittelman’s “Fat Flush Cookbook”. 1 tbsp of unsweetened cranberry juice in 12 - 16 oz water for one serving. Or 8 oz cranberry to 64 oz water - this is the amount Gittleman suggests those who want to cleanse their bodies out should drink daily. This is about two quarts, the amount of water one should have on a daily basis. Most of us have acidic bodies due to our consumption of the wrong kinds of foods and stressful lifestyles. The cranberry, which can be sweetened naturally and non-glycemically with stevia, alkalinizes the blood.

On flax: you can get a seed grinder at most healthfood stores for cheap. Buy stainless steel, not plastic, as the plastic ones break easily. Ground flax seed can be added to anything: smoothies, yogurt, cottage cheese, puddings, stews and etc. Watch your proportions - more than 2tbsp a day will cause loose bowels. Gittleman suggests having a tablespoon of ground flax in one’s daily cranberry water, but I’ve found this impossible to get down without choking on fragments. Thick liquids are best.

Excellent list, hope these tips help.

Daniel Bailey says on February 12th, 2008 at 2:28 pm

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/lacf-phs.html

Cranberry juice has a pH of 2.3-2.52

Considering that cranberry juice is a relatively strong acid, that would be a miracle that it would ‘alkalinize’ anything.

It is certainly good for you, but no, it doesn’t ‘alkalinize’ your body.

Monaco says on May 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

Don’t know for certain, but I HEARD that Blueberries & Raspberries are the best food for your brain, followed by Spinach???