Healthy Snacks Can Boost Productivity & Concentration

Studies have proven that some healthy snacks are more than just less sugary treats, but rather brain foods that can help boost productivity and concentration at work.

Did you know that it takes just over 20 minutes to regain your concentration once you lose it? It’s one of the biggest problems people face in the workplace today, and even more so when working from home (which many of us are doing today). You would be in the zone, finishing off work like a dance, and all of a sudden you get a text or come across a trendy video and it’s gone. You lose concentration, and with it goes your productivity.

As connected as we are today it might be hard to get rid of distractions, especially if your job demands that you sit in front of a computer or a smartphone. You can however help boost your concentration and maximize productivity with something as simple as a healthy snack.

When most people think healthy snacks, they think of something that is tasty, bite size, and doesn’t contain much added sugar, fats or sodium, and is low in calories. Well that is generally true. But besides not containing the bad stuff found in unhealthy snacks, healthy snacks, if chosen correctly, could have tons of benefits that make you want them within reach all the time.

Remember how the sentence before said “if chosen correctly”? That is because while there are many foods that can help with concentration, there are two “snacks” that stand out; nuts and dark chocolate.

If you start keeping nuts or nut-based snacks close by while you’re working, you will notice a huge change for the better. Nuts are packed with protein, fiber and good fats, which are essential for both body and mind, as well as a high content of antioxidants, vitamin E and amino acids, all of which are known to enhance brain performance.

When it comes to dark chocolate, a 2018 study at Loma Linda University in California found that chocolate with high concentration of cacao can have a huge impact on “cognition, memory, mood, immunity and other beneficial effects.” It is therefore smart to replace the sugar-packed chocolate bar with some rich dark chocolate.

So if the secret to productivity and concentration is in what you’re snacking on, the solution is simple; just fill that office drawer with some healthy snacks. And if you end up finding healthy snacks that are made from both nuts and dark chocolate, then you’d have hit the jackpot (or just found your way to the This is Nuts website). Enjoy and be productive!

It’s tasty, it’s crunchy and full of nutrients, but how much do you really know about the world’s favorite nut - the cashew?

Nuts and kernels have always been a favorite snack of mine, and the world’s. They are just the perfect bitesize, are super salty and just crunchy enough to crack but not scratch the inside of your mouth. However, one nut stands out among them all, the cashew. I have had cashews in every possible way: cooked in food, raw, roasted and even covered in chocolate, but there was much about the nut I didn't know until recently.

To start off with, I discovered that the cashew nut is not a nut at all, it’s actually the seed of a fruit known as the cashew apple. Although it looks like something you would want to try out, you most likely never will because they are very perishable, meaning that it will rot quickly after picking. So unless you travel to some tropical forest where cashew trees grow, your chances of trying the cashew apple are very slim.

However, the cashew apple’s pulp is processed and fermented into a very popular sweet fruit drink and liquor in Brazil.

The second thing I learned was that all cashew nuts are roasted, even the raw ones. Even more so, since the outer shell of the cashew nut is acidic and can cause serious skin irritations, all nuts are boiled or roasted before they are cracked open by hand and then roasted again.

While we in the western part of the world know the cashew as a snack or even a treat, it is part of many cuisines around the world, and is used in cooking in places like China, India and Pakistan, among other Asian countries.

Despite this, the cashew tree is actually not native to eastern Asia, but in fact to an area stretching between Central and South America, including the Caribbean Islands. It was the Portuguese colonists in Brazil who began exporting it during the 1550s and introduced it to the world.

Even though it’s hard to imagine, the cashew nut has many industrial uses as well. Its shells have been used in the production of lubricants, waterproofing material, paints, and arms since the late 30s.

Moreover, the “nut” and the fruit are not the only useful part of the cashew tree. In ancient Maya traditional medicine, the tree’s barks and leaves were brewed into a tea that would help them cure diarrhea.

Although this is not all the cashew tree, or the nut has to offer, I will suffice with this information because it was enough to blow my mind and change the way I looked at the cashew nut. If you know any other interesting facts, please share them with us in the comment section.

What has more fibre than oats, twice as much Vitamin E as kiwi fruit and more potassium than bananas, yet is practically unheard of? The answer is tiger nuts, an ancient superfood that is now poised for a comeback.

Tiger nuts, which are also called chufas or earth almonds, actually aren't nuts at all, but tubers that grow underground, just like peanuts. While they used to be part of our ancestors' staple diet, few people today are familiar with tiger nuts outside of West Africa and Spain, where they're grown. That's too bad, because there are many reasons why you should incorporate tiger nuts into your daily diet!

Tiger nuts are small and naturally sweet, and have a slightly chewy texture. They're a good source of minerals like magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, as well as heart-healthy unsaturated fats. But it's the high content of prebiotic fibre that really gives the tiger nut its well-deserved superfood status. Prebiotic fibre consists of insoluble carbohydrates that pass through the stomach and small intestine without being digested, all the way to the colon, where they become food for good bacteria, or probiotics. Together, probiotics (which are prevalent in some yogurts and fermented foods like kimchi, tempeh and saurkraut) and prebiotics help diversify and boost your microbiome, essentially trillions of bacteria and fungi that researchers believe influence everything from your metabolism and body weight to your immune system, appetite and mood. Several studies have shown that a diverse and flourishing microbiome can reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, allergy, inflammatory diseases and more.