The consequences of the pandemic are still very much present and despite the fatigue induced by chronic stress, creativity remains one of the main ingredients to reinvent, reorganize and structure yourself. Lifestyle habits, especially the contents of your plate, represent a major ally.

"Let food be thy medicine," said Hippocrates. And I would like to add: "we are made of what we eat and absorb!" Creativity is born from what is called divergent thinking, or the ability to imagine multiple solutions to the same problem. In order to promote this process, it is important that neurons are nourished by an abundant and continuous supply of oxygen and glucose. And for the brain to be able to produce the key neurotransmitters, those responsible for wakefulness and alertness, in adequate quantities, it must be provided with precious building materials: proteins and certain vitamins and minerals.

Entrepreneurs and leaders have an excessive mental load, want to perform and bring their cognitive abilities to a high level. Many express a curiosity to discover the potential of neuronutrition. Indeed, if our food intake is based on empty calories of nutrients, it will be a one-way ticket to a loss of functions or a decrease in the production of neurotransmitters that we need to promote this creativity essential to our success.

Three tips to nourish your creativity

In order to fuel your grey cells and optimize your creativity process, here are three easy elements to integrate in a context where your schedules are overloaded. Among the actions to put on the menu:

1. Favor foods with a low glycemic load

in order to provide neurons with a constant supply of glucose. In other words, any massive influx of sugar must be avoided to limit the drop in productivity that would automatically follow. This promotes sustained energy, stable concentration and diligent neuronal activity. Concretely, to promote a gradual arrival of sugar to neurons, consume half a plate of vegetables at every meal , choose whole grain cereal products for a maximum of half to one cup per meal, and favor 2 to 3 fruits per day , while making sure to consume them evenly throughout the day (beware of mega portions of fruit in a single meal!).

2. Plant-based food choices to increase magnesium intake, a very important mineral for the production of neurotransmitters. Again, in a more concrete way, this means discovering ways to cook legumes , adding a handful of nuts to a snack , sprinkling camelina, chia or ground flax seeds in cereals, smoothies or morning parfaits and increasing vegetable consumption from breakfast to dinner . You read that right! Vegetables fit well into breakfast by adding spinach to a smoothie, sautéed vegetables to an omelet, zucchini, carrots and sweet potatoes to a meal muffin or various diced vegetables to a morning burrito. Whether fresh, frozen, in salad, soup, stew, cut into raw vegetables, crushed in a smoothie or hidden in an omelet or muffin, each additional portion is a source of nutrients to stimulate your creativity.

3. Include a source of protein in every meal to provide the brain with essential amino acids. Lunch on the go, cold cut sandwiches, meal salads, meal soups are sometimes meals where these macronutrients are insufficient in quantity and quality. We are high-performing people and consequently, we like to measure the fruits of our efforts within the company. So let's be just as attentive to our daily protein portions as to our profitability objectives, because one does not go without the other! A quarter of what you consume in a meal should consist of at least one of the following foods: fish, seafood, poultry, nuts and seeds, legumes, soy, meat and other food sources of protein.

Sleep, move, meditate

Naturally, nutrition must remain a priority in our daily lives. Quality sleep (going to bed early, while limiting screen time in the evening), physical activity (150 minutes per week combining cardiovascular stimulation and muscle exercises), as well as daily meditation, are added to the nutritional advice previously mentioned and prove to be valuable allies to get through more stressful and trying periods like the one that will forever mark 2020.