Category Archives: Nootropics

April6, 20205 min read

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When it comes to being an entrepreneur, the focus and productivity levels will make or break you. Even just a 10 per cent advantage can be the difference between a wildly successful initial public offering, and having to close up shop.

With such wild competition in the business world, being able to focus and improve productivity are becoming more and more importantand as the world becomes more globally connected, your competition will only grow fiercer.

Any entrepreneur knows this, and were also willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. So, with that in mind, here are the top mental hacks that every entrepreneur who wants her business to succeed should know.

Its no secret that Silicon Valley executives have been using nootropics like modafinil for years to gain an edge in the market. What most people dont know, however, is that theres many other nootropics available to use, as well.

While the idea of using nootropics to boost productivity, improve focus, and increase energy levels might be off-putting to some, theres a lot of clinical research to back the effectiveness of nootropics.

In fact, according to Healthline, these nootropics have been clinically proven to work, and have several research studies backing their safety and efficacy:

To improve focus, many entrepreneurs use nootropics such as caffeine, nicotine, Noopept, and modafinil to start. While modafinil is only available with a doctors prescription, many of these other nootropics can be bought over the counter.

For memory, others use Bacopa Monnieri, Lions Mane, and Gingko Biloba to gain an edge. While they may not turn you into a genius with superhuman intelligence, even a slight improvement in your memory will yield big results in your business.

Are you tired and stressed from too much work? Then why not try some GABA, Ashwagandha, or 5-HTP, as many entrepreneurs are doing these days. The fact of the matter is that many entrepreneurs are using nootropics to get ahead in the workplace, and if youre not doing so, you may have some fierce competition.

You may or may not have heard of Wim Hof before. If you havent, hes a 58-year-old Dutch man who holds 26 world records for physical feats, one of which is for taking the longest ice bath in the world. Yes, thats rightthis old man was able to spend almost two hours, completely immersed in a bath of ice.

Hes also climbed both Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro while wearing nothing but shorts and a pair of shoes. So, whats the secret to these incredible feats? How does he have such superhuman resistance to cold, despite his age?

He accredits his physical toughness to his Wim Hof Method, which is a series of breathing exercises that flood the brain and body with oxygen. Combined with cold showers, some of the benefits he touts are improved physical performance, reduced anxiety levels, and even improved happiness levels.

While many people are skeptical that simply breathing a different way can yield such incredible benefits, almost everyone who tries his method reports better focus, more productivity, less anxiety, and a whole host of other benefits.

While much has been said about productivity before, most people still waste endless time on menial tasks, like checking emails, browsing social media, and making minor improvements to their business that yield almost no results.

One great concept regarding productivity is based around a book called Focal Point by Brian Tracy. The idea is simple: only focus on the tasks that are going to bring about the most return on your time investment. Despite its simplicity, most people neglect this concept, and focus on low return on investment activities.

The Focal Point System divides tasks into five categories, of descending priority:

An A Task would be something like signing a client onto a $50 million contract, whereas a B Task might be something like going to the gym. Theyre both important, but going to the gym is less impactful on your business.

A C Task would be something along the lines of getting a new client, because even though it may help your business, it isnt necessary if you just get the $50 million contract to begin with. D Tasks and E Tasks are small things, like checking emails, following up on a phone call, or printing out business cards.

Most entrepreneurs focus on the B Tasks, and C Tasks, when they should really be focusing on the A Tasks, and B Tasks. You should aim to either ignore, outsource, or automate everything else, for maximum productivity.

As Steve Jobs once said: People think focus means saying yes to the thing youve got to focus on. But thats not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. This could not be more accurate.

One of the biggest keys to productivity is focusing on the 20 per cent of tasks that are going to bring about 80 per cent of your results (also known as the Pareto Principle). By simply viewing the world through this Focal Point System lens, you can easily save hours of time each day, and get twice as much done in half the time.

See more here:

3 'Mental Hacks' To Improve Focus That Every Entrepreneur Should Know - Entrepreneur

If youre like me, you probably reach for at least one cup of coffee every day. Its become a natural part of our routines and for many is a morning staple like taking vitamins or eating breakfast. As the busy-oriented lifestyle continues to consume our society, coffee has been positioned as a magical elixir to help us focus and multi-task.

As comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, We want to do a lot of stuff: were not in great shape. We didnt get a good nights sleep. Were a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup.

What most people dont realize is that there is a whole world of interesting coffee alternatives that can:

For starters, I firmly believe that coffee can be incredibly beneficial if consumed in moderation. In fact, some scientists are even encouraging people to drink more coffee. Coffee drinkers run into trouble when they get into a habit of five plus cups per day or reach for a Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino in the evenings.

But youre probably wondering, What else is even out there?

I was initially introduced to several coffee alternatives like nootropics, adaptogens, and mushrooms after reading through Beyond Coffee, a sustainable guide that breaks down different ingredients and analyzes if they are optimal for productivity, scientifically backed by research, and can act as a realistic source of energy.

Everyones heard that green tea is a great coffee substitute for energy and burning fat, but I want to take it one step further and break down a few possibilities to try that you may not be aware of. The three options mentioned below are all extensively detailed in Beyond Coffee, supplements that I take on either a daily or weekly basis, and have been proven to be effective and, more importantly, considered safe if taken within the FDAs recommended dosage.

So, here are a few interesting coffee alternatives for you to consider that no one is talking about.

1. Omega-3 EPA and DHA

Omega-3s fall under the umbrella of nootropics, a growing category of compounds, pills, and powders advertised for their potential to enhance focus and productivity.

Im sure you come across nootropics on a daily basis and have seen them advertised in your local grocery store. While Nootropics arent new, they have become more popular in recent years with users creating a nootropic stack- combining multiple compounds into a cocktail for heightened results. Nootropics include a variety of supplements that have been well-researched and are widely considered safe like matcha green tea or my recommendation, omega-3s, along with other drugs and commercial products that are less effective and possibly unsafe.

Commonly recognized as fatty acids, omega-3s are often derived from consuming fish like tuna and salmon, or taken in a pill form. While most people use omega-3s for eye health and to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, research also shows that increasing your omega-3s may enhance cognitive performance and improve attention span.

There is even evidence to support that omega-3s can slow or reduce the likelihood of brain degenerative diseases. A study on elderly adults followed for nearly four years discovered that those who ate higher amounts of fish and supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids were less likely to develop Alzheimers.

Omega-3s are relatively inexpensive and you can take them daily.

2. L-Theanine

L-Theanine is another nootropic that has been well-researched. If youre someone who associates nootropics with smart drugs like the movie Limitless, you may be disappointed to hear that a lot of nootropics are used for their de-stressing agents and anti-inflammatory properties- not an output of hyper intelligence.

L-Theanine is an amino acid found in fungi, plants, and green tea. This is one of the few supplements that I would recommend taking in addition to caffeine to get the most out of it- but this doesnt necessarily have to be coffee.

According to Beyond Coffee, Theanine is thought to have neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effects by increasing serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and glycine levels in the brain. There is also evidence suggesting that L-Theanine will improve your mood and can be used for treating high blood pressure. L-Theanine has been classified by the FDA as generally recognized as being safe or GRAS status.

3. Spirulina

I started using spirulina last year as an addition to my morning protein shakes. Spirulina is a blue-green algae rich in protein, B-vitamins, and iron. Just a single tablespoon is packed with plant-based protein and has been recommended for a variety of conditions including high blood pressure, stress, anxiety, and diabetes.

Regarding energy, Vitamin B1 helps regulate your bodys thiamin (which contributes to fatigue) resulting in a more stable maintenance of energy. Coffee alternatives dont necessarily need to be sharp boosts in attentiveness like the energy provided by caffeine. Instead, a supplement like Spirulina can help you hold onto more energy throughout the day- it has even been shown to improve athletic performance by increasing endurance.

Am I imploring you to delete your Starbucks app and throw the company Keurig in the trash?

Not quite but there are other energy alternatives out there that also offer a multitude of healthy benefits. As always, its important to use supplements as they are intended. They should supplement a healthy diet and physical exercise. A spoonful of spirulina in your orange juice wont make a difference if youre running on two hours of sleep and a Big Mac.

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Coffee 3 alternatives to coffee that no one is talking about - Ladders

A recent report, Grocery CPG Trends To Watch In 2020, from CB Insights looks at 15 trends across food, beverage, and household essentials.

The trends fall into four categories, based on a combination of industry adoption and market strength:

The report identified five necessary trends.

Traditionally, retailers and other platforms that drive shopper engagement have been intermediaries in CPG companies relationships with consumers. However, in 2019, companies invested significantly to develop one-to-one consumer relationships. A more sophisticated ad tech landscape and more direct-to-consumer plays will enable CPG companies to establish deeper and more informative relationships with customers, states the report.

Per capita milk consumption in the United States went down almost 18% from 2010 to 2018, according to USDA data. Traditional dairy companies, such as Dean Foods and Borden Dairy, have filed for bankruptcy. As a result, plant-based dairy alternatives are set to reach their full market potential in 2020, as companies continue to expand alternative dairy options.

Although researchers are still attempting to understand how the gut microbiome affects health and wellness, food and beverage companies are developing products to target the microbiome. As understanding increases, CB Insights expects more companies to develop personalized nutrition services to help consumers with their diets.

Like most other food trend predictions, CB Insights sees continued growth in plant-based meat. Companies will develop new partnerships, distribution agreements, and production capabilities in 2020.

Startups and changing consumer behavior have forced some leading CPG companies to dramatically speed up the product innovation cycle. As more companies look to accelerate innovation cycles, these techniques will help companies more precisely tailor new products to individual markets, including localizing new innovations within emerging markets, states the report.

The report identified five experimental trends.

Blockchain and AI technology are helping companies address the challenge of traceability. However, moving large network supply chains to a new technological infrastructure will require more time and investment.

Developing dehydrated products is a way to reduce the cost of shipping. This cost limits e-commerce profits for many CPG companies. However, the compact nature of dehydrated products means differentiated in-store merchandising is difficult, making the products primarily valuable for e-commerce channels.

Even with all the interest in cannabis, food and beverage companies still face uncertain regulations.

The increase in human-grade pet foods will accelerate in 2020, given Increased spending on pets, declining birth rates, and premiumization trends.

Lab-grown meats are not yet commercially available, primarily due to high costs. However, recently-funded startups are working on new technology to scale production.

The report identified four threatening trends.

Nootropics and adaptogens are emerging as the go-to ingredients for everything wellness, according to the report. Products containing these ingredients can potentially take market share from traditional CPG categories. However, companies will need to prove the effectiveness of their product to attract consumers.

With all the sustainability concerns, selling models based on reusable packaging will increase.

The implementation of IoT-connected products and brand services for consumers will increase with the rollout of 5G.

Although theres interest in tech-enabled vending machines, most are still in the proof-of-concept stage.

The report identified only one transitory trend.

The healthy beverage trend is maturing. An increasingly crowded and competitive enhanced water market could stall growth. Also, more sustainable packaged-water alternatives, such as carboned at-home hydration systems, could lead to new consumption patterns and affect how enhanced water products are manufactured, packaged, and sold.

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Grocery CPG Trends Based on Industry Adoption and Market Strength, from CB Insights - Food Industry Executive

A class of supplements bills itself as neuroenhancers or nootropicscompounds you dont need a prescription for that promise to augment your mental functioning without side effects. A notable subset of the people interested in these brain pillsand sometimes hawking themare on the right. Its not hard to see how todays pressures might make a person want to amplify their cognitive abilities, but is there something about the idea of chemically optimizing ones mind that meshes especially well with a conservative politics? In Episode 2 of The Politics of Everything, the Australian writer Richard Cooke joins hosts Alex Pareene and Laura Marsh to talk about vitamin regulation, the history of amphetamine usage in the arts, how nootropics fit into the tradition of right-wing snake-oil peddling, and the unmistakable influence of the movie Limitless, which celebrates a mysterious substance that vastly improves its protagonists brainpowerand spurs him to commit a murder.

Later in the episode, campaign reporter Walter Shapiro calls in from South Carolina with a dispatch on the state of the primary race and his reflections on the possibility of a contested convention.

Related Reading:

Richard Cooke wrote about nootropics and the conservative commentariat for The New Republic last fall.

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Why the New Right Loves Nootropics - The New Republic

It is necessary to get a good nights sleep. This keeps you fresh, energized, and motivated during the day. It also eases stress, repairs your body to keep you productive for the day. This is why it is important to have a regular sleep pattern and a good sleeping habit. By improving sleep quality, you can keep yourself going for the next day. It helps eliminate daytime sleepiness and fatigue. It also boosts energy and keeps energy level high throughout the day.

Sleepiness during work in the day can lead to laziness a sedentary lifestyle. This is where Nootropics help. The brain-boosting supplements and medicines are known as Nootropics. These help you to stay awake during the day or when necessary, so that you can sleep well at night. These medicines can be prescribed by your doctor. It is useful for healthy people. It is often used by people with daytime jobs. Sometimes students take it to enhance their cognitive function during examinations.

It was in 1972, when the Romanian chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea coined the term Nootropic. A Nootropic substance is the one that has a cognitive-enhancing effect. It should have no or only a few side effects, and should be safe to use. Nootropics are not cognitive enhancers such as Ritalin or Adderall. The latter two have short-term or long-term side effects. They may also cause you to get dependent on the medications. Nootropics, on the other hand are safe to choose for improvement of cognitive activities such as energy, memory, focus, learning, motivation, creating, and more.

Below-mentioned are some of the effective Nootropics brain-boosting supplements that you can rely on:

It is a synthesized derivative of Thiamine or Vitamin B1. The medication is for those with Thiamine deficiency and people who suffer from fatigue and tiredness. Sulbutiamine has several Nootropic benefits in people who are healthy. It helps to increase energy level and alertness. The supplement also reduces anxiety and boosts mood. It works by increasing the production of dopamine and glutamate. These are the two chemicals in the brain responsible for overall drive and well-being. Sometimes, Sulbutiamine is also recommended for erectile dysfunction treatment.

If you are aware of Nootropics, then you must have definitely heard of Modafinil. It is one of the most popular Nootropic medications. The substances in Modafinil enhance wakefulness. It has stimulating effects, yet it is not categorized as a stimulant. The stimulation caused is not forced but encouraged. It does not showcase the euphoric side of other known stimulants. Thus, you may not develop a dependency on Modafinil as easily compared to stimulants.

Some of the benefits of this Nootropic are motivation, wakefulness, focus, increased energy level and productivity, etc. Like other stimulants, Modafinil does not only focus on one or two neurotransmitters. Its mechanism is rather focused on increasing excitatory neurotransmitters such as orexin, serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate, and histamine. It also reduces GABA, the primary inhibitory brain chemical.

Oxiracetam was developed in the 1970s. It is a member of racetam class and one of the safest stimulating Nootropics. It has stimulatory effects like that seen by the use of phenylpiracetam. The mechanism of action is not clear and still being researched. However, the medication increases your endurance level. It thus helps you carry out tasks smoothly. The supplement is a mild stimulant. Thus, it brings wakefulness rather than forced stimulation.

It also increases the speed of recall. Thus, you can pay attention to tasks and remain focused for a good amount of time. Oxiracetam may even reduce symptoms of dementia by halting the pace of brain damage. It increases blood flow to the brain, allowing you to feel wide awake when necessary. It also speeds up energy metabolism.

Noopept is a member of the racetam class Nootropic. It is a synthetic peptide and a hundred times more effective than Piracetam. You need a lower dose of this medication to bring the same effect of a high dose Piracetam. This supplement clears head, lowers social anxiety, and promotes focus. It also helps improve verbal fluency. Noopept also increases blood flow to the brain.It has a mild stimulating effect, which is less apparent than caffeine. But it is more lasting and with no negative side effects.

Noopept works by increasing the production of BDNF and NGF. These are two substances containing neuro-protective properties. It also promotes short-term and long-term memory. The medication also causes focus for extended period by improving learning ability. It also enhances the ability to consolidate memories.

This Nootropic has a unique mechanism of action, and does not work like other racetams. It does not increase the acetylcholine levels. But it does eliminate excessive calcium and glutamate.

One of the potent Nootropics, Phenylpiracetam belongs to the racetam class. This medication is structurally similar to amphetamines. It is a synthesized version of Piracetam. But, it has an added phenyl ring. The effects of this agent are similar to that of popular stimulants. It causes an increase in the level of acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Thus, it functions like a typical racetam nootropic. Many say that they find Phenylpiracetam effects are the same as that of Modafinil. But there could be a few differences inexperience.

Russian cosmonauts were known to use this medicine to get over stress and keep their cognitive ability intact when working in space. Along with mental boost-up, this medication also has anxiolytic effects. Thus, you can experience relief when working under pressure or in stressful events.

Also known as Arctic Root or Golden Root, Rhodiola Rosea is an adaptogen herb. People have been using this root in Scandinavia and Russia for centuries. This herb is excellent to overcome brain fog, fatigue, poor memory, and sluggishness. It has stimulating effects and adaptogen properties, easing high stress, and reducing anxiety. Rhodiola Rosea improves mood and wakeful state by boosting norepinephrine and serotonin levels.

The herb also has several other health benefits. It has marked effectiveness in the treatment of infertility, impotence, flu, infections, depression, and tuberculosis. All this is because of its Nootropic and tonic effect. This substance protects the brain from oxidative stress as it contains salidroside. It also re-grows neurons and causes brain repair. This is done by re-synthesis and activating the synthesis of ATP.

Creatine is a well-known amino acid. It is essential for your body to make protein. Being a Nootropic, it also functions as a bodybuilding supplement. This is because it helps with muscle growth, and has benefits for brain health.

After consumption, creatine goes to the brain. Here, it binds with phosphate and creates a molecule responsible for fuelling the brain cells. The increased availability of particular brain cells helps build energy. It improves reasoning skills, short-term memory, and reduces stress.

Due to daytime sleepiness, your productivity and performance at work or academics can be affected drastically. It may also cause difficulty in sleep at night time. To overcome this problem, Nootropics are the best. These supplements and medication increase energy levels and do not have any negative impact on health. These also promote brain activity and enhance cognitive activity. The right type of Nootropic will be decided by your health practitioner.

As everyones brain chemistry is unique, the doctor will recommend the medicine based on case to case. Stacking of these medicines may decrease dependency on these. Thus, your doctor may recommend one or two Nootropics for a better effect and overall experience.

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7 Nootropics That Combat Daytime Sleepiness and Boost Energy - The Crypto Coin Discovery

"I think the future is from the neck up. To be dramatic, I think its the next step in human evolution, and were at the forefront of that," Miller told FoodNavigator-USA.

"I dont think our brains have caught up from an evolutionary standpoint to keep up [with advances in technology], which is why you have guys like Elon Musk worried about brain function, and why hes made huge investments in it."

Before founder and CEO Chris Miller started Koios in 2015, he was doing what many other members of the workforce did to keep energy levels up throughout the day: drinking copious amounts of caffeine.

"As I became more entrenched in work, I did what everyone else does in this information age does to keep up, and I self-medicated with energy drinks and too much coffee," Miller said.

The company launched with a nootropic(referring to a group of substances linked to improved cognitive function)capsule, and after seeing strong success with its supplement line, Miller and his team decided to enter the beverage category.

"[We thought to ourselves]how do you have a better technology instead of just coffee? Because it can only get you so far," said Miller."We thought if we could get this drink into Whole Foods, more people would be open to the idea. For us, it was how do we get this into more peoples hands?'."

Koios' line of carbonated canned beverages features nootropic ingredients including medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil, vitamins B6 and B12, ginseng, Lion's Mane mushroom, and caffeine from green tea.

The drinks are available in Whole Foods and at Walmart in the retailers' functional beverage set. With its clean and fresh branding, Koios drinks are doing especially well with active female consumers, said Miller.

"When we repackaged we wanted it to be feminine, we wanted it to be clean, we wanted it to be very ingredients focused. Like a sparkling water with a ton of benefit.Who we really saw traction with is 25- to 45-year-old females who are upwardly mobile and really care about their body. Kind of the same demo[graphic] as Lululemon would have," Miller said.

According to Grandview Research, the global market size of digestive health products is more than five times the size of the market for brain health products ($32.7bn vs. $6.2bn).

"I look at nootropics as sort of where kombucha was seven years ago," said Miller.

If the general consumer now understands to a certain degree what a probiotic is, then it's not too far of leap to develop a basic understanding of nootropics, noted Miller.

"I think youre about to see this huge explosion [in brain health]. We saw the explosion in gut health, everyone understands probiotics and prebiotics now. I think in the next few years, everyones going to want a nootropic. I think if gut health can be that fancy so can brain health. I think its an even more attractive category."

According to Miller, the hottest brands that have come out of the functional beverage space in recent years have all started online where they built a loyal following (e.g. Soylent, Bulletproof, Dirty Lemon).

The reason Koios was able to gain distribution with major retailers such as Walmart and Whole Foods, is because the brand built a strong online audience first, noted Miller.

"I personally think that people are more brand loyal than theyve ever been.I think youre going to see a lot of brands like Bulletproof did come in and sort of take over...brands that are really direct-to-consumer focus are going to win the battle,"Miller said.

Miller also believes that theFDA's final guidance of Nutrition Facts labeling regulationswill have a noticeable impact on food and beverage manufacturers.

"I do think theres going to be some sweeping changes in how products are labeled. I think there will be even more accountability,"he said.

Koios has the advantage of operating their own production facility, opposed to working through a copacker to produce its wares, which can delay production cycles, speed to market, and innovation, according to Miller.

The brand's latest innovation is Fit Soda, a more indulgent option for consumers looking to get their soda fix. Fit Soda contains BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) and zero sugar (it's sweetened with sucralose)."I think one of the things that holds CPG brands back is innovation, because most of us are dealing with co packers, third party faculties, and that almost killed us in the beginning,"Miller said."So whats unique about us is we can innovate as often and as quickly as we want."

"We really wanted something that was non-caffeinated that was indulgent and still incredibly healthy. Kind of following the footsteps of Halo Top and Smart Sweets,"Miller said.

"If everyones being honest, I really want to drink soda."

Interested in learning more about the future of the functional beverage category? Tune into our FREE-TO-ATTEND LIVE Beverage Trends webinar on Thursday, March 19th at 11:30 a.m. CST.

Check out our panel of beverage industry stakeholders and the topics that will be covered HERE.

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Brain health: The next big trend in functional beverages? - FoodNavigator-USA.com

Consider the brain to be a piece of hardware, where therapies and technology can be applied to manipulate and upgrade it. This understanding is loosely the basis of neurohacking, which is simply any process that tweaks brain function or structure to improve a persons experience of the world. Usage of nootropics, dopamine fasting, neurofeedback and brain stimulation are all different ways to change the way your mind functions. While these practises were relatively unknown until a few years ago, theyve now become quite popular, especially amongst the in the Silicon Valley crowd or professionals in high-performance jobs. Vogue spoke to a neurohacking expert, a psychiatrist and a nutritionist to find out more about the trend.

My interest in neurohacking came from the search to create a better experience in the life I was creating and living, says Ben Cote, a director at Neurohacker Collective in San Francisco. To put in simply, neurohacking is about taking control of your diet, sleep, exercise through a specific technology like nootropics, or practices like red light therapy and meditation. The great thing about it is that there are so many entrances into discovering what is possible when you take responsibility for your own health. It has the ability to show that with a deliberate and thoughtful decision about one aspect of your lifeand the amazing results that come from thatwhat all is possible in other areas of your life,

While neurohacking is usually safe, doctors suggest that is is best to check with a professional first, especially if you already have medical conditions, or are consuming medications that could alter the results. Part of the world of neurohacking and biohacking is the notion of N=1 experimentation. N=1 is the nomenclature for a test with a single subject, which is yourself.It is important to experiment and see what works for you, says Cote. Try a new food routine, experiment with a new product or technology, and add in a new supplement or practice. Then, document your results. Tweak the experiment to see how those change the results, and then begin to stack those experiments on to one another, he explains. If youre nervous about trying something too complicated, clinical nutritionist Juhi Agarwal has a suggestion that might ease some of the stress. Instead of resorting to extremes, I think simple practices like maintaining a gratitude journal could help you equally, as you also end up learning about yourself on the way. This can be a great first step, she says. On the other hand, Mumbai-based psychiatrist Dr Kersi Chavda, is still wary. "There is still not enough clinical evidence backing it," he says.

While some non-invasive practices can be tested without too many side effects, doctors caution against jumping into oral medication or making other long-term changes before carrying out due diligence. They suggest that nootropics or other drugs wont work like magic pills, but could be an upgrade for an already healthy system. Taking few selective ingredients in high doses can cause the system to get out of balance, which can lead to down-regulation or dependence.We understand the body has an innate ability to self-regulate, and we want to support those pathways and processes that help this, and increase the capacity and resilience of the system towards that goal, says Cote. "Many believe that nootropics make a lot of difference in cognitive abilities, concentration, attention span, memory issues, but the fact is that there is no definitive proof of how effective they are. There are no specific studies done to prove that they are as useful as they are made out to be. At best one can believe they are useful as adjuvants [an ingredient used to boost or modify the effect of other ingredients] but they certainly cannot take on the role of the main drug given for that particular disorder," says Dr Chavda.

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Would you try hacking your brain to perform better? - VOGUE India

While we as parents worry about the nutrition content of the food of our kids, we rarely think about how food can also affect our childs brains.

The feeding of children, the right way, has to be well monitored by their parents for their proper physical and mental growth of children. Healthy eating can stabilize childrens energy, sharpen their minds, and even out their moods.

Children who dont get proper nutrition during their first three years may be losing ground in intelligence to their better-nourished peers and hence children should be encouraged to eat healthy foods from an early age, and to avoid foods that arehigh in fat and sugar, as far as possible.

Nutrition has been called the single greatest environmental influence for children, and it remains essential during the initial years of life and during examination for their memory.

WHAT ARE NOOTROPIC FOODS

Nootropics are brain booster they are drugs or supplements which helps to improve cognitive function, memory, creativity or motivation particularly executive functions which is beneficial for the human brain.

The foods which are rich in nootropics are:

Eggs:are rich in choline, which helps transmit signals across neuronal membranes. Body use the choline in eggs to produce acetylcholine, which aids the body in achieving deep sleep to retaining new memories.

Spinach:Dark greens leafy vegetable like spinach and kale are the best source of brain-boosting nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin these nutrients helps in quicker mental recall, and increased capacity for memory.

Turmeric:turmeric which belong to ginger family helps stimulates neurogenic cellular creation, and is used in the treatment of depression, Alzheimers disease, and strokes.

Blueberries:contain Anthocyanin, an antioxidant which prevents the brain from aging. Anthocyanin helps improve memory and cognitive function, and even helps intra-cellular communication within our brains.

Dark chocolate: Flavanol-rich cocoa beans actually increase blood flow to the brain and can even trigger the production of new brain cells.

Oily fish:the long chain omega 3s in oily fish may improve learning and memory and reduce inflammation in the brain which helps in decreased risk of Alzheimers disease, depression and other mental health conditions.

Red wine: nootropic benefits in red wine are in its high levels of resveratrol, an antioxidant compound that targets the free radicals associated with some forms of cancer.

Nuts:walnuts have high amount of vitamin E that forms a protective layer around the brain cell membranes and ward off free radicals.

Coffee caffeine content in the coffee shows cognitive performance by blocking the activity of adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. This neurotransmitter can reduce mental stamina and make one feel drowsy.

Green tea contains catechin and L-theanine which promote relaxation without sedation which is favourably promote brain function.

Water When we are dehydrated, we are more likely not to be able to think clearly. around two litres of water a day is recommended but it also depends on body weight, and level of physical activity of a person.

BY:Ms. Pavithra N Raj, Chief Dietician, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital Yeshwanthpur

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NOOTROPIC FOODS TO BOOST THE MEMORY DURING EXAMINATION - NewsPatrolling

The venerable New York Times does its fair share of trolling these days, and because the paper of record is The Paper of Record, it is quite amusing to see people up in arms about its latest diversion. (Looking specifically at you, Styles and Opinion. Well done.) A friend posted the latest in a Slack I frequent: a video titled Dont Just Live Your Life, Optimize It. It was a funny, beautifully animated argument against the productivity fetish disguised as a piece of productivity messaging. It was an attack or, at least, a shot across the bow.

The video, created by Tala Schlossberg, describes steps to get rid of the downtime left in your life minimize friction, maximize hustle; iterate; accelerate; and eventually you die but the real victory is the tone of the narration, which strikes a nice balance between enthusiasm and cynicism. Yes, there is a jape about polyphasic sleep.

Productivity, strictly defined, is the state of being productive the time it takes to make stuff. In macroeconomics, its the thing that makes the economy grow without having to add jobs, and its defined as gross domestic product (GDP) divided by total hours worked. Or to put it differently, its a measure of the ratio of value added to a system versus the labor put into in the first place. Schlossbergs video references one of economist John Maynard Keynes more famous essays, Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren, which was published in 1930 and is credited with popularizing the theory that technological advancement would lead to more productivity and, crucially, less labor for workers. (Its where the idea of a three-hour workday / 15-hour workweek comes from.)

But Keynes vision was far grander than that: he believed that 100 years in the future, the economic problem of the human race would be solved. And the insight startled him because, drawn out to its logical conclusion, it meant that mankind would decouple itself from having to strive to subsist. If the economic problem is solved, mankind will be deprived of its traditional purpose, he wrote. Were about a decade away from the period Keynes was imagining himself into, and while I dont think its too early to say the gains he predicted havent materialized, there is a case to be made that the ennui has. Its no coincidence that Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, and David Michael Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, are both record producers.

In 2017, Ben Friedman, a Harvard economist, published a paper that explained why. Keynes was right (so far) about output per capita, but wrong about the workweek, he wrote. The key reason is that he failed to allow for changing distribution. With widening inequality, median income (and therefore the income of most families) has risen, and is now rising, much more slowly than he anticipated.

That means: were working harder for less now because the people who have more have so much more. The economy is optimized to push gains to the top. The whole point of personal optimization, on the other hand, is to increase your productivity in this system, to work harder in a way that mostly does not benefit you at least not in the end.

In recent years, Silicon Valley, that hotbed of technological advancement, has begun to push the gospel of personal optimization into the mainstream. Things like intermittent fasting (previously known as orthorexia), polyphasic sleep (napping), and nootropics (sketchy brain drugs) have been given a new health-boosting, wellness-enhancing glow because they allow you to work harder, maybe. At the same time, hustle culture the native argot of the small business owner has arisen from the personal responsibility wing of society and has taken over the internet. A day rarely goes by that I dont encounter some success story about a person who didnt take any days off and has been rewarded with a handsome exit from their startup or something.

More people are freelancing now than ever before. A study last year concluded that Americas 57 million freelancers bring in $1 trillion to the economy, or about 5 percent of Americas GDP. (They also represent a full 35 percent of the countrys workforce.) But there is a worrying generational trend. The younger the worker, the more likely they are to freelance, reported CNBC. According to the study, the increase is clear in generational results: 29% of baby boomer workers freelance, 31% of Gen X, 40% of millennials and 53% of Gen Z.

While freelancing is flexible, it doesnt usually come with any of the benefits that make a life in America sustainable: theres no health insurance and flexibility is another way to say that its very easy to get fired. There arent really regulations for how to treat freelance workers only norms because the default assumption is that if you dont like the work, you can quit, regardless of whether you need it or not. In all of these senses, freelancing is the ultimate state of productivity, the perfectly optimized job for a perfectly optimized present. Freelancers are 2020s rugged individualist frontiersmen, living off the fat of corporations, owing nobody anything.

Problem is, thats nearly impossible to sustain. You get tired, eventually. Human bodies can only be made to work so much; there is a reason sleep is still the most mysterious, widespread function in the animal kingdom. The truth of the matter is its impossible to do anything alone forever, which is why co-working spaces for freelancers (offices) are gradually turning into co-living spaces for alienated people. Hustle culture makes the argument that your worth is your productivity, your ability to stay busy and ahead of the pack. As much as Id like to think I want to make a living by my wits alone, I know that relying on other people makes those stakes manageable. Theres a reason you dont see many old cowboys.

After I finished watching Schlossbergs video for the second time, and I was trying to make sense of it all, I remembered a tweet Id seen about art and millennials. I cant find it now, but it went something like: art is bad now because nobody has the time to sit still. Lately, Ive been trying to spend more specifically unproductive time at home time when I cant do any thinking and when I have to figure out a way to turn off the part of my brain that says the only way out is through.

Excerpt from:

The optimization trap: what you give up when you hustle - The Verge

With reference to Kelly Clarke's story What are trans fats and why are there calls to ban them in the UAE? (February 24): it would help if we stopped advertising these fast food chains. The adverts are sometimes posted over each lamp post around town.

Ashwin Amin, Dubai

Nutrition is the single greatest environmental influence on children. It is essential during the initial years of life. The effect of food and memory is especially important during the time of school exams. Healthy eating can stabilise childrens energy, sharpen their minds and even out their moods.

Children who dont get proper nutrition during their first three years may lose ground in intelligence to their better-nourished peers and hence children should be encouraged to eat healthy foods from an early age and not be fed foods high in fat and sugar, as far as possible.

During exams they need foods that all the more boost brain function such as nootropics. Some foods rich in them are eggs, dark greens leafy vegetables like spinach and kale the best source of brain-boosting nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin, these nutrients helps in quicker mental recall.

Turmeric helps stimulate neurogenic cellular creation, blueberries contain anthocyanin, an antioxidant which prevents the brain from ageing. Anthocyanin helps improve memory and cognitive function, and even helps intra-cellular communication within our brains. Dark chocolate actually increases blood flow to the brain and can even trigger the production of new brain cells.

These besides other nutrient rich oily fish and nuts, coffee, green tea and water should be consumed.

Pavithra N Raj, chief dietician, Columbia Asia Referral Hospital, Benguluru, India

Justice served: Harvey Weinstein has had it coming for years

About the report Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape and sexual assault (February 24): the former Hollywood producer is getting what he deserves. The guilty finally have to accept what they have had coming to them for years. The judgement will give his victims and the #MeToo movement some form of solace and will set an example to predators world over. Let's hope this verdict teaches people to not abuse their positions of power.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India

Let's hope countries can control the spread of coronavirus

In reference to your report Coronavirus: Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Afghanistan confirm first cases (February 24): As per your paper's reported cases in Iran, it's evident that the virus has started to spread to some countries in the Middle East also. Let us hope that local governments are able to control the situation and they all co-operate generously to manage this dreaded virus. Apart from combining our medical resources and knowledge across the world, we also need to pray that we can control the virus.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai

Updated: February 26, 2020 05:38 PM

Originally posted here:

Fast food and nutrition: for the sake of our brain health we need to watch what we eat - The National