When it comes to boosting cognitive performance there are many options you can reach for. You can use stimulants (like caffeine, yerba mate), Pharmaceuticals (like aderall or Ritalin) or, you an use Nutraceuticals (like bacopa, vinpocetine or lions mane) which can be a lot more sustainable.
There are other options outside of the above mentioned and that is what I will be covering in this article. Most of this can be bought at your local health food store and costs less than $5 per day. So it’s cheaper than your morning Starbucks.
1. Wheat Grass
This is a great place to start as wheatgrass is one of the simplest and most readily available super foods around. Wheatgrass contains a full spectrum of key vitamins and minerals, as well as dozen of trace elements and enzymes.
Furthermore wheatgrass juice is one of the best sources for chlorophyll as it contains 70%. Chlorophyll is an important healing role in wheatgrass. You will read more about chlorophyll later but here are some of the benefits.
Chlorophyll washes drugs and heavy metals from the body, neutralizes and arrests bacteria and toxins, helps to purify the liver and blood, and rapidly increases oxygen levels in the body and brain. We want this, as our body tissue operates optimally when in a highly oxygenated state.
There are not enough official studies done on wheatgrass to really get a great idea of just how effective it is on overall health, but there is a wide range that it helps out with.
Due to the high chlorophyll and vitamin and mineral content wheatgrass is said to boost immunity, improve digestion, detox your body of bacteria and heavy metals, treatment to cancer, diabetes, constipation, anemia, infections, skin conditions and joint pain.
2. E3
This company has a whole line up of products so I will focus on the ones specific for cognitive enhancement. The products that are best for cognitive performance are E3 AFA and E3 Brainon. To start, they use an uncommon blue-green Algae that is kept potent by their extraction and storage methods as the main ingredient in their products. That along with a high level of PEA (love molecule) it is really the foundation of the benefits these supplements provide.
PEA is the compound found in chocolate that women love so much as it affects dopamine levels and gives you almost an immediate high. This feeling of love is why chocolate is so widely liked, especially by women. The magic ingredient in chocolate is actually Cacao powder which gives it that chocolate taste as well. So E3 products have a higher- more concentrated amount of this PEA in their products.
On top of that they have 65 other vitamins and minerals in their blends that really just provide a great mental buzz. Most of them derived from super foods. You will feel it as soon as it digests and gets into the blood. You will feel the mental fog slowly start to lift leaving you in a place that many have not been in a long time. That is clarity my friend! On top of that it helps you perform in higher stress situations and allows you to operate at a higher level overall.
Again the specific products to take would be the BrainOn and AFA products. They offer these in both liquid and capsule form. The liquid form is about 5x as potent as the capsules which is hard to believe as the capsule form gives you a good kick.
3. Chlorophyll
This is an overlooked little gem for sure. Chlorophyll is a natural detoxifying agent that will help remove bacteria, help digestion and help remove heavy metals. This is only a sample of the benefits and wide range of potential treatment with this.
Chlorophyll is a molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from CO2 and water. This should sound familiar as it’s the process of photosynthesis- the complex biochemical pathway in which solar energy is used to convert water and CO2 into glucose and other carbohydrates, which is the basis for sustaining the life processes of all plants. One could say that photosynthesis is the source of our life.
Chlorophyll being the first product of light contains more light energy than any other food element, contains enzymes that decompose free radicals thereby slowing down the aging process, strengthens the blood which helps remove toxins and heavy metals, and increases oxygen in the body and brain which is optimal for performance.
So chlorophyll will help bring clarity and focus because it is removing all this decay causing metal from our body which will again give you that lifting of the mental fog type feeling while increasing blood flow and circulation to the brain and body.
4. PH
Making sure your body stays in a state of high alkalinity is another simple strategy you can use to prompt mental sharpness and clarity. When our bodies are more alkalized, our immune system works better and we are really well optimized as a person.
The biggest part of this is to make sure you take more accountability to the types of water you are drinking. If you are drinking tap water then don’t expect to be operating that well as a body. Most bottled water is no different.
Now you can raise your alkaline levels really easily by drinking a higher PH water and also eating super foods or leafy greens throughout the day while staying away from tap water and cheap bottled water. Most bottled water has a high amount of chemicals and oils in it, which is caused by the bottling process itself. Think about it, you have to use oils on the plastic both inside and out when molding the plastic into its shape. It’s nearly impossible to get all that back out and since its made on an assembly line they will only clean so much before it moves to the next step. So drink out of a glass as much as you can and either spend more money on high PH water or make your own per 1-5 gallons with PH kits and then dispense from there.
You will notice an immediate difference in how well high PH water is able to quench your thirst and as well how you feel overall.
5. PURBlack
This is a Shilajit resin which is considered to be in a class of superfoods called Biogenic catalysts which naturally assists your body in reaching its max genetic potential.
Shilajit is considered to be the root of Ayurvedic medicine and the most powerful. When taken alone it will strengthen the immune system, fortify cells, muscles and increase vitality. When it is used with other Ayurvedic herbs it is known to boost the health effects of both.
So PUR black is using the shilajit mineral pitch in the highest form which gives it tar like properties and ensure potency, where as many products sell a powder which is said to be quite weaker.
By increasing antioxidant potential and action, neutralizing harmful microbes and augmenting and supporting cognitive systems this is an extremely powerful way to increase mental performance.
6. Super Foods
This is really a broad category given to foods that are considered to be very good for your health and might even help with medical conditions. Obviously marketing has really gotten its hands on the term which adds to the confusion.
Superfoods have a higher nutrient density then other foods, usually rate higher on the Orac scale and typically are harder to find. They are usually harder to extract and produce hence the higher price. Wheatgrass falls into the category of a superfood.
Here is a short list of common superfoods ( kale, algae, alfalfa, wheatgrass, barley grass, phytoplankton, acai berrys, blueberries, spinach, cacao powder, avocados, beans and most other leafy greens)
Again because of the sheer amount of nutrients packed into these foods they are considered better because they give the body more of what it needs naturally without having to take supplements to get those crucial vitamins and minerals.
The clearer your body is of free radicals from eating these superfoods the better it uses oxygen and your food supply throughout the day. This is a cornerstone piece of peak performance.
7. Omega-3 Fats
At first glance you may not have expected this one to make the list because it being a fat and all but this is where science comes in and can lend a hand. Most people don’t realize that most of the talk around fat was really just great marketing. They swayed you this way then that way, now there is so much information out there people don’t know what to do.
I grew up being taught that” if you eat too much butter you will become overweight”. Sound familiar?
Omega 3 fat is a little rarer these days, you will find it in hemp seeds, Brussels sprouts, walnuts, almonds, chia and flax. Omega 6 is what you see in most things which when out of balance omega 6 fats create access inflammation in the body and joints. So to help keep the balance there is some things you can do.
You can cook in coconut oil, mct oil, or even an olive oil. You can try out almond butter vs peanut butter. You will notice a difference when you are taking enough omega 3 fats as it is known to enhance mood and mental sharpness.
8. Detoxing heavy metals
This is the last thing I want to talk about and even though this has been mentioned above with several of the other products and methods, there are actual products that focus solely on detoxing heavy metals. I have used one in particular that is insanely effective from the very first dose you take.
It is called Zeolite and its all natural minerals. It works as soon as it hits the blood stream to increase your body’s abilities to remove metals. Now I have to warn you when you are using a product like this that is solely made to remove metals from your body, if you have a lot in your system (which is hard to tell) you may have some adverse effects.
I have not seen anything major but I remember a few people have odd muscle pains in their legs and feet. For me personally when I am actively dosing Zeolite the skin in between my fingers gets flaky.
Conclusion This list of simple ways to boost cognitive performance is a great place to start for those just getting into this area of personal study or even those that have experience with maybe nootropics or other means of brain stimulation. It is best from a testing standpoint to introduce these things one at a time to measure effects before adding in another. So it is suggested that you try one out and wait about a week or so before adding another.
- 8 Simple Diet Hacks That Will Turn Up Cognitive Performance - Nov 10, 2014
