Power Eating

Power eating is an alertness-boosting method of eating that just could possibly give you that extra edge you need to earn that promotion or turn that B into an A. The great thing about power-eating is that you don't need to do it every day, necessarily, just those days when you really need to boost your productivity.

There are basically two chemicals that affect the brain's ability to stimulate alertness, norepinephrine and dopamine. By eating foods that contain the amino acid tyrosine, you can effectively stimulate these chemicals. Foods containing tyrosine are rich in protein as well, foods such as meats, fish, and poultry as well as dairy products, eggs and beans. Beans can give you another type of energy boost, of course, but that's a different story entirely.

Power eating works in conjunction with your body's biological clock in order to metabolize certain foods at certain times of the day. As you might expect, low-fat foods are the primary source of energy and can also positively enhance your mood as well. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, they say. The reason they say that is because what you eat for breakfast may very well determine your alertness level for the rest of the day. Maintaining high energy levels is best accomplished by eating energizing foods when your biological rhythms are just about to shift into low drive.

Herewith, some guides for power eating by meal.

Breakfast: The best breakfast is going to be one that is high in protein-rich foods, high in those great old standbys minerals and vitamins and, especially, foods that are low in fat. By the way, you don't necessarily have to eat as soon as you wake up in order to maximize the benefits of breakfast. Just make sure you intake some food within three hours of waking.