Balance protein and carbohydrate

There's evidence to show that you'll feel more alert and attentive when you consume both carbohydrate and protein in the same meal.

A good example comes from researchers at the Department of Agriculture and Food Science in Zurich, Switzerland [1].

The study was designed to examine the effect of meals containing different amounts of carbohydrate and protein on mental function. Each meal contained approximately 400 calories. However, the levels of carbohydrate and protein in each meal varied.

• Meal 1 was high in carbohydrate and low in protein (4 grams of carbohydrate to 1 gram of protein).

• Meal 2 was high in protein and low in carbohydrate (4 grams of protein to 1 gram of carbohydrate).

• Meal 3 contained a balance of carbohydrate and protein (1 gram of protein to 1 gram of carbohydrate).

Attention and decision times were improved within the first hour after the high-carbohydrate meal. However, after the first hour, the high-protein meal and the balanced meal led to improved mental performance. So, if you want to stay "sharp" mentally, it appears that a meal containing both carbohydrate and protein is the best way to do it.

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References
1. Fischer, K., Colombani, P.C., Langhans, W., & Wenk, C. (2002). Carbohydrate to protein ratio in food and cognitive performance in the morning. Physiology and Behavior, 75, 411-423