What to eat to boost creativity
The most surprising thing happened to me after years of ups and downs, trial and error, learning everything I could about nutrition, Ayurveda, yoga, and the power of nutrient-dense whole plant foods…. YES - I reclaimed my health! My eczema cleared up, my energy went through the roof and I was sleeping better. I was fired up about my life and the future. It was as if someone had thrown the dimmer switch full-on ON in my life. I realized at that moment I’d been getting by for a good chunk of time. So, all of this happened (which was awesome), but what really surprised me though, was that I found myself wanting to CREATE...to PAINT -ALL OF THE TIME!
I've always been a creative person... but by getting my body back to its inherent vibrant state, it was as if I had BECOME A PURE CHANNEL FOR MY CREATIVITY! Even with a full-time ad agency job, plus my own wellness business that was taking off, plus the brand consulting work I do for creative women entrepreneurs- my creative voice was strong and persistent! And so I indulged her. I started painting on weekends, any free time I could grab, and I couldn't look back! Now, I can't imagine my life any other way.
Yes, I'm still painting, still at the agency, and my wellness business Minimal and Well is on track for amazing things. I get to work with creative women from all over the world to help them be their healthiest, their most creative, and build impactful brands to share their work with the world through nutrition coaching and programs, and I love the brand consulting work for creative women too - leveraging my experience and expertise gleaned from a 25-year career in the advertising agency space.
I believe everyone is creative! YOU ARE CREATIVE! And when you are in alignment, nourishing YOUR unique body with what it needs - you get to show up FULL-ON for your life…to say a decisive 'HECK YES!’ to all of the things that light you up and make you feel alive - whether that’s being healthy so you can work out every day, launch your dream business, work on your latest collection or travel the world.
AND, because you are creative, you will eventually hit it…(dah, dah, da…) the creative block. Sure, there are countless books, etc. about things you can do to re-ignite that incredible creative spark. But, did you know that you can actually FUEL YOUR BODY in a way that PROMOTES CREATIVITY? As a holistic nutrition coach and creative who also happens to serve creative entrepreneurs, I find this SO fascinating!
Yes, you can for sure, and by all means…go out for a walk, dance in your living room, take out 10 blank scraps of paper and make one mark on each with pastels, watercolor, colored pencils, acrylics, etc. and keep just adding one new mark to each little piece in quick succession. Then rearrange them in different configurations - play with all of the shapes color combos and possibilities. These can all re-ignite your creativity.
AND THEN…give these amazing creativity-boosting foods a try:
Green tea - can increase the connectivity between all the areas of the brain. Caffeine sharpens and enlivens new thoughts as well.
Blueberries - the antioxidants in blueberries fight free radicals which can diminish the brain’s function
Salmon - an OG brain-booster. Always choose wild-caught as a lot of the farmed salmon can contain damaging toxins and pollutants. Farmed salmon also has a lower ratio of the beneficial essential fatty acids vs. wild-caught.
Water - Because, well, EVERY function of your brain is dependent upon it!
Chia seeds - contain thiamine, zinc, vitamins A & E plus a good dose of healthy fats - all of these play vital roles in cognition.
Eggs - if you eat eggs, it’s great to know they are great brain food - full of choline, an essential nutrient for brain function. And the more efficiently your brain functions, the more creative you will be.
Avocado - avocados are a good source of oleic acid, which helps the insulation around the white matter of our brain. This protective coating actually aids the speed information travels and how new thoughts come about.
Walnuts -a perfect example of how nature provides us with all of the clues and resources to help us balance and nourish ourselves. Take a walnut - when you look at it, doesn’t it resemble a brain? um hum. And, turns out, walnuts help increase cognition function.
In addition to all of these, you’ll want to avoid refined grains, simple carbs, and sugars. When you choose to fuel your one-amazing-body and mind with processed foods, too much salt, or sugar, not only does your energetic level tumble, but your body and your brain become sluggish.
A whole-nutrient dense diet of nourishing plant foods has shown to correlate to overall health and an increased sense of curiosity and creativity.
I’ll end this post with a quick fun fact: Steve Jobs was said to actually make a concentrated, conscious effort to eat fruit like bananas and peaches as well as foods like seaweed (if you follow me, you know how much I love sea veggies). Why? because these are just a few of the foods full of L-tyrosine. And, increased L-tyrosine intake can boost convergent creativity (the deep thinking/brainstorming/creative activity) who knew?