Eating Healthy for Writers 101. A non-scientific guide …

What is Eating Healthy for Writers 101?

Whether it’s a taste of your first time writing, your latest blog post, or writing a beautiful piece of poetry, many of us snack on different foods or drinks while writing at our desks. Tsk! Tsk! 

But Yum Yum!

However!???

BEFORE long, we’re fidgeting, scratching, or thinking about something else we could be doing when we ‘really’ want to write. We haven’t been eating healthy for Writers 101, have we?

We’ve set this time aside, and we know we want to WRITE, but our nagging tummies, the birds chirping outside, or the Twitterers twittering online set our mind to constant distraction.

One thing that helps our writing is developing healthy eating habits. 

In order to maintain good energy levels and receive the necessary amount of nutrients, we need to maintain the quality of our overall health and, by default, our writing.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast ~ Eating Healthy for Writers 101…

We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

But what is a healthy breakfast?

It’s certainly not found in breakfast cereals which are mostly full of processed sugars.

WE NEED healthy natural sugars.

So, where do we find healthy breakfast food for writers?

We need foods that stimulate our creativity and keep us comfortably sitting at our keyboards. Stop those food cravings.

No more twitching, fiddling, going off to the toilet, noticing something out the window, or remembering some chore we haven’t done.

Strangely, whenever we need to seek out healthy information about foodstuffs, we end up reading big words, and it all gets too hard, and we give up. I found two words today, tyrosine and tryptophan while searching for healthy eating for writers.

Why have I mentioned Them?

Tyrosine-rich foods include almonds, cottage cheese, egg whites, red meat, poultry, milk and yogurt.

Foods high in tryptophan include soy milk, tofu, beans, rice, hummus, sunflower seeds, etc.

I mentioned them to annoy and distract you and also to let you know that:  Go here when the writing doesn’t happen. (I did it again- that distraction thing) 😉

Those foods are okay if you’re not into junk 🍬🍫🍪 food, but what about if you like something a bit more filling and substantial, like chocolate bars🍫, lollies🍭, and potato chips🍟? 😏

It has also been said about foods that: 

 … Nothing moved us into bigger brains faster than the consumption of animal products” (and I didn’t say that), but many others have. Check with Dr. Jude Capper from Washington
State University, if you don’t believe me.

CHECK OUT what healthy stuff I’m made of

Suffice it to say, and in a lot less wordy, distracting, and confusing way:

EAT LOTS OF (preferably organic) Naturally grown vegetables and fruit.

Naturally grown meats (of all kinds, red/white, and (include fish in this)).

Proportions are around 70% fruit & vegetables (2 fruits and five vegetables equaling around 2.5 to 3 cups per day) and 30% meat (around 70g per day).

DRINK LOTS OF: WATER

AVOID Coffee (and stop smoking ~ anything). 

Coffee is a roller coaster: Sorry. 

It’s problematic for writers because it’s often used as a quick high morning cuppa followed by another annoying afternoon slump. The caffeine produces the “jittery” effects and increases a writer’s level of anxiety. A definite “no-no” for the serious writer. 

If you can’t go through the day without a coffee, at least limit the quantity to less than 300 mg a day and drink a glass before the coffee to help keep you hydrated AND (big breath) because coffee is actually a diuretic keeping hydrated by drinking water helps keep those headaches, dizziness, and fatigue away.

You should drink at least 5 to 8 glasses of water daily. That’s about 2 liters a day (be aware, just as not enough water can be dangerous, so can too much water because too much water can cause electrolyte imbalance).

Tea is okay, especially if you drink green tea instead of black tea. Black tea is okay in small quantities. I’m not about to give up my cups of tea ~ no, thank you.

Sugars (Think before riding the roller coaster of “sugar highs and lows.” It Sounds like fun, but ultimately, it’s not). 

Different sugars impact our brains differently. Natural sugar from your fruit-eating habit is
good. Highly processed sugars found in lollies syrupy drinks are BAD! 

Our bodies (and the writer’s brain) use these sugars quickly, causing blood sugar levels to drop to a “sugar low.” Avoid soft drinks and limit alcohol consumption (or give it up if you can).  

 The “down” experienced after drinking fizzy or soft drinks releases adrenal hormones, which extract stored sugar from the liver to bring blood sugar levels back up, causing another “sugar high.” This constant roller coaster leads to neurotransmitter imbalance, causing writers to be fidgety, inattentive, and irritable. 

All the things a writer doesn’t want or need.

This may have a significant impact on the quality of your writing.

Gaining concentration and staying on topic is significantly increased by a healthy diet. Let’s not say diet. I prefer to say a healthy way of eating. The healthy stuff for our brains is found in complex carbohydrates with natural sugars.

These stop the roller coaster because the complex molecules take longer to break down, and you benefit from this. These days, I think they call them GI or something like that. 

There are heaps of great websites to check out for how to eat healthy. The main thing is to start being healthy as soon as you can. The sooner, the better, and the better writer you will become.

Keep Eating Healthy for Writers 101! Write? Right?

*Note: No person or organization has evaluated these statements other than the writer. The content of this blog post is not to be considered medical advice and is for educational purposes only. If you are experiencing health challenges, always consult your doctor for medical advice and make up your own mind.

Zak says*, “If you are a writer, your mind should be alert, exercised, and cautiously suspicious. You would never consider suing the writer of this blog for false or misleading information, and you would realize most writers are broke (that means they have NO money) anyway. You should be capable of making decisions and guiding your life ~ Good luck with that, if you are a vegetarian or not a writer!*