All about Jess + Breakfast + Easy Healthy Recipes

Vanilla Berry Pudding and Hydration for Concentration

29 September 2015
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It’s back-to-school time for many – and it wasn’t so long ago that I was in the same grind, adjusting to a new course load and juggling responsibilities of school, internship and the blog too.

As students, you’re often spread quite thin as it is. And it’s no surprise that proper nutrition plays a major part in keeping on task – but I found it interesting to learn that staying hydrated is essential too.

It turns out that dehydration has a major effect on our alertness and ability to concentrate – whether we’re students or not. So many trials have shown that being dehydrated, even by just one percent, makes us less focused and more likely to make a mistake.

Students will find this study out of the UK particularly interesting: it showed that students who drank water during an exam tested up to 10% better. To put that into perspective? It’s the difference between a first and second-class honors degree.

Zip Water recently put together another fun video about how dehydration impacts our ability to function – this one was a gaming experiment using EEG headsets to track the brain’s ability to focus. Not a chemistry exam, but an interesting example of the effect water has on concentration. The gamer who hadn’t had any water to drink that day had less ability to play the game using only his brain – and that’s because it was expending more energy on nerve transmissions, causing fatigue and decreased focus.

Your brain needs water to concentrate for long periods of time – like a full day of classes. Starting your morning with a glass of warm filtered lemon water is a great way to kick start hydration and fire up digestion so that you’re ready for a healthy breakfast.

It’s no secret that I believe breakfast is a must – and I know that time is precious in the morning, especially for busy students. That’s why I love easy, make-ahead meals like overnight oats and chia pudding. They couldn’t be easier, and they use filtered water as a hydrating base.

This recipe combines both oats and chia seeds for a healthy, fiber-packed breakfast that’s also packed with superfoods.

Ingredients

Serves: 1
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon psyllium husk
  • 1/2 cup mixed berries
  • 1/4 banana
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon stevia
  • 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
  • 2 tablespoon mixed nuts and seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup filtered water

 

Method

  1. Add oats, chia seeds, psyllium husk and filtered water to a glass jar and mix, then let soak overnight.
  2. In the morning, add the other ingredients to the mix and stir to make a healthy, hydrating pudding.
Note:
In the morning, you can add your favourite toppings and enjoy a quick, hearty and super healthy breakfast. If you know you’ll really be pressed for time, do it all the night before. Then simply grab the jar from the fridge in the morning and go!

 

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