3. Brain power
Because the brain runs on glucose, keeping blood sugar levels constant enhances mental acuity and alertness. Fiber-rich foods tend to be low on the glycemic index — that is, they raise blood sugar levels gradually as food is digested, unlike high-glycemic-index foods, which cause spikes and subsequent drops. A study at Cardiff University in Wales, reported by BBC News, found a 10 percent reduction in fatigue, lower depression scores, and better cognitive powers among participants whose breakfasts included a high-fiber cereal. A Tufts University study found that children who ate oatmeal for breakfast scored better on tests of cognitive performance than those who ate processed cereal (or no breakfast at all). One of the study’s co-authors, Quaker Oats nutrition research director Priscilla Samuels, credited “oatmeal’s whole grain, high fiber, and protein attributes.”
