Six top tips on how to keep your mind focused at work

We all know the feeling, you're at work,  it's almost the end of the day and you find yourself starting to drop off. By incorporating 6 everyday items into your diet you'll find you're more productive and your mind stays focused on your work.

When life gives you lemons...
Lemon has citric acid which helps to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes. Use it to spice up plain water by squeezing in a few drops or squeeze it on to salads. Lemon really helps to bring out the flavour in food and make that salad taste a little more exciting.

Minestrone keeps you going for hours
Minestrone soup is fantastic for a afternoon energy boost. If you make it from scratch you can incorporate kidney beans which are a great source of Thiamin and Riboflavin. These vitamins are
essential to help your body use energy more effectively.

Crunch your way to a clear mood
When we're at work we often crave snack food like crisps in order to relieve pent up emotions. It's
thought that the jaw movement involved reduces our stress and anger to a normal level. Instead of
snacking on crisps why not try crudites, a selection of mixed raw vegetables like carrots or cherry
tomatoes. You'll be enriching your diet with Vitamin rich food and relieving your stress levels at the same time - win win!

Swap sweets for yoghurt
One of the major cravings when you're at work is for something sweet to perk you up when you start to flag. Instead of reaching for a digestive or Mr Kipling's Victoria Slice why not opt for a yoghurt. You can mix it with cucumber to make a healthy Tzatziki dip for your crudites or eat it with a handful of blueberries for a extra sweet kick. Aim for any organic plain Greek yoghurt or Yeo Valley Organic Greek yoghurt. Steer clear of reduced fat or flavoured yoghurts as often when fat is removed it is substituted with something that helps to retain the flavour of fat such as sugar. You can recreate taste naturally with fresh fruit or honey.

Oranges have a calming effect
Many jobs are hectic and often have constant deadlines that can leave you frazzled. Orange contains a molecule called hesperidin that can help to lower your blood pressure. Whilst the molecule is found in orange juice you'll probably find it's better to eat a whole orange as you'll get fibre and hesperidin.

Keep the momentum going with oatcakes
To avoid a last minute crash keep yourself going with oatcakes. They're one of the healthiest crackers available and give you soluble fibre which has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol. It also has low GI which helps to keep your blood sugar level steady and is slowly digested to help you keep fuller for longer. To spice it up a little top your oatcakes with peanut butter, it's full of protein and unsaturated fat.