If Diet Is The Recipe For Success, Eat On!

"Food binds us to the best bits of life," British chef Jamie Oliver stated during his famed TED Talk about eating habits today, concluding: "you're clever if you eat well and you live longer."

Chef Oliver couldn't have said it better: it's super smart to eat well, but did you know that eating well can make you smart, too? In fact, more scientists than ever before acknowledge the influence of diet on the brain, as well as one's mood, sleep, memory and even stress levels. In fact, researchers from Food for the Brain argue that an excessive sugar intake fogs our brains and increases our chance of feeling on edge, as blood sugar levels directly control our moods. "How fitting that "desserts" is "stressed" spelled backward," quips nutritionist Dr Robert H.

Lustig in his article The Bitter Truth About Sugar.
It's hardly a surprise that individuals at the top of their game more often than not have a perfectly crafted diet, rich in all the vitamins needed to equip their bodies to perform at their very best. Let's take a look at how some celebrated figures have carved a nutritional path to success, with a few quick and easy recipes to add cerebral value to your own daily diet.

Salad Days

What does the fastest man on earth eat? Usain Bolt confessed in his autobiography Faster Than Lighting that he has a weakness for chicken nuggets, although he admits that "in the past three years I've really focused on my diet – initially I just had anything I felt like." It was a change that coincided with Bolt's monumental win at the Moscow World Championships in 2013, regaining the title of the world's fastest man. His coach Glen Mills prescribes Bolt a balanced diet plan that pairs greens such as broccoli with yams and Jamaican dumplings.

Simple Broccoli Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon Manuka honey
• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• Handful of chia seeds

Method:

1. Combine the broccoli, onion and raisins.
2. Whisk together the honey and mustard. Thin if necessary with a dash of mineral water.
3. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
4. Before serving, toss salad with chia seeds.

Small Herbs have Grace

High endurance performers like Beyoncé need slow-burn food to help them keep up their intensive routines in the gym and on the stage. Carbs are Bey's best friend and her famed 22-day vegan diet is packed full of them – from quinoa to oatmeal and even muffins. There are herbs and spices aplenty to tantalize taste-buds – and make the limitations on meat and fish much more doable. An article in InStyle magazine confirms that Beyonce's diet makes you feel lighter, fuller and in control of your energy – this diet plan is now available for delivery to your home or office and promises treats such as eggplant pasta, lentils, mushroom curry, chocolate banana loafs and vegan enchiladas.

Cauliflower Rice with Lemon, Mint and Pistachios

Serves 2

Ingredients:
• 5 cups raw cauliflower
• Handful of shelled pistachios
• ¼ cup basil and ¼ cup mint
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup currants
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
• Blend 5 cups of the cauliflower in a food processor until very finely chopped.
• Add pistachios, basil and mint and blend again.
• Stir in lemon juice, zest, oil and currents.
• Season with salt and pepper

No More Cakes and Ale

The youngest person in history to win the World Series of Poker, Daniel Negreanu, famously ditched what he calls "the typical meat-heavy diet of most poker players in the 90s: burgers and steak, along with wine, beer, and vodka" to commit to being vegan. Replacing alcohol with coconut water and almond milk, he found that a healthy diet boosted his performance in what is one of the most intellectually demanding games around. In order to perform at an optimum, successful poker players like Negreanu are always seeking ways to keep their intellects sharp – it's a virtuous circle, considering that poker trains the brain but also encourages players to improve their mental skills in other ways too, so they can improve at the game. Given that fats like butter and eggs can damage brain functionality, it's unsurprising that health-conscious eating is a key trait of gamers, strategists and problem-solvers.

Coconut and Mango Breakfast Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
• 200ml coconut water
• 4 tablespoons coconut yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon ground flax
• 120g frozen mango chunks
• 1 passion fruit

Method:
1. Put all ingredients (except the passion fruit) into a blender and blitz until smooth.
2. Pour into a tall glass or two short tumblers.
3. Cut the passion-fruit in half and scrape the seeds on top as decoration.

Joy Delights in Joy

Racing superstar Jeson Button has strict instructions to keep body fat below 10% to adhere to Formula 1's fitness rules. His diet is based on foods that are low in glycemic index – GI is a formula that a relative new way of analyzing foods: it looks at the impact each ingredient or meal has on blood sugar rather than what it contains. According to the University of Sydney, whose School of Molecular Bioscience came up with the research that gave us GI, this is a more efficient way of knowing which carbohydrates are truly bad for us and which can benefit our health. Jason Button eats foods such as vegetables, nuts and sweet potatoes before a race to cope with two-hour long races in a 700kg car at speeds of 190mph. But despite the regimented food schedule, Jenson still enjoys the occasional sticky toffee pudding, revealing the merits of a balanced diet to avoid extremes and enjoy everything in moderation.

Guilt-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 175g pitted dates
• 150ml maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 85g self-raising flour
• Fat-free Greek yogurt

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Put the dates and 175ml water in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Blend in a food processor with 6 tablespoons maple syrup and the vanilla extract.
4. Mix in the egg yolks and flour.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the date mixture.
6. Put 1 tablespoon maple syrup into each of four 200ml pudding molds and add the mixture.
7. Cook for 1 hour.
8. Uncover, invert onto plates. Drizzle over yogurt and maple syrup to serve.

One of the last pillars of resistance to our busy, hyper-connected world is our bodies. For better or worse, it takes a good stretch of time for a lack of sleep or a mood slump to really affect our interior workings, and likewise, a dietary change for the better will only yield visible results after giving it a honest go over several weeks. Overnight faddy dieters be warned: when it comes to nourishing ourselves for optimal living, consistency and perseverance are key!