Food for Thought: The Neuroscience of Nutrition to Fuel Cognitive Performance

Abstract

In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm faced with only one option. I'm going to have to science the shit out of this.-Mark Watney played by Matt Damon in The Martian 1 lmost nothing is more personal than the decision lawyers make about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In a two-year study examining the health of lawyers, Sharon McDowell-Larsen, Ph.D., discovered that while ninety-two percent of the participants understood that eating habits have health impacts, half reported they consumed unhealthy diets. 2 Additionally, none of these lawyers were vegetarians or vegans, fifty-eight percent consumed meat on a daily basis, and sixty-four percent wanted more health and wellness support from their law firms. 3 Some law firms and law schools are cultivating wellness cultures, but little work has been done in the area of improving lawyer and law student nutrition. 4 Food choices are influenced by taste, habits, advertising, restaurant/take-out options, time, convenience, and economics. 5 Most adults consume a core group of foods with about 100 basic items that