There are many factors that make a successful entrepreneur. Drive, dedication, focus, decision making, are some of the crucial qualities you must possess if you want to make it as a prosperous business person.
But as we’ve discussed in previous posts, it’s extremely important that you take into account your health and well-being. Especially, when progressing on your entrepreneurial journey.
We all know it’s important to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. In this article, I want to hone in on one particular nutrient that may help propel your health. That, in turn, helps you become a successful entrepreneur.
The Magic Ingredient?
I’m not going to start selling you a limitless pill here. But this one nutrient has been proven to dramatically improve many areas of your overall health. It also helps your mental acuity and could make you smarter.
What’s the secret? *Drumroll please…..* Thiamine! Also known as Vitamin B1.
Thiamine was first discovered over 100 years ago by Casimir Funk, a biochemist from Poland. He first extracted this energy-yielding vitamin from brown rice.
It’s said that in this modern day and age, many people may have a subclinical deficiency in the vitality boosting vitamin. Deficiencies can be brought on by a vast array of factors. The most common are not consuming enough thiamine-rich foods, stress, and eating diets too high in refined carbohydrate. Especially carbohydrates that are refined sugars.
Why Is Thiamine (B1) So Important For Entrepreneurs?
Thiamine has been proven to provide your body with an innumerable amount of benefits. B-vitamins are notorious for being the “energy-boosting” vitamins. But here’s why it is crucial that all of you hard working entrepreneurs need to get your daily dose of B1.
B1, in particular, boasts many major benefits. B1 helps protect your heart, brain, improve your digestive power, and protect the nervous system. In addition, it is also utilized by your body to boost your energy, significantly reduce stress, and improve your mental clarity. Studies show that it has the potential to boost your capacity for learning – something all entrepreneurs need!
Studies have also shown the undeniable benefits of thiamine on cognition. One study in particular from the UK found that participants who took thiamine on a daily basis for 2 months reported enhanced feelings of mental clarity. They also had a dramatic improvement in reaction times and energy.
Deficiencies in Thiamine, also known as BeriBeri, have been directly linked to high stress. High stress can deplete your thiamine levels over time. B1 is crucial for regulating your nervous system. A lack of this vital nutrient can make your body “sympathetic dominant”. This means your body is constantly in fight or flight mode – a stressful, and all too common state for many entrepreneurs!
Entrepreneurs like yourself are usually under high stress at one time or another during your day. It’s important that you’re getting a good dose of B1 on a daily basis to help your body regulate the effects of stress, as well as boosting your cognitive function, in order for you to perform at your best.
Where Can I Get It?
Before you rush out to the health store to stock up on synthetic B1 supplements, it’s imperative to note that B-vitamins are naturally found in a complex. That means that the majority of natural sources of thiamine will be found in conjunction with other B-vitamins. Other B-vitamins include B2, B3, B5, and B6. It’s important that you get your B-vitamins as part of a complex to ensure that you don’t throw your levels out of balance.
I personally believe it’s best to get your daily intake of vitamins and other nutrients naturally from food sources. Some of the best food sources of thiamine include Nutritional Yeast (one 5g serving provides you with nearly double your daily recommended intake), Flax seeds (opt for sprouted, ground, and organic if possible), Cannellini (Navy) beans, lentils. Some other meat options include fish, pork, and beef liver.
It’s best to track your daily intake of B1 using an app such as Cronometer. Apps like this allow you to input all the foods you’ve eaten in one day to assess your overall nutritional intake. The minimum recommended daily intake of thiamine currently stands at around 1.2mg. Make sure you’re getting at least this amount on a daily basis to help maintain your overall health as well as promoting great cognitive function.
Our Challenge For You
As entrepreneurs, we should always be looking for ways to improve our business. But it’s just as important to find different approaches to maintain and boost your health.
We’re challenging you to carefully monitor your daily intake of thiamine for a week or more. See if you notice any difference in your overall health including your mood, mental clarity and cognitive function.
Do some further research on foods that are high in B1 and start incorporating them into your diet. Use an app such as Cronometer to track your intake. You can note during your experiment the days that you feel most energetic. See if the days that you’re feeling your best correlate directly with the amount of thiamine you’re consuming.
We’d absolutely love to hear your results. Have you felt any improvements in your health? Did you notice if your cognitive performance was enhanced? Let us know in the comments section below!
If you are looking for ways to further improve your health, check out one of our recent blog posts “Why Entrepreneurs Must Be Healthy“. It explains why it’s crucial that all entrepreneurs look after themselves during their startup journey.
Written by Lewis James