With the emphasis on personal physical fitness over the past few decades, the topic of mental fitness is finally receiving some attention. And for good reason: Even repetitive, relatively mundane tasks require brain power. The brain makes up 2 percent of a person's body mass. Yet even at rest, the brain consumes 20 percent of the body's energy (Brown, Guy. The Energy of Life. New York: Free Press, 1999).

What's more, the brain consumes energy at 10 times the rate of the rest of the body per gram of tissue.  In everyday life, packing a healthy lunch to work or even having the time for a sit-down meal at midday is sometimes a luxury. Yet without some kind of nutritional input, it's a long stretch to the end of the day. What's a thinking person to do?

Studies show that protein consumption helps mental focus. The downside is that some protein foods -- particularly poultry and dairy products -- can cause a drowsy feeling. This can be pleasant right after Sunday dinner, but not if one is trying to focus on tasks at work.

Rather than eschew the nutritional benefits of such foods, perhaps it's best to plan ahead and consume larger quantities of these foods after work, when the demands of the day have largely been met and the drowsy effect can be put to good advantage.

Power Napping and Power Walking

Some scientists say that a successful midday power nap hinges on two factors: timing and -- oddly enough -- caffeine intake. Experiments at Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre in the United Kingdom showed that a sleep-deprived person needs a mere cup of coffee and 15 minutes of sleep to feel recharged. The method can be condensed into three steps:

1. Right before you nod off, down a cup of coffee. This allows the caffeine to travel through your gastro-intestinal tract, giving you time to nap before it kicks in.
2. Close your eyes and relax. Even if you only snooze lightly, you will get what is termed effective microsleep -- momentary lapses of wakefulness
3. Keep an alarm clock handy and limit your power nap to 15 minutes. More time can lead to sleep inertia, or the slowing of the brain's prefrontal cortex, a region which controls functions such as judgment. This part of the brain can take 30 minutes to start up again.

Walking at work during a lunch break might seem counterproductive, but it can be a great way to switch gears. It's also less likely to be seen as antisocial and anti-work behavior than holing up at one's desk cradling a cup of coffee.

The effects of physical activity on mental acuity have been studied for years, but it doesn't take a preponderance of scientific evidence to decide for oneself that it works. The drowsy feeling induced by proteins can be offset by physical activity, such as walking. Even getting up and walking around the room can help to shake that sluggish, post- meal feeling.

Meal Replacements and Supplements

No time for lunch? Meal replacements in the form of energy bars and energy drinks abound. Both are intended to take the place of a whole-food meal. Typically, such foods have high protein content, are low in fat, have a moderate amount of carbohydrates, and are packed with a number of vitamins and minerals.Their modest size often means less of a bloated, sluggish associated with a larger meal.  Promising the sugar buzz generated by candy bars and the alertness of caffeine, performance enhancing drinks might be fine for a night on the dance floor, but are best left alone when the imminent "crash" isn't desirable.

Another form of stimulants -- packaged as combinations of amino acids, metabolites and caffeine -- touts long lasting physical and mental energy without the debilitating crash. Like energy drinks, they are not intended to replace whole meals but to enhance their effectiveness. And in today's work environment, it pays to weigh nutritional options.

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