Ines Sloan always believed that mental clarity came from a good night’s sleep and a solid to-do list. But after moving into a high-stress project management role, she found herself battling constant brain fog by mid-afternoon.
“No matter how much coffee I drank, my mind would drift,” she says. “I needed something more sustainable.”
She started looking into nutrition and stumbled on studies highlighting the Mediterranean diet’s link to brain health. Curious, Ines began experimenting—not with full meals at first, but with snacks.
“The biggest shift was realizing that food doesn’t just fill you up. It can actually support your focus—if you choose the right things,” she says. Quest Nutrition Ultimate Variety Pack Protein Bars, High Protein, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Keto Friendly, 12 Count
Instead of sugar-laden granola bars, she began opting for small bowls of olives, roasted chickpeas, or sliced cucumbers with hummus.
She swapped out her usual crackers for whole grain pita brushed with olive oil. And she added walnuts, berries, and even the occasional square of dark chocolate into her daily rotation.
The results were subtle but significant. Within days, she noticed she wasn’t hitting that 3 p.m. wall anymore. “My mind stayed sharper longer, and I felt more stable—not just in energy, but in mood too,” Ines says.
