What proportion of your meals and snacks typically come from ultra-processed sources (packaged snacks, fast food, ready meals, sugary drinks)?

Most meals — ultra-processed food is dominant

Quite a lot — several processed items per day

Some — about one processed item most days

Very little — my meals are mostly whole foods

Which best describes how legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat) show up in your meals?

I keep my meals interesting by rotating through many different starches — legumes or whole grains show up occasionally among lots of options

I have legumes or whole grains a couple of times a month, when the mood strikes

I include them a few times a week, though not as a fixed habit

I have a couple of reliable go-to meals with legumes or whole grains that I lean on most days

Which best describes your approach to meal timing during the week?

I eat intuitively — no fixed schedule, I eat whenever my body signals hunger, even if that varies a lot day to day

I keep a loose target, but it shifts around depending on my day

I'm mostly consistent, with occasional variation

I eat at very consistent times every day, regardless of hunger cues

After your main meals, how often do you notice a meaningful drop in alertness or mental sharpness?

Almost every meal — a significant crash is my norm

Most days, a noticeable dip after main meals

Occasionally — a mild dip once or twice a week

Rarely — I stay alert after eating

How often do you snack on sugary or high-refined-carb foods between main meals?

Very frequently — sugary snacks throughout the day

Occasionally — a few times a week

Rarely — I mainly eat at mealtimes

Which best describes how you decide when to drink water during the day?

I trust my body's signals — I drink when I actually feel thirsty, not on some artificial schedule

I mostly wait for thirst, though I'll drink proactively if I think of it

I mostly drink proactively, but sometimes wait until I notice thirst

I drink on a fixed routine — a glass at set points through the day, whether I feel thirsty or not

During long focused work sessions, how reliably do you maintain your fluid intake?

Often — I frequently realise I've worked for hours without drinking

Sometimes — I go hours without drinking during busy periods

Usually — I occasionally forget but not for long

Always — I keep water nearby and drink regularly during work

How often do you notice physical signs of dehydration during the day (dark or infrequent urine, headache, dry mouth)?

Frequently — dark urine or headaches are a common daily experience

Occasionally — once every few days

Rarely — my urine is consistently pale and I feel well-hydrated

How varied is your diet across the food groups most important for B vitamins — animal or fortified foods, leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains?

Very narrow — few of these food groups appear regularly

Limited — mostly the same foods, some groups missing

Moderate — some groups are underrepresented

Very varied — I eat across all these groups regularly

If your diet has notable gaps in animal products or food-group variety, how do you tend to handle the B-vitamin risk that creates?

I don't take supplements — I'd rather rely on eating well than lean on a pill, even with some gaps in my diet

I know it might be a gap for me, but I haven't looked into supplements or testing

I take a general multivitamin just in case

I supplement targeted B vitamins and/or get my blood levels checked

How dependent do you feel on caffeine simply to reach your normal baseline alertness?

I can't function without it — it's essential just to feel normal

I rely on it noticeably to get through the day

A mild morning reliance, but I function fine without it

Not really — I'm alert without it and use it as a performance tool

Do you time caffeine use deliberately around tasks that require high sustained attention?

No — I drink caffeine continuously throughout the day with no strategy

Rarely — I mostly drink it out of habit rather than for performance

Mostly — I roughly time it but it's not deliberate or consistent

Yes — I time caffeine deliberately to support my most demanding work

Thinking back over the last year or so, how has your caffeine intake changed as your workload or demands have grown?

I've deliberately increased it to match rising demands — more caffeine has become part of how I push through a heavier workload

It's crept up gradually over the year, mostly without me deciding to

It's basically the same, maybe a little more some weeks

It's stayed the same or gone down, even as demands have grown

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Trace Your Cognitive Fuel Habits to Review Meal by Meal

Your Cognitive Fuel Profile

Trace Your Cognitive Fuel Habits to Review Meal by Meal

Item answers and results stay on this device

A structured self-reflection, not a diagnostic.

A 20-scenario self-report that groups your selected answer points across five editorial dimensions. It is not a validated measure of an underlying trait.

20 scenarios5 groups4 forced choicesno neutral option

Topic context from the cited source; it does not validate this questionnaire or its score thresholds.

Ganio et al. (2011)

What your answers coverDietary qualityHow varied and whole your everyday meals are, rather than processed and convenience food.Meal timing & glucoseWhether your meal timing and food choices keep your energy steady or cause crashes.Hydration habitsHow proactively you drink water rather than waiting until you're thirsty.Micronutrient basicsHow well your diet supplies the nutrients your brain needs to make energy.Stimulant managementHow well you manage caffeine so it helps rather than controls you.

Cognitive Fuel Assessment: What's Limiting Your Brain Performance?

Twenty forced-choice scenarios are summed into editorial answer-score bands; the result does not diagnose or measure an underlying trait.

~7-9 min · Item answers and results stay on this device · Links created by this assessment contain no scores

Answer for what you actually ate and drank this week, not your ideal routine — the honest version is the useful one.

This assessment is a structured self-reflection tool and educational resource — it is not a validated diagnostic and is not a substitute for clinical evaluation. Every dimension insight references peer-reviewed literature for educational context only. If you have concerns about your health, consult a qualified professional. Self-report instruments of this kind have no validated retest interval; the four-to-six-week Second Reading is a sensible practice, not a clinical standard.

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Cognitive Fuel Assessment: What's Limiting Your Brain Performance?

This literature-informed structured self-reflection adds up what you select about how you eat and drink across the day — meal quality, timing, hydration, micronutrient variety, and caffeine use. It cannot describe a nutrient deficiency or measure a physiological marker of brain performance.

Interactive scoring requires JavaScript. You can still read every question and answer option below.

On a typical day, how many different vegetables and fruits do you eat?
- Rarely — few vegetables or fruit most days
- Usually 1–2 different items
- Around 3–4 different items
- 5 or more different items
How often do you eat oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout)?
- Rarely or never
- Once or twice a month
- About once a week
- Twice a week or more
What proportion of your meals and snacks typically come from ultra-processed sources (packaged snacks, fast food, ready meals, sugary drinks)?
- Most meals — ultra-processed food is dominant
- Quite a lot — several processed items per day
- Some — about one processed item most days
- Very little — my meals are mostly whole foods
Which best describes how legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) and whole grains (oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat) show up in your meals?
- I keep my meals interesting by rotating through many different starches — legumes or whole grains show up occasionally among lots of options
- I have legumes or whole grains a couple of times a month, when the mood strikes
- I include them a few times a week, though not as a fixed habit
- I have a couple of reliable go-to meals with legumes or whole grains that I lean on most days
What does your typical evening meal look like in terms of carbohydrate composition?
- Mostly refined carbs or high-sugar foods — little protein or fibre
- High in refined carbs with some protein or vegetables
- Mixed — some refined carbs alongside protein and vegetables
- Mostly vegetables, protein, and low-GI carbohydrates
Which best describes your approach to meal timing during the week?
- I eat intuitively — no fixed schedule, I eat whenever my body signals hunger, even if that varies a lot day to day
- I keep a loose target, but it shifts around depending on my day
- I'm mostly consistent, with occasional variation
- I eat at very consistent times every day, regardless of hunger cues
After your main meals, how often do you notice a meaningful drop in alertness or mental sharpness?
- Almost every meal — a significant crash is my norm
- Most days, a noticeable dip after main meals
- Occasionally — a mild dip once or twice a week
- Rarely — I stay alert after eating
How often do you snack on sugary or high-refined-carb foods between main meals?
- Very frequently — sugary snacks throughout the day
- Most days, multiple times
- Occasionally — a few times a week
- Rarely — I mainly eat at mealtimes
How consistently do you drink water throughout the day?
- Mainly when very thirsty or feeling a dry mouth
- I often notice I haven't drunk much by mid-afternoon
- Fairly regularly, though I sometimes forget for stretches
- Consistently through the day — urine is regularly pale
Which best describes how you decide when to drink water during the day?
- I trust my body's signals — I drink when I actually feel thirsty, not on some artificial schedule
- I mostly wait for thirst, though I'll drink proactively if I think of it
- I mostly drink proactively, but sometimes wait until I notice thirst
- I drink on a fixed routine — a glass at set points through the day, whether I feel thirsty or not
During long focused work sessions, how reliably do you maintain your fluid intake?
- Often — I frequently realise I've worked for hours without drinking
- Sometimes — I go hours without drinking during busy periods
- Usually — I occasionally forget but not for long
- Always — I keep water nearby and drink regularly during work
How often do you notice physical signs of dehydration during the day (dark or infrequent urine, headache, dry mouth)?
- Frequently — dark urine or headaches are a common daily experience
- Several days a week
- Occasionally — once every few days
- Rarely — my urine is consistently pale and I feel well-hydrated
How often do you eat animal-sourced foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) or fortified foods that reliably supply vitamin B12?
- Rarely or never — I follow a plant-based diet without B12 supplementation
- A few times a week
- Most days
- Daily — these foods are a reliable part of my diet
How often do you eat dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, spring greens)?
- Rarely or never
- Once or twice a week
- Several times a week
- Daily
How varied is your diet across the food groups most important for B vitamins — animal or fortified foods, leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains?
- Very narrow — few of these food groups appear regularly
- Limited — mostly the same foods, some groups missing
- Moderate — some groups are underrepresented
- Very varied — I eat across all these groups regularly
If your diet has notable gaps in animal products or food-group variety, how do you tend to handle the B-vitamin risk that creates?
- I don't take supplements — I'd rather rely on eating well than lean on a pill, even with some gaps in my diet
- I know it might be a gap for me, but I haven't looked into supplements or testing
- I take a general multivitamin just in case
- I supplement targeted B vitamins and/or get my blood levels checked
What time do you typically have your last caffeinated drink (coffee, tea, energy drink)?
- Evening — within 4 hours of bedtime
- Mid-to-late afternoon (3–6pm)
- Early afternoon (around 2pm)
- Morning only — before noon
How dependent do you feel on caffeine simply to reach your normal baseline alertness?
- I can't function without it — it's essential just to feel normal
- I rely on it noticeably to get through the day
- A mild morning reliance, but I function fine without it
- Not really — I'm alert without it and use it as a performance tool
Do you time caffeine use deliberately around tasks that require high sustained attention?
- No — I drink caffeine continuously throughout the day with no strategy
- Rarely — I mostly drink it out of habit rather than for performance
- Mostly — I roughly time it but it's not deliberate or consistent
- Yes — I time caffeine deliberately to support my most demanding work
Thinking back over the last year or so, how has your caffeine intake changed as your workload or demands have grown?
- I've deliberately increased it to match rising demands — more caffeine has become part of how I push through a heavier workload
- It's crept up gradually over the year, mostly without me deciding to
- It's basically the same, maybe a little more some weeks
- It's stayed the same or gone down, even as demands have grown

Appendix · Method & evidence Bio · Case file

How this instrument works

This is a 20-item structured self-assessment of your cognitive fuel habits to review, read across 5 dimensions: Dietary quality; Meal timing & glucose; Hydration habits; Micronutrient basics; and Stimulant management. Each item is a concrete scenario with four forced-choice responses — no neutral midpoint, so every answer commits to a direction — and response order is shuffled on every run to vary position; this implementation has not been tested for bias reduction. 5 of the 20 items are reverse-keyed — the attractive-sounding response is the structurally weak one — with wording intended to challenge socially desirable framing; this design has not been tested for bias reduction.

Scoring combines an overall reading with a per-dimension profile. Cascade flags compare configured dimension totals with editorial thresholds. They do not establish a compound risk and may not reflect the item-level pattern. The result bands are editorial guidance, not clinical thresholds: they organise the reading, they do not describe.

Every dimension insight cites peer-reviewed literature, and most answer reveals do — 9 sources back this instrument, each with DOI metadata supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. Compiled by the High Performance Culture editorial team. Instrument v1.1 · August 2026.

Read the full assessment methodology →

Items: 20
Dimensions: 5
Format: Forced choice, 4 options
Sources: 9
Instrument: v1.1 · August 2026

The 5 editorial answer groups

Dietary quality

Strength here looks like consistently eating a varied diet rich in vegetables, oily fish, whole grains, and legumes, with minimal ultra-processed food — the pattern of food choices most consistently associated with reduced cognitive risk in the research.

The vulnerable pattern: relying on ultra-processed food and a narrow range of plant foods, leaving the brain without the dietary variety that meta-analytic evidence links to brain-protective outcomes.

Sample itemOn a typical day, how many different vegetables and fruits do you eat?

First structural move: If it fits your circumstances, add one additional vegetable or plant food to your largest meal each day this week and note how it feels. This questionnaire cannot predict what effect it would have for you.

Go deeperProtocol: The Cognitive Fuel Protocol →Glossary: Mediterranean diet →

Meal timing & glucose

Strength here looks like eating at consistent times, keeping evening meals low in refined carbohydrates, and avoiding frequent sugary snacks — habits that support the stable blood glucose patterns associated with better cognitive performance.

The vulnerable pattern: eating irregular meals, high-GI evening food, and frequent sugary snacks, creating the blood glucose variability that research links to impaired memory, processing speed, and executive function.

Sample itemWhat does your typical evening meal look like in terms of carbohydrate composition?

First structural move: If it is appropriate for you, anchor your first and last meals to fixed times today and swap your evening meal's largest refined carbohydrate for a lower-GI alternative, then note what you notice afterward. This questionnaire cannot measure your blood glucose or predict the result.

Go deeperProtocol: The Metabolic Reset Protocol →Glossary: Glycaemic index →

Hydration habits

Strength here looks like drinking water proactively and consistently through the day — before thirst arrives, during focused work, and maintaining pale urine — so cognitive performance is never limited by a fluid deficit.

The vulnerable pattern: relying on thirst as the primary hydration cue, forgetting to drink during focused work, and tolerating regular dehydration symptoms — allowing a mild deficit to persist unnoticed; the cited studies report reduced vigilance, working memory and mood at that level.

Sample itemHow consistently do you drink water throughout the day?

First structural move: Place a full water bottle at your workstation right now and commit to drinking proactively at three fixed points today — on waking, mid-morning, and mid-afternoon. This questionnaire cannot measure your hydration status or predict the result.

Go deeperGlossary: Cognitive load →

Micronutrient basics

Strength here looks like eating a varied diet across B-vitamin-rich food groups — animal or fortified foods, dark leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains — and supplementing thoughtfully where dietary supply is limited.

The vulnerable pattern: a restricted or monotonous diet with limited B12-rich foods or dark leafy greens, creating the background micronutrient shortfalls that quietly undermine the energy metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, and myelin maintenance the brain depends on.

Sample itemHow often do you eat animal-sourced foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) or fortified foods that reliably supply vitamin B12?

First structural move: If it is appropriate for you, add one B-vitamin-rich food to today's meals — eggs, a handful of spinach, or a serving of lentils are the simplest entries. This questionnaire cannot measure a nutrient level and does not replace bloodwork or medical advice.

Go deeperProtocol: The Energy Systems Protocol →Glossary: ATP →

Stimulant management

Strength here looks like timing caffeine deliberately to support attention during peak cognitive demands, cutting off before the sleep-disruption window, and using it as a performance tool on a foundation of genuine alertness rather than as a functional baseline.

The vulnerable pattern: using caffeine continuously without timing strategy, extending intake into the evening, and relying on it to reach baseline function — a pattern that erodes sleep quality and progressively undermines the genuine cognitive recovery caffeine is compensating for.

Sample itemWhat time do you typically have your last caffeinated drink (coffee, tea, energy drink)?

First structural move: If it is appropriate for you, set a caffeine cut-off today and identify the single most cognitively demanding task in your day. This questionnaire cannot predict what effect any change would have for you.

Go deeperProtocol: The Sleep Optimisation Protocol →Deep dive: The Science of Deep Sleep →Glossary: Caffeine →

Questions, answered

Is this a diagnosis?

No. This assessment is a structured self-reflection tool, not a validated clinical instrument. Its result bands are editorial guidance, not clinical thresholds — they organise your answers into a readable profile; they do not describe a condition. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, speak to a qualified professional.

How were the questions designed?

Each of the 20 items presents a concrete scenario with four graded responses and no neutral midpoint, so every answer commits to a lean. Items were authored against the peer-reviewed literature listed in the evidence file on this page, and citation metadata is supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. Response order is shuffled on every run to vary position; this implementation has not been tested for bias reduction.

What happens to my answers?

Assessment answers stay on this device. Unfinished progress expires after 30 days. A completed profile and optional comparison history remain until you delete local assessment data or clear browser data. If you opt into email, your email address is sent; item answers are not. If you share a result link, total and dimension scores are included in the URL and may appear in browser, server, CDN, or analytics logs.

Can I share my result?

Links created by this assessment contain no scores. Older result URLs may contain total and dimension scores and can appear in browser history and server or CDN logs; avoid sharing them.

How often should I retake it?

The instrument keeps your previous reading and sets the two side by side when you retake — the Second Reading. There is no validated retest interval; repeat only if a raw answer-point comparison would be useful, and do not treat it as confirmed underlying change.

Why bands instead of percentiles?

Because this assessment does not collect a population score set, there is no reader population to rank you against — and we will not invent one. The 5-dimension profile groups selected answer points for editorial display; it is not a validated structural or decision-utility model.

Where does the evidence come from?

Every dimension insight cites peer-reviewed research, and most answer reveals do — 9 sources stand behind this instrument, each with DOI metadata supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. A few reveals are straightforward editorial reasoning from the same evidence base and carry no citation by design. The full list, with DOIs, is in the evidence file below.

The evidence file

9 peer-reviewed sources stand behind this instrument's items and insights.

Fekete et al. (2025) — The role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing the risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis. GeroScience. DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01488-3 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Mortby et al. (2013) — High "Normal" Blood Glucose Is Associated with Decreased Brain Volume and Cognitive Performance in the 60s: The PATH through Life Study. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073697 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Lamport et al. (2011) — Evidence for a second meal cognitive effect: glycaemic responses to high and low glycaemic index evening meals are associated with cognition the following morning. Nutritional Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1179/1476830511y.0000000002 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Ganio et al. (2011) — Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance and mood of men. British Journal of Nutrition. DOI: 10.1017/s0007114511002005 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Kennedy (2016) — B Vitamins and the Brain: Mechanisms, Dose and Efficacy—A Review. Nutrients. DOI: 10.3390/nu8020068 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Kløve & Petersen (2025) — A systematic review and meta-analysis of the acute effect of caffeine on attention. Psychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06775-1 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Drake et al. (2013) — Caffeine Effects on Sleep Taken 0, 3, or 6 Hours before Going to Bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.3170 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Evans & Griffiths (1992) — Caffeine tolerance and choice in humans. Psychopharmacology. DOI: 10.1007/BF02245285 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Armstrong et al. (2012) — Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women. Journal of Nutrition. DOI: 10.3945/jn.111.142000 ✓ Crossref‑verified

Assessment loading

Trace Your Cognitive Fuel Habits to Review Meal by Meal

Cognitive Fuel Assessment: What's Limiting Your Brain Performance?

Answers that stood out on their own

Your answers

How this instrument works

The 5 editorial answer groups

Dietary quality

Meal timing & glucose

Hydration habits

Micronutrient basics

Stimulant management

Questions, answered

Is this a diagnosis?

How were the questions designed?

What happens to my answers?

Can I share my result?

How often should I retake it?

Why bands instead of percentiles?

Where does the evidence come from?

The evidence file