Food For Your Brain Health
In order to have the freedom to live out your plans and dreams for the future, you need to stay strong, healthy, and empowered. Critical to this is the health of your brain.
Some areas where you can make changes to optimize your brain are with food and supplements, physical exercise, sleep, our emotional state, brain stimulation, and the importance of living on purpose.
In this article I’m focusing on the major difference food can make on your brain health.
You want to do your best to choose food that is premium fuel for your body. You are what you eat. Many people don’t realize that all of your cells renew themselves every five months. Your diet is an important part of having those cells grow healthfully.
The best diet for the support of the brain is one that is low in calories. Calorie restriction is associated with longevity. Your diet should be high in the Omega 3 fatty acids in fish, fish oil, walnuts, and avocados. Antioxidants are critical for your brain health.
High quality antioxidant foods and vegetables according to the US Department of Agriculture are prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, spinach raspberries, brussel sprouts, plums, broccoli, beets, oranges, red grapes, red bell peppers, cherries and kiwis. All of these very colorful fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.
It’s best to cook your vegetables as little as possible in as little water as possible to avoid loss of nutrients.
Choose foods that are closest to nature. The less processed food and extra chemicals that you put into your body the better off you are going to be. Choose whole grains and avoid sugars and white flour.
It’s also important to monitor your blood pressure. Your blood feeds your brain nutrients. Your goal is to keep your arteries clear and flowing so that the flow of nutrients to the brain is as good as possible. Reducing your high blood pressure to normal can improve cognitive function and it can slow Alzheimer’s progression substantially. Choose foods that are low in salt to help with this problem.
Diabetes is also a risk factor. The Type II Diabetes the kind associated with being overweight increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. It’s probably by increasing the inflammation or from aging of the arteries, and it’s also because too much of the insulin hormone in the brain can stimulate beta amyloid build up. In fact some people are now calling Alzheimer’s Type III Diabetes.
More important than anything else is plenty of water! Your brain is primarily water. If you are starting to feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated and your brain is not functioning at an optimal level.
If you are not following these guidelines at this time, choose just one area where you can make a change to something healthier. If you continue to make small changes, over time you will find that your brain health and energy are reaching new heights!
