Your Brain is Voracious

Your Brain is Voracious by Paul Crantz


Your brain is a very demanding organ, with it's own somewhat selective dietary requirements. So, it stands to reason that your diet can make a great deal of difference in how you think, not to mention your cognitive responses and general overall health. Eat smarter, not harder.

Please, start your day out with a good hearty breakfast. I'm too busy in the morning, I don't have time for breakfast. The brain needs a good steady supply of glucose early in the day for optimal performance and if you find yourself skipping breakfast, you can find yourself feeling sluggish and dull at work or wherever. Whole wheat toast is fast and easy to make, it's a great source of complex carbohydrates, and the fiber alone has been found to help cognitive functions over time. Add a glass of orange juice, or other juice, and you've just added valuable natural anti oxidants along with your readily available morning brain boost. Beans and toast are said to be an ultimate brainy breakfast, but I know what you're thinking, not my first choice.

As we get older, we can find our memory slipping a bit, it's only natural right? Well, studies have shown that foods rich in choline, vital for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, and foods rich in antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamins C, D and E, are essential to overall optimal brain function. The antioxidants mop up the free radicals that constantly attack healthy cell walls, serving to aid in cognitive functions. Also, low levels of acetylcholine are also associated with Alzheimer's disease, and some studies suggest that increasing choline intake through supplements or diet may slow age-related memory loss.

What is an example of a brainy lunch? How about on omelet and a green salad? Eggs are very rich in choline and a green salad is loaded with antioxidants. Better yet, pop open a can of sardines, a super food loaded with protein and crucial Omega 3 fatty acids. Grilled salmon or Ahi tuna are also very high in Omega 3 and probably more palatable than sardines. Finish your lunch with a yogurt dessert, and you should be alert and ready to finish off the day. That's because yogurt contains the amino acid tyrosine, needed for the production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenalin, among others. Studies by military scientists indicate that tyrosine becomes depleted when we are under stress and that supplementing your intake can improve alertness and memory while fighting fatigue.

A mid afternoon snack is a great idea. Try something like a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter with a small cup of yogurt, I love Yoplait blueberry, or a glass of low fat milk. It'll take the edge off of your hunger and add some quick glucose to the brain. Here is an ultimate brain and energy food; a sliced banana spread with peanut butter. It's a nearly nutritionally complete food. Try to limit highly processed snack foods which contain trans-fatty acids. These are not only bad for the waistline, but more and more studies are showing that these trans-fatty acids may be involved in a whole large list of serious mental disorders, ADHD and dyslexia among them.

And here's a suggestion, top off your supper with some strawberries and blueberries, when available. These berries are nutritional powerhouses, filled with antioxidants and essential fruit sugars. Besides, they taste good!

The gist of this article is to choose delicious foods which are rich in the nutrients that are universally agreed upon as vital for brain health as well as starting our day out with a hearty breakfast. The foods mentioned above are a large part of my diet, following a near fatal illness three years ago, and work for me.

There's lots of info and recipes available for all tastes and following these guidelines will most certainly make a difference in how you think and feel for life. Thanks for reading.




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