FEEDING YOUR BEAUTIFUL BRAIN
Your brain weighs just about 3lb, or about 2 per cent of overall normal body weight, but it requires 15-20 per cent of the energy you reap from your daily calorie intake. And, when your brain works harder, it uses up nutrients faster. We’ve been hearing, for a while now, that some foods are better for your brain than others. We’ve been looking at the latest wisdom about what, when, and how much to eat to optimize your brain function and health.
It turns out, that lately, lots of myths have been dispelled.
Firstly, we’ve been warned that illegal drugs and alcohol are bad for our brains, they impair our cognitive function, and they kill brains cells that can never be replaced. Well..... it ain’t necessarily so.
New research from MIT, Princeton, and others shows that our brains keep growing, not only new synapses, but also new cells, from conception to the end of our lives. Certain foods, such as walnuts and fatty fish, which are high in omega-3, can change the gene expression in our brains by creating new brains cells and increasing communications between our neurons.
Food is essentially a drug, which can shape our brains and determine their present state and future possibilities. And, as with all other drugs, dosage and combinations matter.
Secondly, we’ve been told fat is the enemy. Actually, we are all fatheads! Our brains are more than 60% fat. The myelin insulation around neural axons and glial cells is mostly lipid, And certain fats make us think better.
Fat
Fatty fish, like salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines deliver EPA and DHA, the omega-3 essential fatty acids that help keep our memories strong and useful.
Fatty plants, like flax seeds, soy, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, olives, and their expressed oils also make our trips down memory lane more productive and slow brain aging. Avocados help our brains by improving vascular health and blood flow.
A study, published in the Journal of Neurochemistry, compared the effects of monounsaturated fats from olive and canola oils with polyunsaturated fats from meat, fish and vegetable oils, specifically monitoring a biochemical and electrical changes in cells within the learning and memory centers of the brain. The diets high in monounsaturated fats, largely prevalent in Mediterranean diets, were shown to slow aging and increase the production and release acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter critical for learning and memory.
Thirdly, we’ve been warned that caffeine, refined carbs, and sugars are “foods of death.” But five cups of coffee and a pain au chocolate can actually make your brain quite happy in the morning, according to Gary Wenk, author of “Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings
Coffee and chocolate are also antioxidants. They can help to protect us from cellular damage and aging. In addition to these two, Wenk points another antioxidant superstar that is particularly good: marijuana.
Wenk’s prescriptive recipe: “Five cups of coffee, one puff of a marijuana cigarette and eight ounces of dark chocolate every day should be part of everyone’s daily dietary regimen. [But only if you live in certain states!]” Or perhaps a pot brownie and a few espressos? Surprisingly, and somewhat ironically, studies show these to be more effective in elderly brains.
Watch Wenk’s fascinating TED talk about it.
Video: TEDxTalks
Go ahead, have another cappuccino while you read on. Coffee offers still more. Some research suggests that drinking coffee can actually stave off depression in women. Coffee also enhances the function of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and allows us to pay attention and learn more efficiently. And those 5 cups a day can help keep Parkinsons away.
And as you reach for your chocolate bar, read about how chocolate has been in the news a lot lately, extolled for its health benefits, mostly linked to its antioxidant content. Its caffeine content has also been cited as a benefit in boosting brain power. And chocolate’s flavonoids helps to improve blood flow to the brain by regulating cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. Recent studies, reported in Scientific American, show that the high levels of flavonol found in raw cocoa lead to greater cognitive function, including verbal fluency, visual searching, and attention. Once cocoa is processed, however, the flavonols and their associated benefits are stripped out.
A new paper published in the August New England Journal of Medicine, by Columbia University’s Franz Messerli, studied the correlation of a country’s chocolate consumption per capita and its number of Nobel Laureates. It proposes the notion that chocolate makes you smarter! Makes sense to us! (Switzerland boasts top scores in both factors.).
The plants and animals we eat transmit their biochemistry to us. They have evolved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms for protecting them from the potential environmental dangers they face, and they get passed along. Their serotonin becomes our serotonin. Their fuel becomes ours.
Gary Wenk likes to get his extra dose of neurotransmitters from sushi. “One of my favorite types of sushi is giant clam, and when you eat that, you're going to have wonderful dreams—it's almost hallucinogenic.”
Of course, everything we eat alters our brain chemistry. But the best foods for our brains are ones that contain four kinds of chemicals:
1) Glucose - brain fuel (from fats and carbs/sugars). They give us energy.
2) Fatty acids - synapse strength (from fatty fish and plants). They help us think and remember.
3) Amino acids - neurotransmitter function (from proteins). They help us stay sharp, sleep tight, stay happy, fight disease, and learn.
4) Antioxidants - brain cell protectors (from colorful fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, and chocolate). They help help us fight stress and hang on to our youth.
Here’s the latest wisdom on other, less controversial foods that are the best sources for our beautiful brains:
1) A bowlful of berries:
Why they are good: antioxidants and polyphenols. They are anti-aging, can lower blood pressure and support heart health. Their bright, deep colors are their calling card.
A recent study, published in the Annals of Neurology, found that a diet high in blueberries and strawberries resulted in a greater tendency towards slower mental decline in areas like memory and focus.
According to a recent report in Science Daily and research underway at Aarhus University’s Department of Food Science by Christian Clement Yde, each type of berry offers a slightly different benefit:
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Blueberries: specialize in lowering the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. They are considered the ultimate antioxidant superstar, in a Tufts University ranking.
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Strawberries: specialize in blood sugar management, minimizing blood sugar spikes when eating sugary foods.
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Raspberries: specialize in preventing cervical, esophageal, and colon cancer, due to their high levels of ellagic acid. Their ketones boost metabolism, helping you to burn fat.
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Goji berries: specialize in boosting human growth hormone and creating chemical balance
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Cranberries: specialize in preventing and treating infection and help guard against cancer.
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Blackberries: specialize in preventing stroke, cancer, and gout.
Photo: Courtesy of Healthy Plate 5
2) Whole grains
They release glucose into your bloodstream slowly. And wheat germ, in particular, is a rich source of choline -- a nutrient that is involved in the body's production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that boosts memory.
3) Tomatoes
These lycopene-rich gems are antioxidant heroes, found to help protect against the kind of free radical damage to cells which occurs in the development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's.
4) Dark Green veggies
Broccoli gives us vitamin K, which enhances cognitive function, while spinach is rich in the antioxidant lutein, which helps protect against cognitive decline, according to researchers from Tufts University and a longitudinal study at Harvard Medical School.
5) Garlic
Garlic may help stave off some forms of brain cancer, according to research published in the medical journal of the American Cancer Society. Investigators found that the organosulfur compounds in garlic kill glioblastoma cells -- a type of malignant tumor cell.
6) Nuts
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that a good intake of vitamin E-laden nuts can help to prevent cognitive decline, particularly in the elderly.
Walnuts, in particular, are contain anti-inflammatory nutrients and alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which helps to promote blood flow to the brain. And walnut-munching mice had improved learning, memory, and better motor skill coordination, according to research presented at the 2010 International Conference on Alzheimer's, according to MyHealthNewsDaily.
A recent study published in Nutritional Neuroscience, showed that nuts, added to the Mediterranean diet, increased the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the blood, which reduced the incidence of depression in the patients studies. Gary Wenk deduced that if you are depressed, eating a typical Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts might improve your mood.
7) Water
When a person becomes dehydrated, their brain tissue actually shrinks. And several studies have shown that dehydration can affect cognitive function. Dehydration can impair short-term memory, focus and decision making, according to Psychology Today.
Check out some beautiful brain food recipes on Food52:
And more on this Brain Food pinboard.
