The Brain Diet - Pt 2
Going along with what was said last week, the number one brain food is the great American egg. Eggs are the perfect protein. They are the protein source upon which every other protein is measured. Most stores now give the person the option to buy organic eggs. We noted last week children, as well as adults, who eat breakfast, are just more mentally alert throughout the day. This information along with the fact that eggs are a great source of choline, make Eggs our number one pick for brain foods.
Importance of Choline:
Choline is an essential nutrient necessary for brain function. It is the precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is very prevalent in the brain. When the brain does not have enough acetylcholine memory and concentration are affected. Children with attention deficit disorder are felt to have a deficiency in acetylcholine as well as those people with alzheimer’s disease.
Eggs are an excellent source of choline as well as beef liver, beef steak, cauliflower, lettuce, peanuts, grapes, potatoes, oranges, and milk.
Choline is an integral structural part of the nutrient lecithin. By the way, fish is also an excellent source of choline, one of the reasons fish is our second choice for brain food. Because primarily animal products are the richest source of choline, strict vegetarians could be at risk of deficiency. In "at deficiency risk" people it is a good idea to either eat the above foods, or take 250mg of choline in supplement form. A rich source of this are lecithin granules.
Fish, the number 2 choice for brain food:
Research is showing that children who are breast fed, long-term are smarter than children who are not. Research is also showing that children and adults with concentration problems are improved by taking fish oil supplements. You see breast milk and fish oils eat provide the body with essential fats that are needed for the brain to function correctly. Most people don’t realize that the brain is essential one big glob of fat. Yes it is true the brain is essentially all fat.
We would like to bring up one other point about fat. Every cell of the body is surrounded by a cell membrane that is composed of fat. If a person doesn’t provide his/her body with the fats that are needed for normal cell or brain functioning, problems will arise.
When children and adults continually eat fried foods or prepackaged foods with hydrogenated oils, there becomes an imbalance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Most Americans have twenty times more (or consume more) omega 6 than omega 3 fatty acids. A healthy ratio is about two to one. In other words, Americans are eating 10 times too many of the omega 6 fatty acids. The typical American diet is a disaster regarding fats, with consumption of far too many omega 6 fatty acids, trans fats in processed foods and margarine, and high meat consumption that is not balanced with adequate amounts of omega 3 fatty acids from raw seeds, nuts, unprocessed oils, and fish.
Too many omega 6 fatty acids cause a systemic inflammatory condition in the body that has been implicated in the following conditions:
Mental fatigue
ADD
Autism
Alzheimer’s
Eczema
Arthritis
Glaucoma
Cancer
The best source of omega 3 fatty acids is fresh water fish (with fins). Yes, consume trout, tilapia, salmon, tuna, swordfish, and flounder. For the person who doesn’t eat enough fish or doesn’t like taste, consider taking a fish oil supplement. Make sure you choose cold pressed oils and that it provides 1000mg of EPA and DHA, the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil. The most economical way to supplement this is with good old fashioned cod liver oil. They make cod liver oil now in many tantalizing flavors.
For the person desiring to stick with a vegetarian diet consider using flax seed oil and consuming flax seeds. Other potential sources of healthy oils include olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and walnut oil.
It should be noted that it is easy to test via a blood test to see if a person is deficient in any essential fatty acids.
Other Recommended Brain Foods:
We have talked about acetylcholine. The other main brain hormones include serotonin and norepinephrine. Serotonin and norepinephrine are made from the amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, respectively.
When a person has a mental condition, such as ADD, depression, or anxiety, it is common for them to be prescribed medications, such as Prozac or another antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. These work by increasing certain brain neurotransmitters or hormones. What we find at Caring Medical is that when the person is tested they are deficient in the amino acids from which the neurotransmitters are made. The overwhelming finding is that the person is either not eating enough protein, from which the amino acids come, or they are not digesting the proteins.
Tryptophan and tyrosine both are found in protein sources. Some of the more healthy protein sources are soy, nuts, seeds, fish, and lean cuts of turkey, chicken, and beef.
In researching brain nutrients, a common one that comes up a lot is acetyl-N-carnitine. But again carnitine is an amino acid that is plentiful in protein sources. The first step in helping with memory is eat enough protein, and stay away from processed/fried foods.
Blueberries, black berries, and dark red vegetables such as beets are a good source of anthocyanins which not only help ward off cancer, but also help nourish the brain.
Summary
To stay mentally alert throughout the day and to be as smart as you can be, it is critical to maintain adequate blood sugar control throughout the day. Simple steps to take include:
Eating breakfast
Eat eggs which provide a great source of choline, a precursor for the brain hormone acetylcholine.
Don’t go more than three hours without eating something.
Eliminate sugar to reduce blood sugar swings.
Eat fish which contain healthy fatty acids needed for proper brain function
Additional supplements: Ginko for mental clarity and memory, Vinpocetin to enhance circulation and oxygenation to the brain.
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