A Reminder of Brain Foods:
The Memory and Meal Connections
By Ross K Foad
Think back to what you had for lunch yesterday , can you remember? Ok what about dinner yesterday evening ? If the answer is still no I will stretch the question to breakfast this morning?
If you cant recall that or you are reading this magazine during breakfast and still don't know the answer then you may not be taking in the right sort of foods for optimal memory functions.
Because the foods you eat and how well your brain performs are very much connected and it is a proven fact that eating the right foods can sharpen your memory , improve your moods , keep you emotionally stable,boost ones IQ and sharpen your memory ...if you did not notice thats the second time ive written that then I urge you to read on and discover the foods that can assist you in keeping your brain alert and fresh so little things like that will not slip you by any more .
Thinking is a chemical process of the body which requires the cells in your brain to communicate smoothly and quickly with each other and they do this via a connective path between each other known as Neurotransmitters which are created from the amino acids found in protein rich foods .
The best sources of protein to obtain the correct amino acids you would need to consume foods such as Chicken breast,Eggs,Fish Fillets,Dairy Yoghurt ,Steaks,Kidney Beans,Tofu,Soya Milk/Soya yogurt ,Lentils , Peanut Butter,Pumpkin Seeds and Peas .
You might notice I have provided both omnivore and vegan options here , for vegans such as myself it can be slightly harder to get all the amino acids because most plant proteins do not contain all of them in one go and thus are incomplete so try and ensure you get a varied source of the vegan options throughout the day will and this make up for the short fall .
The one exception to this rule however is the soya bean and its products which is the only plant protein to contain all amino acids so taking a cup of soy milk or a 1/3 of a tofu block would be of a huge benefit to a vegan.
Now before your run off to a saloon and order a cowboy meal of steak and beans these alone are not enough as although amino acids are known as the buiding blocks of the body they need a lot more to be used , this is the equivalent of giving a builder half a ton of bricks with no cement or tools and expecting him to make your bathroom , its unreasonable and illogical and simply nothing would happen ( some readers may debate this and say you can do the above with all the right equipment being there and having paid out for the works and still nothing might happen but you get the basic picture ) .
These amino acids need to combine with other substances to create the Neurotransmitters , First of Acetylcholine .(ACH)
The ACH transmitters are mainly responsible for memory , voluntary muscle movement and behavioral inhibition , people with Alzheimer's often lack ACH transmissions which cause the memory blocks and loss thus they would benefit enormously from taking foods rich in Sulphur such as Broccoli,Cauliflower,Cabbage as well as wheatgerm,peanuts,egg yolks, and fish .
The 2nd Neurotransmitter is the Dopamine transmitter, a lack of which could cause problems paying attention to detail and your ability to learn , people with Parkinson's disease often have damaged dopamine transmitters which result in tremors and loss of balance .
Foods rich in Dopamine are mainly the protein rich foods that contain the amino acids anyway so just ensure you are getting a good amount of protein in each meal with Beans,Nuts.Fish as well as Bananas,Apples,Watermelons and Wheatgerm.
The last Neurotransmitter is created from the amino acids combined with Serotonin , Serotonin allows your brain to feel pleasure and happiness , a healthy level enables peaveful sleep , a feeling of calm and controls appetite , a lack of this chemical is linked with depression which is why a commonly described drug for people with clinical depression is A SSRI ( Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitor ) for example Prozac which assists the body to produce more of this marvelous chemical to enable one to feel much calmer .
But increasing Serotonin does not require drugs and can be done naturally through eating foods rich in it such as starchy carbohydrates such as Porridge,Sweetcorn,Wholegrain Bread,Brown Rice,Beans,Sweet Potatoes,Pumpkin,Parsnips,Leeks and Beetroot.
To further increase brain functioning and growth ensure a healthy intake of vitamins , particularly Vitamins A,C,E which are abundant in red/orange fruit and vegetables so ensure you eat lots of things like Spinach, Sweet Potato , Kale ,Red Peppers,Apples , Oranges, Strawberry's,Avocados.Eggs and seeds .
You will also need a healthy dose of minerals to allow even smoother running like Potassium found in dried apricots,raisins,bananas,tomatoes.Soya beans and potatoes.
As well as Calcium rich foods such as Tofu,Broccoli,Orange Juice,Dairy Yogurts and cabbage because Potassium and Calcium combined will assist the thinking process and aid the speed the transmitters can communicate information from brain cell to brain cell.
Also ensure you increase your intake of Omega 3 Fats because your brain cells are actually covered by protective barriers which around 3/4 of it is created from fat therefore its essential to have a good supply of the healthy fats to protect the cells , people with ADD,Autism,dyslexia and memory loss often benefit from an increase of the good fats due to the Neurotransmitters omitting clearer messages to each other so the individual can decode body responses more efficiently .
Your goody bag of Omega 3s would contain Avocados,Herrings,Salmon,Walnuts,Spinach,Flax Seeds, and Omega 3 enriched Eggs ( I don't advise putting all of these in a goody bag actually as it would make a disgusting mess)
The last thing you are going to do is take a good supply of water each day , water helps move the nutrients mentioned above and eliminate toxins which can hamper the process , your brain needs to be well hydrated for good circulation and mental awareness so I advise taking around 6-8 clear cups of water a day , (this can include herbal and fruit teas but not regular tea/coffee) .
Readers of my previous article Beautiful Skin + Beautiful Foods may have noticed there are a lot of foods mentioned here that were also in the the previous article for good skin , this goes to show you healthy foods have many uses are wonderful healers capable of creating healthy beautiful well functioned body's .
To conclude eating more of the foods I have just mentioned combined with the proteins will enable the brain neurotransmitters to be created and function well allowing an improvement in memory ,attention,speed of thinking and overall feeling of calm.
I know there's been a lot to take in and you may not remember it all but note down some of the key foods , start eating them , re-read this article and I promise you it will all start to sink in with ease.