Introduction to Brain Health
Most people don’t realize that what they eat has affects brain function including, memory, focus, concentration, and cognition. Ever noticed how you cannot think or focus properly when you’ve skipped lunch? That is a short-term effect of the lack of glucose in the brain.
The brain primarily uses glucose (a simple sugar) for fuel but that doesn’t mean that you need to eat glucose for better brain health. Your brain also needs nutrients to run all of the chemical processes necessary for the proper functioning of the brain.
How Nutrition Impacts Brain Health, Focus, and Concentration
There is good evidence in medical literature to suggest that what we eat and how we treat our brain not only affects how our brain works today but how it will work in years or decades in the future. Nourishing the brain should be high on our list of things to do.
What we eat today can have an impact on age-related conditions such as age-related cognitive decline and diseases like Alzheimer’s dementia.
Nutrition and Your Health Today
Not eating the right foods can have an impact on how your brain functions on a day-to-day basis. If you are, for example, feeling foggy, suffering from fatigue, having an inability to concentrate, or simply feel sluggish, it is likely that you are not eating the right food for brain health.
If you are dieting, under physical or mental stress, or choose to eat on the go much of the time, it is easy to become deficient in the nutrients your brain needs to function from day to day. Not eating right can lead to memory loss, poor concentration, cognitive deficits, and even depression. The nutrients you need for brain health do not come from a diet of fast foods or a diet deficient in essential nutrients.
There are many nutrients that your brain needs to function properly. Some of these include the following:
- Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acid
- Vitamin D
- Phytochemicals including flavonoids in fruits and berries and curcumin, an Indian spice
- B vitamins
- Vitamin E
These nutrients are essential for the health of the brain and have an impact on the cognitive and emotional processes the brain engages in every day.
Key Nutrients for Brain Health
While you should always eat a balanced diet that includes a variety of different foods in various colors to support good health and important internal body processes, certain nutrients are especially important for brain health, cognition, and optimal focus. Let’s take a look at the key nutrients your brain needs for better health:
Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids
These are considered healthy fats, necessary for the growth and development of all the cells of our body, including those in the brain. They have a known positive action when it comes to cardiovascular health and they improve brain health as well.
Deficiencies in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have been linked to many different cognitive brain dysfunctions and can even contribute to depression and anxiety.
The main fatty acids associated with brain health are the following:
- Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid)
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid)
- Linoleic acid (LA, an omega-6 fatty acid)
These fatty acids cannot be produced by the body’s metabolism and are therefore considered “essential fatty acids” because we need to get them in our diet. These fatty acids are vital for the making and maintenance of the cell membranes of cells fund in the brain. Basically, they affect cell membrane permeability so that neurotransmitters are transmitted from one cell to another.
The transfer of neurotransmitters from one cell to another in the brain is necessary for all areas of brain functioning. Without omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, our neurotransmitters have a harder time traveling from one brain cell to another and chemical messaging in the brain is interrupted.
Omega-3 fatty acids are important in affecting mental health. They help with the transmission of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, working alongside selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac to increase the amount of serotonin available to the cells of the brain.
Part of what makes omega-3 fatty acids so special in the brain is their ability to reduce brain inflammation. They do this in the cardiovascular system as well, reducing the risk of inflammation-related heart disease. In the brain, omega-3s stop the inflammation related to the development of depression.
Omega-3 fatty acid also helps the brain produce BDNF, which stands for bone-derived neurotrophic factor. This brain factor ultimately results in the cellular processes necessary in the areas of memory and learning.
People deficient in omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with getting brain disorders like ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and dyslexia. In the short haul, it leads to tiredness and memory difficulties.
The B Vitamins
B vitamins are associated with excellent brain health. The most healthful B vitamins for the brain include vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate. Each has an important role in brain cellular metabolism. B12 is necessary for a cellular process called methylation, which is a chemical process required for the survival of all cell types, including those of the brain. Methylation is important in the production of certain neurotransmitters, myelin production, and cell communication.
B12 enhances the communication processes in the brain. Without it, the brain moves sluggishly and doesn’t transmit signals as fast as they should be transmitted. B12 also requires sAMe, which stands for S-adenosylmethionine—a common supplement found in health food stores and pharmacies. It is found to improve a person’s mood and relieve depression. Both B12 and SAMe are necessary for the methylation process.
B12 deficiency leads to a compromise in cell communication—not only in present daytime but also in the future. B12 has been found to protect the brain from suffering from age-related atrophy of brain cells. It has also been found to protect the white matter of the brain, which is the part of the brain that “wires” different parts of the brain together for good functioning.
Prolonged B12 deficiency eventually worsens brain function to the point of dementia. This means we need to stay on top of B12 deficiency to prevent future cases of decreased cognitive function.
Vitamin B6 and folate (vitamin B9) are vitamins that, along with B12, are essential for the function of the brain. Folate has gained a lot of popularity and is found fortified in a number of foods because deficiency among pregnant women can lead to neural tube defects and anencephaly, both devastating birth defects.
In some research studies, it has been found that deficiencies in folate increase a person’s risk of depression and worsens cognition. B vitamin levels can be assayed in the blood and, for brain health; it is a good idea to have these levels checked to make sure you aren’t deficient.
Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals come from plants. The major group of phytochemicals studied for brain health is the flavonoids. Flavonoids are found in black and green tea, blueberries, apples, citrus fruits, beer, wine, and cocoa. They seem to help brain health when you are young and as you age.
Flavonoids help in many different brain functions, including the repair of brain damage. They help the brain’s neurons communicate with each other and have antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties that diminish cell damage inside the brain.
Flavonoids help us form new memories and prevent brain cell death. They help in synaptic plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reconnect and form new connections. We need these new connections to lay down new memories, to learn and to have excellent cognition.
Flavonoids prevent cognitive decline that is so prevalent in things like Alzheimer’s disease. They act as anti-oxidants, which protect the cells from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to the formation of plaques in Alzheimer’s dementia.
Vitamin D
When we think of Vitamin D, we often think of bone health and less of its benefits in brain health. Vitamin D is important in the health of our brain by protecting against cognitive delays associated with the aging process.
Vitamin D is believed to play a role in enhancing synaptic plasticity, memory, learning, and brain function. Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to depression and seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D can be found in sunshine so the winter months in areas that are cold involve a lack of sunshine and a subsequent lack of vitamin D.
Vitamin D decreases brain inflammation so that it protects against stress and anxiety. Some researchers have linked vitamin D deficiency to the development of schizophrenia.
Curcumin
Curcumin is the spice that makes the turmeric plant have its familiar yellow color. It is a common spice in Indian foods. Interestingly, Indian populations have a lesser degree of Alzheimer’s dementia when compared to those who eat American diets. It acts to block the plaques seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory agent and acts against amyloid plaques. It is an excellent all-around anti-oxidant. This improves the brain function in those who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Those with the disease who regularly ate curcumin did better on brain function tests than those who did not eat curcumin.
Folate
While scientists are not exactly sure how folate benefits brain health, it is believed that this nutrient lowers levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood, which plays a key role in the death of nerve cells in the brain.
Best Foods for Brain Health
Now that you know what nutrients are important in brain health, it is important to identify which foods contain these nutrients so you can power up your brain on a daily basis.
Foods you can eat that contain nutrients you need for better brain health include the following:
Blueberries
Blueberries are perhaps one of the best foods you can eat for better brain health. They contain anti-oxidants that keep the brain from suffering the negative effects of oxidative stress and reduce the incidence of diseases like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Blueberries improve motor skills and learning capacity and can be eaten fresh, freeze-dried, or frozen. The recommended amount of blueberries to eat each day is about one cup.
Research presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston noted that strawberries, and acai berries are believed to slow age-related cognitive decline as they preserve the brain’s natural “housekeeper” mechanism that also helps eliminate toxic proteins that play a key role in age-related memory loss.
Wild Salmon
Salmon and other deep-water fish have loads of omega-3 essential fatty acids necessary for brain health. Salmon is easy to come by at any supermarket and can be cooked in a variety of ways. The omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory substances that protect the brain from inflammation that ultimately leads to dementia. For variety, you can also get your omega-3 fatty acids by eating herring or sardines. Try a 4-ounce serving eaten at least 2-3 times weekly.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are high in vitamin E, which leads to a reduction of age-related cognitive decline. Just 1 ounce of sunflower seeds contains 30% of your recommended daily intake.
The benefit of vitamin E for brain health is far more from food than supplements.
Good nuts and seeds to eat include an ounce a day of various food items, including flax seed, walnuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, filberts, peanuts, cashews, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds. You can also get your vitamin E in tahini, almond butter, or peanut butter. Be aware of the high salt content of many nuts and buy unsalted nuts if you can’t tolerate salt.
Dark Leafy Greens
Kale, collard greens, spinach, and broccoli are also great sources of vitamin E, and just 1/2 cup of cooked spinach provides 25% of your daily intake requirements.
Dark greens also have folate, which is believed to lower levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood, which plays a key role in the death of nerve cells in the brain.
Avocados
Avocados are excellent for brain health. It is high in monounsaturated fat, which improves blood flow to the brain. They also lower your blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline. Because avocados are not low calorie, eat just a fourth or half of an avocado to a single daily meal.
Whole Grain Foods
This includes foods such as brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-grain breads. They lower the risk of heart disease and improve the blood flow to the brain. Wheat germ is also good for you because it contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Try eating a half cup of whole grain cereal, two to three slices of bread or a couple of tablespoons of wheat germ per day.
Beans
Beans are good because they regulate blood glucose levels. The brain uses glucose for fuel and requires a steady state of blood sugar—not the peaks and valleys of some foods. Just about any bean will regulate blood sugar levels but lentils and black beans are considered some of the best. Try eating a half-cup of beans per day for better brain health.
Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranates are high in anti-oxidants, which help fight oxygen free radicals in the brain. The brain is very sensitive to oxygen free radicals and needs the anti-oxidant properties of foods like pomegranate juice in order to prevent cellular damage. If you can’t find pomegranates, citrus fruits will also do. For better brain health, drink 2 ounces of pomegranate juice diluted with seltzer water or spring water.
Fresh Brewed Tea
Tea contains caffeine, which is actually good for the brain when taken in moderate doses. Caffeine can improve focus, mood, and memory. Tea is also high in anti-oxidants, particularly catechins, which maximize blood flow to the brain. The best tea to drink is freshly brewed tea from fresh leaves.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is rich in anti-oxidants and contains caffeine, which can improve concentration and focus. Caffeine also improves endorphin production, which maximizes mood.
All it takes is a half to one ounce of dark chocolate per day for maximum benefit, moderation is key since chocolate is not a low-calorie food.
Never Neglect the Health of Your Brain!
Your brain is perhaps the most delicate organ in your body and possibly the most important. For this, you need to feed the brain glucose daily for fuel and eat foods high in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
There is evidence to suggest that the vitamins, phytonutrients, and anti-oxidants not only help in day to day functioning of the brain but help in future brain development, blocking those processes that lead to various kinds of dementia.
