Good Nutrition: What You Eat Affects Your Brain

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Good Nutrition: What You Eat Affects Your Brain by: Dr. Lorne S. Label, Brain Longevity Center Making healthy food choices is important at any age. New medical evidence shows that what you feed your body directly affects your brain. A ?brain healthy? diet means low-fat, low cholesterol choices combined with an abundance of antioxidant foods that are beneficial to the brain. Better nutrition will be good for your heart and your mind. Many people start out the day with supplements. While it is probably a good idea to take a daily multivitamin to give our bodies a little extra boost, popping a pill is no substitute for a well-rounded, healthy diet. Studies have shown that most of us do not get enough protein rich foods, and when we do consume protein it is usually later in the day. Scientists know that adequate proteins are vital to having an optimum thinking process, and a protein-based meal in the middle of the day will optimize your mental performance. But doesn?t protein usually include fat, which is bad for you? Yes, but not all fats are created equal. While it is true that we want to limit the saturated fats that are found in red meats and animal products, you can replace these ?bad fats? with Omega-3 fatty acids ? also called ?essential fats? ? which help keep the brain operating at its peak. In fact, Omega-3 fats are so important to a good diet that a severe lack of these good fats can lead to depression, poor memory, low IQ, learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADD and many more mental disorders. To ensure that your diet is rich in Omega-3 fats, eat plenty of oily, cold-water fish like wild salmon, sardines, whitefish, trout, tuna, herring, sable fish, mackerel and anchovies. Ask your doctor if you should also take an Omega-3 supplement on a daily basis. While the goal is to increase the Omega-3s in your diet, you also want to decrease the intake of trans-fats ? sometimes called trans fatty acids or hydrogenated vegetable oils. Found in many processed foods, trans-fats will pack on the pounds and provide absolutely no nutrition for your body. They are empty calories, so whenever possible, choose fresh foods over processed.