Nutrition For The Mind

Learn how to improve your mood and emotional stability, sharpen your memory and keep your mind young!

You Think What You Eat

How you think and feel is affected by what you eat.  Eating the right food can strengthen the mind in more ways than one.  Our minds and bodies learned to adapt to changing climates and food supplies, and to a world that is changing constantly.  But it takes time to adapt and the adaptation can be painful.  Human kind struggles to change in our current industrial revolution, we have invented over 10 million new chemicals, thousands of which are added to our food, are found in common household products, and in the water we drink and the air that we breathe.

Here are some statistics for thought:

• 76% of people are often tired
• 58% suffer from mood swings
• 52% show no emotion, enthusiasm or concern and are unmotivated
• 50% suffer from anxiety
• 47% have difficulty sleeping
• 43% have poor memory or difficulty concentrating
• 42% suffer from depression

How many people do you know that suffer from any of these ailments?
Well, welcome to the 21st century.  The average human today is pushed to their limits and abilities and clearly is one exhausted creature.

So, what are some key factors to help us sharpen the mind?  Well, whether you're in good shape or currently dealing with a mental health problem, there are five essential foods that you need to tune up your brain.

• Balance your glucose - it's fuel for the brain.
• Essential Fats - well the brain is 60% fat, and is needed to build new brain cells.
• Phospholipids - helping brain cells communicate and influence how well receptors function.
• Amino Acids - These are the brains messengers.
• Intelligent nutrients - these include vitamins and minerals that fine tune your mind.

Brain Food Check List

Let me be the one to help you with this checklist to help identify if you are receiving any or enough of the brains essential foods.  If you answer "yes" to five or more, chances are you're not getting enough of the brain foods you need.


Glucose Check List

• Do you eat white breads, rice or pasta, or brown/whole grain?
• Do you crave certain foods?
• Do you use stimulants, such as sugar, tea, coffee, drinks or cigarettes?
• Do you eat fruits, vegetables, or other carbohydrates without protein foods at the same time?
• Do you skip meals?
• Do you wake up unrefreshed or need something to get you going in the morning? Such as coffee or tea or a cigarette?
• Do you feel drowsy during the day?
• Do you lose concentration?
• Do you get dizzy or irritable if you don't eat?
• Do you avoid exercise because you don't have the energy?

Fat Check List

• Do you eat oily fish less than once per week?
• Do you eat seeds or their cold-pressed oils less than 3 times per week?
• Do you consume meat or dairy products most days?
• Do you eat processed or fried foods 3 or more times per week?
• Do you have dry or rough skin or a tendency to eczema?
• Do you have poor memory or difficulty concentrating?
• Do you suffer from PMS or breast tenderness?
• Do you suffer from water retention?
• Do you suffer from dry, watery, or itchy eyes?
• Do you have inflammatory health problems such as arthritis?

Phospholipid Check List

• Do you eat fish less than once per week?
• Do you eat fewer than 3 eggs per week?
• Do you eat liver, soy/tofu, or nuts less than 3 times per week?
• Do you take less than 5g of lecithin each day?
• Is your memory declining?
• Do you sometimes go looking for something and forget what you were looking for?
• Do you find it hard to do calculations in your head?
• Difficulty concentrating?
• Tendency toward depression?
• Are you a "slow learner"?

Amino Acid Check List

• Do you eat less than one portion of protein rich foods per day?
• Do you eat fewer than 2 servings of vegetable sources of protein per day?
• If vegetarian, do you rarely combine different protein foods such as beans, lentils, quinoa, seeds, nuts and whole grains?
• Are you physically active, or work out a lot?
• Suffer from anxiety, depression or irritability?
• Frequently tired or lack of motivation?
• Lose concentration or poor memory?
• Low blood pressure?
• Hair and nails grow slowly?
• Constantly hungry, and frequently get indigestion?

Intelligent Nutrient Check List

• Do you eat fewer than 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily?
• Do you eat fewer than one portion of dark green vegetables daily?
• Do you eat fewer than 3 portions of tropical fruit weekly?
• Do you eat seeds or unroasted nuts fewer than 3 times per week?
• Are you currently not taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement daily?
• Do you usually eat white breads, rice or pasta instead of brown/whole grain?
• Do you consume more than one amount of alcohol most days?
• Suffer from anxiety, depression or irritability?
• Suffer from muscle cramps?
• Do you have white marks on more than two fingernails?

Take this first step into developing and creating a new and healthy lifestyle change.  One step closer to handling and dealing with are day to day activities and in times of extreme changes in our lives.  This is just one step people, into giving strength to the body, mind and soul.

We will dig in deeper to more specifics' later.  For now, lets take the first step.

References:
Holford, Patrick (2004) Optimum Nutrition for the Mind. Laguna Beach CA, USA. 
Basic Health Publications Inc.