July 2024

Stress

• Increasing The Body’s Resilience To Stress
• Herbs For Reducing Stress – Herbal Nervine Relaxant
• Adaptogen Herbs For Stress Management
• Food For Though – Nutrition For The Nervous System.

Food For Thought – Nutrition For The Nervous System

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the rate of ADHD increased by 41% between 2003 and 2012. In the 70th, bipolar was diagnosed in around 1% of Americans every year. By early 2000, 4-7% of Americans were diagnosed with bipolar yearly. 

Suicide rates increased in most states in the US  from 1999 to 2016, with some states showing an increase of 30%.

Research done by the insurance company Blue Shield Blue Cross found that Diagnosis rates of dementia increased by 200% from 2013 to 2017 in people ages 30 to 64. 

All evidence points to a decline in brain health. The increase in conditions associated with the nervous system is not due to a pharmaceutical deficiency but rather to a lifestyle that doesn’t support a healthy nervous system. 

The brain-like all other parts of the body will benefit from:

• A healthy, nutrient-dense diet
• Movement
• Rest and sleep 
• Reducing stress

Let’s examine how your diet can support or compromise your brain’s health.

Fast food, slow thinking

Fast food is really bad for your brain for a couple of reasons:

Food additives

Fast food contains additives meant to extend its shelf life, make it look tempting, and enhance its taste. 

Food additives influence the gut microbiome, a host of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that eat leftovers that you can’t digest and produce short-chain fatty acids. These short-chain fatty acids produce the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the gut and regulate neurotransmitters in the brain via the vagus nerves. Frequent use of food laden with food additives is associated with ADHD and degenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

Sugar and the brain

Sugar is a common ingredient in most processed and fast foods, that has huge implications for your metabolism, the process of energy production in every one of your cells.

Your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose and uses glucose as the main energy source to allow cells to function properly. Too much fuel can damage cells, and too little starve them. 

The brain needs  a constant, steady flow of glucose to fuel its neurons. When neurons get too much or too little glucose, they become damaged.

Highs and dips in blood glucose are associated with insulin resistance and type 1 and 2 diabetes.

High blood glucose levels can lead to brain atrophy or shrinkage. It can also lead to small-blood vessel disease, which restricts blood flow in the brain, causing cognitive difficulties that, if severe enough, lead to vascular dementia.

Hypoglycemia, a condition of dips in blood sugar, may be linked to problems with depression, memory, and attention. 

Some doctors call dementia type 3 diabetes. 

To avoid highs and dips in blood glucose, you want to:

• Reduce simple carbohydrates, including baked goods and sweets. 

• Consume mainly carbs from veggies, fruits, and legumes. Carbs from plants are absorbed in the context of fiber, which slows glucose absorption into the blood, preventing highs and dips. 
• Eat your carbs with protein and fats to slow their absorption into the blood. 

Magnesium and the brain

Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for energy production, muscle relaxation, blood pressure, and nerve function. 

The USDA performs an analysis of nutrients in common vegetables. In the last hundred years, they found a consistent decline in magnesium in vegetables such as spinach. It means that if you eat the same amount of spinach you ate 50 or 100 years ago, you get far less magnesium than you got in the pas

Magnesium regulates metabolism in every cell of the body. Metabolism, the process of cell energy production, happens in the mitochondria. Organs with high energy needs, like the brain, contain more mitochondria in their cells. Because the brain never rests, it consumes a lot of energy, which leads to a high magnesium need. 

Magnesium harmonizes nerve signal transmission and preserves the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Deficiency in magnesium can lead to neuro-inflammation, a condition associated with degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.

Foods rich in magnesium are:

• Banana
• Dark leafy greens (spinach,kale)
• Nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews)
• Seeds (chia, pumpkin)
• Legumes (beans, lentils)
• Avocado
• Dark chocolate

Omega 3 Fatty acid

Omega 3 fatty acid is an essential fatty acid, meaning your body can not create it; therefore, you need to consume it in your diet. 

About  50-60% of the brain weight is made out of fats, of which 35% are omega-3. The quality of the fats you consume in your food is detrimental to the quality of your brain cells. If you want your brain to look like the cooking oil in McDonald’s, keep eating the “Happy Meal.” But there is a good chance that the “Happy Meal” may lead to depression. 

 The benefits of omega 3 for the brain are due to its anti-inflammatory effects. 

omega-3 improved learning, memory, focus, and blood flow in the brain. 

Supplementing with fish oil, a source of omega 3 was found to improve depressive symptoms in people with depression, with effects comparable to those of antidepressant medications. 

The best source of omega 3 is cold-water, small, mid-size fish such as sardines and salmon. Supplementing with 400EPA 400DHA fish oil is suggested for people who are struggling with inflammation, insomnia, brain fog, and depression. 

 Food is not just calories. It is a language made out of minute amounts of chemical compounds that speak a language the body can understand. The best way to keep your brain healthy and prevent mood disorders and degenerative diseases is to feed your brain nourishing foods.