Clear The Brain Fog With 5 Things You Need To Know To Boost Brain Health Now
Clear the brain fog!
Hippocrates is a historical figure from Ancient Greece that is still considered to be the “Father of Medicine’ is quoted as saying “Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” After more than nearly 2000 years he is more right than ever. There were no CVS stores in his time, so the wise medicine men of his culture didn’t prescribe pills to heal you, they mostly prescribed foods to do thy healing.
That’s what these 5 things you need to boost brain health now is all about. We always here about ways to boost our heart health or our overall physical health but, we don’t often think about our most important area, our heads.
Here are the top 5 things to boost your brain health now
1. AVOID…Fatty Meals
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Stressful work day? Don’t even think about eating a croissant. Foods high in fat can negatively impact your brain, according to a study published in Frontiers in Nutrition and Nutrients. You should opt for a balanced diet that includes a good amount of protein, the right carbohydrates and healthy fats. You know that French fries are delicious but, are almost the worst single food choice we make way too often.
2. STOP…Skipping Breakfast
(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
For those constantly running out the door without so much as a banana, it’s time to prioritize what’s commonly called the most important meal of the day. Skipping breakfast may have an impact on your mental health. These days we hear a lot about IF, that’s intermittent fasting for short. For some people this is a viable option to lose and maintain weight loss, but not at the cost of morning and perhaps all day brain fog. If skipping breakfast leaves you in a fog, you should make sure to have a healthy breakfast.
3. TAKE … Cocoa supplements
circa 1800: A branch carrying the fruit of the theobroma cocao. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Can popping a cocoa supplement help your brain? Yes, a new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found — and the result is even more prominent in those who already had a poor quality diet overall. We have heard for quite a while now that dark chocolate and quality cocoa are good for you. The hard part is to not over indulge in the wrong kinds of chocolate and having too much. Try to limit the intake to a very small daily potion, whether in powder form added to coffee or a one inch square of good dark chocolate and enjoy!
4. EAT … Wasabi
Wasabi (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Research from Tohoku University in Japan concluded that wasabi improved both working memory, the type of memory that allows you to accomplish tasks in the moment, and episodic memory, which allows you to recall events from your past. If you enjoy sushi, then you are familiar with wasabi and know how it adds an added kick to the delicious rolls, however if you’re not familiar with wasabi, go slowly! Wasabi is one of the hottest foods you can eat and a little dab will do ya, as they used to say. Go slow and go small.
5. IMPROVE…Your Sleep Quality
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Want to Live a Longer Life? Do These 8 Things!
1. Eat a wide variety of different plant foods
Mom was right, eat your vegetables and lots of them. The study find that most of us are woefully short on our daily vegetable consumption, for most of us we are only getting about 33% of the daily requirements. So, let’s get more veggies on the plate, of course this doesn’t mean you have to live a vegetarian lifestlye to get there, just amp up your greens and other veggies along with your protein to get there.2. Reel in more oily fish
Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are packed with heart healthy Omega 3’s that are good for your heart health. For a lot of folks the thought of eating a tin of sardines is off putting but there are so many great varieties now that you mind one you can stomach, if not, opt for the salmon and try to keep it wild if you can. Otherwise, a daily supplement is recommended.3. Increase your daily fiber
Fiber is essential and most of think we get a lot more than we actually do. We’re supposed to get up to 30 grams a day but most of us average around 20g’s. To get more fiber in your daily diet the dietician Helen Bond says ” We need to be eating more wholegrain or higher fiber varieties, such as brown rice, oats, whole wheat pasta and whole meal bread,” she explains. “It’s also good to try your hand at some of the less familiar wholegrains available such as quinoa, whole barley, bulgur (cracked) wheat.”
4. Get your 5-a day of fruit and vegetables
We already discussed getting more veggies and now we should look at adding more fruit in, we are short on our fruit consumption. On average we get one to two servings of fruit per day and rarely hit all five. Dietician Bond says, “Studies have shown that people who eat plenty of fruit and veg have a lower risk of developing many diseases, including high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and stroke.”5. Stash the salt
Salt is one of the biggest contributors to heart attacks and strokes because we are consuming well over the recommended daily amount of six grams per day. That is now more than two teaspoons per day, most of are getting more than double that amount. Keep an eye on the packaging sodium ingredients percentages of your daily requirements and you will see how much hidden salt is in our foods. Dietician Helen Bond also says, all salts are the same whether it’s plain old table salt or Kosher or pink. Watch your intake.
6. Watch your alcohol intake
It’s recommended to not have more than one drink per day, and for some dieticians, that is too much because alcohol is a contributor to all kinds of diseases such as, heart and liver disease, not to mention kidney issues, plus alcohol is high in calories and will contribute to weight gain which is bad for your overall health. Dietician Helen Bond says keep your alcohol limited to 2 or 3 units per week.
7. Saturated fats and sugary treats
Watch your fat and sugar intake very closely because both lead to weight gain and the possible beginning of type 2 diabetes , swap out the highly saturated fats with unsaturated fats whenever you can, so it’s less of the butters and lards and more olive oil. Dietician Bond also says “trim the fat on your meats when you can to save on the saturated fats.” Of course we all know that sugar is hiding everywhere and needs to be limited to small treats. You can have your cake, but keep it to very little slices on very special occasions.8. Make more homemade meals
We all love to go out to eat but we also know that restaurants like to add lots of salt and fat and sugar to make food tasty, but that is not going to help us live longer, sadly.
The last piece of advice from dietician Helen Bond is, “Cooking from scratch as much as possible can help you eat healthily by allowing you to control the amount of fat, salt and sugar you add.”
We’re all a little addicted to our screens, but it may be seriously impacting our ability to get a decent night’s rest — and now, sleep experts are sounding the alarm bell about digital distractions before bed. Most experts recommend at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night and for most of that is hard to achieve with all the distractions and stressors we have in the modern world. Make your bedroom a welcoming space to sleep and rejuvenate. You cannot overstate our needs for quality sleep, for us it really all starts with a good night’s sleep.
