Did You Know?... Brain Health

Health Alert: Healthy Brain, Healthy Life

Powerful memory requires a healthy brain and the right nutrition. The brain uses tremendous amounts of energy and is the most metabolically active organ in the body-- it never completely rests. As a result, it has one of the highest rates of free radical production. These free radicals begin to destroy the structure of the brain, its connections and the cells. 

Unless you replace those damaged parts with nutrients, brain function starts to fall off more and more over time. For example, Omega-3 fatty acids are replaced extremely rapidly. If you are deficient in this nutrient, your brain begins to change its structure very quickly and soon (only 2 weeks) loses its ability to properly function because one of its vital components is missing. Americans consume an average of 129 pounds of sugar a year; 57% of it comes from processed foods.

For example, teenagers drink an equivalent of 54 teaspoons of sugar a day just from soda. Sugar consumption dramatically increases free radical generation in the brain. It produces cross-linking of the proteins in all cells which dramatically increases the damaging effect of these free radicals, making every cell in your body age much, much faster -- particularly brain cells. In some extreme cases, it can even result in permanent brain damage. 

Lack of Vitamin B-1 in the diet causes memory failure and depression. Consumption of a lot of carbohydrates depletes Vitamin B-1. Vitamins C, D, E, K, A, B and carotenoids are all associated with brain function. Animal fat impairs the ability to learn and remember, but healthy fats, such as Omega-3, improve depression, memory retention and thinking. 

This is because the brain uses an enormous amount of fatty acids for its membranes. Aspartame, MSG, pesticides, and herbicides in food; aluminum in deodorants; fluoride in the water; and mercury in vaccines may play a major role in brain toxicity and brain function decline. Excessive toxicity destroys brain cells.

A Simple Way To Increase Your "BRAIN POWER"

 Wouldn't it be nice? Wouldn't it make life so much easier?  Just imagine how much time you could save and how much more money you could make if you were just a little bit smarter.  Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about your intelligence.  You were born just so smart, yet that's the way it is- maybe/maybe not.  While you may not be able to change the total amount of intelligence genetics has given you, you can drastically improve the way you use the mind you have.  Think of it as your brain is a muscle, and performs better with exercise.  And, the more exercise you have, the better the response and performance. 

     On the contrary, not exercising your brain leads to deterioration. Harmful drug use can also be devastating.  Recent Activity Is Crucial - You should continue to exercise your body if you want the healthy effects to last.  And, you must continue exercising your brain to be "smarter." So, how do you do it?

     First tip is easy, yet oh so difficult- STOP WATCHING SO MUCH TELEVISION  What's the big deal with watching TV?  Well, answer this quick question- How do you feel after watching a couple hours of the boob tube?  Energized or tired and drained- ready to take a nap?  How do your eyes feel?  Sharp and focused or droopy and fuzzy?  This is because television DRAINS your brain instead of working it out and re-charging it.  It's like you're a battery and the TV drained the power right out of you.  What's that?  You need the TV to relax?

Here's an easy solution, try reading a book or Kindle, or listening to audio CD. Reading actively engages your brain - so you get the positive effects of "exercising it" to make it more efficient... and... it helps you relax and re-charge your mental capacity. You don't have to read about Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity to improve your brain power, although that would definitely help.  Just reading an interesting story for 20-30 minutes every night can do wonders, especially one that has a lot of imagination to invoke your imagination.  Everyone who is an avid reader knows the book is always better than the movie.  That's because YOU conjure up the perfect image for characters and situations when you read the book.  In the movie, a Hollywood producer makes the choice for you and they can never do it as well as you can in your mind.

Author Suggestions :

By Khaled Hosseini        THE KITE RUNNER
By Douglas Adams         THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
By Dan Brown                 Angels & Demons      
                                      The Da Vinci Code
                                      The Lost Symbol
By John Kennedy Tool  A Confederacy of Dunces
By Michael Cavallaro     The 55 Concepts



Might as well grab a book and start reading. If you don't like it, toss it aside and start another. The good thing about all this is - reading will quickly become a habit.  Just do it for 21 days and you will most likely pick an empowering habit that lasts a long time.