# 7 simple brain promoting nutritional tips



## skyydl (Jul 4, 2006)

Seven Simple Brain Promoting Nutritional Tips By Daniel G. Amen, M.D., author of Making a Good Brain Great Here is the seven step plan to get your diet under control and to use food as brain medicine. 
1.Increase water intake Given that your brain is about 80% water, the first rule of brain nutrition is adequate water to hydrate your brain. Even slight dehydration can raise stress hormones which can damage your brain over time. Drink at least 84 ounces of water a day. It is best to have your liquids unpolluted with artificial sweeteners, sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. You can use herbal, non-caffeinated tea bags, such as raspberry or strawberry flavored, and make unsweetened iced tea. Green tea is also good for brain function as it contains chemicals that enhance mental relaxation and alertness. 
2.Calorie restriction Substantial research in animals and now in humans indicates that a calorie-restricted diet is helpful for brain and life longevity. Eating less helps you live longer. It controls weight; decreases risk for heart disease, cancer, and stroke from obesity (a major risk factor for all of these illnesses)and it triggers certain mechanisms in the body to increase the production of nerve growth factors, which are helpful to the brain. Researchers use the acronym CRON for ?calorie restriction with optimal nutrition,? so the other part of the story is to make these calories count. 
3.Fish, Fish Oil, Good Fats and Bad Fats DHA, one form of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, makes up a large portion of the gray matter of the brain. The fat in your brain forms cell membranes and plays a vital role in how our cells function. Neurons are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. DHA is also found in high quantities in the retina, the light-sensitive part of the eye. Research in the last few years has revealed that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help promote a healthy emotional balance and positive mood in later years, possibly because DHA is a main component of the brain?s synapses. 
4.Lots of Dietary Antioxidants A number of studies have shown that dietary intake of antioxidants from fruits and vegetables significantly reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment. The research was done because it was theorized that free radical formation plays a major role in the deterioration of the brain with age. When a cell converts oxygen into energy, tiny molecules called free radicals are made. When produced in normal amounts, free radicals work to rid the body of harmful toxins, thereby keeping it healthy. When produced in toxic amounts, free radicals damage the body's cellular machinery, resulting in cell death and tissue damage. This process is called oxidative stress. Vitamin E and Vitamin C and beta carotene inhibit the production of free radicals. The Best Antioxidant Fruits and Vegetables (from the US Department of Agriculture): Blueberries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Strawberries, Spinach, Raspberries, Brussels sprouts, Plums, Broccoli, Beets, Avocados, Oranges, Red grapes, Red bell peppers, Cherries and Kiwis 
5.Balance Protein, Good Fats and Carbohydrates Given the weight issues in my family, I have read many of the diet programs popular in America. Some I like a lot, others make me a little crazy. The idea of eating protein and fat only, avoiding most grains, fruits and vegetables may be a quick way to lose weight, but it is not a healthy long term way to eat for your body or your brain. The best thing in my mind about the Atkins Diet and its many clones is that they get rid of most of the simple sugars in our diets. Diets high in refined sugars, such as the low fat diets of the past, encourage diabetes, tiredness, and cognitive impairment. Yet, to imply that bacon is a health food and that oranges and carrots are as bad as cake seems silly. The more balanced diets, such as The Zone by Barry Sears, Sugarbusters by H. Leighton Steward and a group of Louisiana based physicians, the South Beach Diet by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, and Powerful Foods for Powerful Minds and Bodies by Rene Thomas make sense from a body and brain perspective. The main principles to take away from these programs is that balance is essential, especially balancing proteins, good fats, and good carbohydrates. Having protein at each meal helps to balance blood sugar levels; adding lean meat, eggs, cheese, soy, or nuts to a snack or meal limits the fast absorption of carbohydrates and prevents the brain fog that goes with eating simple carbohydrates, such as donuts. At each meal or snack, try to get a balance of protein, high fiber carbohydrates, and fat. 
-continued on next page...


----------



## skyydl (Jul 4, 2006)

Pick Your Top 24 Healthy Foods and Put Them in Your Diet Every Week In order for you to stick with a ?brain healthy? calorie restricted nutritional plan you must have great choices. I am fond of the book Super Foods Rx by Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews. It lists 14 top food groups that are healthy and reasonable in calories. I am going to add several other choices that are especially good for the brain. Choose between these 24 foods each week. They are healthy, low in calories, and help us reach the goals of consuming powerful antioxidants, lean protein, high fiber carbohydrates and good fat. 
The American Cancer Society recommends five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Mixing colors (eating from the rainbow) is a good way to think about healthy fruits and vegetables. 
Strive to eat red things (strawberries, raspberries, cherries, red peppers and tomatoes), yellow things (squash, yellow peppers, small portions of bananas and peaches), blue things (blueberries), purple things (plums), orange things (oranges, tangerines and yams), green things (peas, spinach and broccoli), etc. 
Lean Protein 
1. Fish -- Salmon (especially Alaskan Salmon caught in the wild, farmed fish is not as rich in omega-3-fatty acids), tuna, mackerel, herring (also listed under fats) 
2. Poultry -- chicken (skinless) and turkey (skinless) 
3. Meat -- lean beef and pork 
4. Eggs (enriched DHA eggs are best) 
5. Tofu and soy products (whenever possible choose organically raised) 
6. Dairy products -- low fat cheeses and cottage cheese, low fat sugar free yogurt and low fat or skim milk 
7. Beans, especially garbanzo beans and lentils (also listed under carbohydrates) 
8. Nuts and seeds, especially walnuts (also listed under fats) -- Great recipe: soak walnuts in water and sea salt overnight, drain and sprinkle with cinnamon (natural blood sugar balancer) and low roast 4 hours at 250 degrees -- makes them easier to digest.

Complex Carbohydrates 
9. Berries -- especially blueberries (brain berries), raspberries, strawberries, blackberries 
10. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit 
11. Cherries 
12. Peaches, plums 
13. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts 
14. Oats, whole wheat, wheat germ -- oatmeal needs to be the long cooking kind as instant has a higher glycemic index since the manufacturer has broken down the fiber to speed cooking time and basically make it a refined carbohydrate. Same goes for bread, look for at least 3 grams of fiber. Remember unbleached wheat flour is white flour, it must say whole wheat. 
15. Red or yellow peppers (much higher in Vitamin C than green peppers) 
16. Pumpkin squash 
17. Spinach -- works wonderfully as a salad, or a cooked vegetable, adds fiber and nutrients 
18. Tomatoes 
19. Yams 
** Beans (also listed under proteins) 
Fats

20. Avocados 
21. Extra virgin cold pressed olive oil 
22. Olives 
** Salmon (also listed under protein) 
** Nuts and nut butter, especially walnuts, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pecans and almonds (also listed under protein)

Liquids 
23. Water 
24. Green or black tea

Plan Snacks I love to snack; just like to munch on things to get through the day. When snacking it is helpful to balance carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Since I travel frequently, I have learned to take my snacks with me, so I am not tempted to pick up candy bars along the way. One of my favorite low calorie snacks are dried fruits and vegetables. Not the kind of dried fruits and vegetables stocked in typical supermarkets that are filled with preservatives, but the kind that just have the dried fruit and veggies. A company called Just Tomatoes, from Walnut, California (http://www.justtomatoes.com) makes great products. When you have dried fruit or veggies -- all carbohydrates -- add some low-fat string cheese or a few nuts to balance it out with protein and a little fat. 
Copyright ? 2005 Daniel G. Amen, M.D.


----------



## Guest (Jul 31, 2006)

Good post thanks we need more of theses


----------



## skyydl (Jul 4, 2006)

ur welcome, i just happened to come across it ,and just thought i would share it with everybody cause were all in it together


----------



## widescreened (Jun 22, 2005)

I think SOME of the advice in these 7 tips are good, but not all. Less food is a bad idea. Being too stringent on what you can and cant eat is also the highroad to ritually weighing, measuring and plotting what you eat. My oppinion is that if you stick to the food pyrimid and take the omega 3 suppliaments, while avoiding binging on junk food, caffeine, or alcohol, that should be good enough.


----------



## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Thanks skyydl, 
I'm always encouraging people to read Dr. Amen and visit his clinic. He helped alot with my DP, and I use his way of looking at mental illness to understand and help others now. I would never have gotten into neurology like I did, or used phrases like "temporal lobe personality" or "Waxman-Geschwind Syndrome" unless he had started me on the journey. I havent read these tips before - and I thought I'd read everything of his - so thanks from me too! Follow these, and I'm sure you'll feel a bit brighter. You can always visit a clinic of his, too!

Peace
Homeskooled


----------



## skyydl (Jul 4, 2006)

where is his clinic located?


----------



## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

wow that is a gret post Skyydl! I think this contains so much great advice we could all follow to give our minds and bodies the best chance at feeling healthy and normal again. Even if exercise and eating healthy doesnt 'cure' mental illness, it sure does make a difference in your overall health and feelings of wellness. Its also one thing we have such control over in our lives... none of us have any excusses for not trying our best to live a really healthy lifestyle! Thanks Skyydl


----------



## skyydl (Jul 4, 2006)

i beleive if we eat right sleep right and take good care of our bodies then its gotta do somthing with the dr/dp ,cause in most cases if you do all those things then your body will cure or at least drasticly improve anything phyisical or mental


----------



## becky (Jan 19, 2006)

Yes- I definatly agree with you! I know you said your family was making it difficult for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle so i really realy hope you treat yourself by taking really good care of yourself and reap all teh benefits that come along with it! I know we can all improve in this area and thanks to all of your posts I am making a new promise to myself to really focus on taking care of myself- eating healthy, exercising, sleeping well, and taking item to relax and do the things I enjoy. I know when I do these things I do def. feel better than I do when I dont. It can be hard to remember the importance of all of this when you are batteling mental illness (especially in the times when things really flare up) but this is the time we probably most need to remember these things. Good luck skyydl and please keep us posted on how everything goes!


----------

