With so many of us wanting to keep our bodies trim and in good shape, it’s easy to neglect our brain. Although there are many supplements and gizmos on the market claiming to keep your mind sharp what sort of foods can you eat to help too?
Liver – If there’s one food that could be deemed a “super food” it would be liver. It’s not exactly the most popular food in the world and you’re unlikely to see it on a restaurant menu but don’t let that put you off. Liver is absolutely packed full of many nutrients including vitamin B12, vitamin A, iron, zinc, selenium and amino acids.
Many pregnant women are warned not to eat liver because it contains very high levels of vitamin A however if you limit your serving of liver to just once a week there shouldn’t be any problems. In fact a study found that pregnant women who ate very little in the way of meat ended up having babies that cried a lot. It’s thought that the b12 in meat such as liver, is needed for the development of the baby’s nervous system.
There have also been studies linking low b12 levels with Alzheimer’s because b12 is needed to reduce homocystein. High homocystein levels have been linked to Alzheimer’s, dementia, strokes and many other illnesses.
Coconut Oil – The main kind of fuel your brain uses is glucose, however it’s been found that in Alzheimer’s there is a problem with utilizing glucose. This is because in order for glucose to get into the brain cells, you need insulin and insulin receptors. If there is a problem with the receptors being insulin-resistant then the glucose can’t get into the cells and they become starved. Alzheimer’s is being touted as “diabetes of the brain” or “diabetes type 3.”
Luckily there is another fuel source the brain can use called ketone bodies. If you’ve ever been on a ketosis diet such as the Atkin’s diet you may already know what ketone bodies are. Basically, when you go into starvation mode, body fat is burnt off and ketone bodies are produced. However Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) can also be used by the body to produce ketone bodies and coconut oil is incredibly rich in MCTs.
So basically you consume the coconut oil, the MCTs go to the liver where the liver’s mitochondria produce kentone bodies which in turn cross the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) and feed the brain cells. Those who take coconut oil for this purpose find that 3 tablespoons a day works very well. However coconut oil contains quite a bit of omega 6 so you should also take fish oil which is rich in omega 3 in order to maintain the correct ratio.
Fish Oil – You probably already know that fish oil is excellent for the brain. A recent study found that those who regularly took fish oil supplements had better volume of certain parts of the brain which help with memory and thinking than those who don’t take fish oil supplements.
When buying fish oil supplements please make sure they’ve been filtered to remove toxins such as mercury and PCBs. You may also want to look for triple strength fish oil supplements as this will mean you’ll have to consume fewer supplements. They will cost more per capsule however they ultimately work out cheaper per amount of active omega 3 (EPA and DHA). Another thing to be aware of it that the more fish oil you consume, the more antioxidants you’ll require. So taking some vitamin E is a good idea too.
References
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Vitamin-B12-in-pregnancy-could-lead-to-quieter-babies-Study
http://coconutketones.blogspot.com/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110817120220.htm