The brain is the most important and most active part of the human body, and while the average person usually worries about their hips, butt or stomach, maybe we should take the statement, “It’s what is on the inside that counts” a little more seriously.
The brain uses glucose obtained from fruits and carbohydrates to fuel its daily processes. When you do not obtain the needed levels of glucose, the front part or your brain is the first to shut down and is very responsive to falling glucose levels. The frontal lobe is like the CEO of the brain. The parts of your brain that control your vital functions are, however, far less fragile and take a lot longer to shut down because of starvation. This, of course, results in death.
More than likely in this day and age, not eating enough is not a problem. However, what and how we eat is a different story.
Michael Green of Aston University in England has found the brain works best with a constant 25 grams of glucose circulating in the blood stream. This is approximately the amount of sugar found in a banana. The best way to keep your blood sugar levels constant is to have many small meals throughout the course of the day.
Knowing which fats you are eating also helps to keep your brain in tip-top shape. Trans fats are the most common fat in fast foods and are the most unhealthy of the fats. Saturated fats are not the most healthy, but they are better than trans fats.
Unsaturated fats are the healthiest to consume. Fats such as Omega-3s are necessary in brain development and even treating psychiatric problems like schizophrenia. You can find Omega-3 fats in fish, and, if all else fails, you can head over to CVS for a bottle of pills containing Omega-3.
The top five brain health foods, according to Brainfood.com, are salmon, cacao beans, matcha, acai berries, blueberries and coffee beans.
Salmon contains the Omega-3 fat. The only catch is the fish you eat cannot be farm raised. Farm raised fish develop differently from wild fish and do not have the same nutrient levels.
Consuming cacao beans does not mean candy bars. Processed cacao is no good. Find an organic food store like Whole Foods and brew a nice hot cocoa with antioxidant-rich organic cacoa.
Matcha is stone-ground gyokuru green tea powder. While you could go to the big-name brand teas, the best tea comes from those vendors you pass who claim to be “all natural.”
Acai berries and blueberries are high in antioxidants but also have Omega-3 and contain protein.
Coffee beans are rich with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals; just remember to drink coffee in moderation, as caffeine can be harmful in excess.
