Eating For Health

Have you ever heard of brain food?   Foods you can eat for a healthier brain.     Researchers have found that the food we eat greatly affects our brain health.   Besides the food we eat, staying hydrated also affects our cognitive function.   Why is hydration important for brain health?   I always told my students that before an exam they should drink some water.   Why?   Because even being slightly dehydrated affects cognitive function.   A 1% dehydration level can lead to “a 5% decrease in cognitive function”.     A 2% level of dehydration “can result in short term memory loss”, what some people call “brain fog”.   Besides drinking plain water, many beverages are good for hydration including 100% juice and cow’s milk.   (See:   What beverage is most effective for staying hydrated? ) What researchers have found about diet and brain health. Researchers at the University of Warwick studied diet and brain heal...

We all know that eating healthier foods will have a positive effect on our physical health.   How does what we eat affect our mental health?   Are there really “brain foods”?   A review of 41 studies on diet and depression was recently published in Molecular Psychology .   In their review, the researchers looked at different diets such as the DASH diet , the Mediterranean Diet and the Healthy Eating Index .    Most people realize that if you fill up on junk food, you won’t feel your best physically or mentally.   My neighbor calls it “brain fog”.   Research has shown that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables and fish seem to have better mental health.   But is there an overall diet that is good for better mental health?   Yes.   The Mediterranean Diet came out on top in a review of many diets.   I wrote about the Mediterranean Diet in January as this diet is ranked number one as “Best Diets” for overall health by U.S....

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was “brain food”?    Just eat a few foods and be smarter, more alert, improve your memory?   Well, apparently there are foods you can eat to improve your memory and learning.   A recent article in Environmental Nutrition, 5 Steps for Feeding Your Brain , lists a number of foods and steps to feed your brain.           1.    Foods rich in Phytonutrients – these aren’t vitamins or minerals but plant nutrients that have health benefits to plants and to us.   There are many phytonutrients, the one called flavonoids, are good for brain health.   These promote memory and learning.   Whole plant foods are better than processed so choose:         a.        Citrus fruits – whole orange vs. orange juice, grapefruit, slices of lemon in ice water              ...