We at Integrow Health believe in empowering people to take charge of their own health. No one knows your body better than you do. For this reason, this email is dedicated to free (or almost free) tips you can do at home to boost your brain health.
The aim of World Brain Day is to raise awareness of neurological disorders and to promote brain health worldwide. It’s NOT about donating brains (or spines) to politicians. Some dreams remain in the realm of science fiction.
Unlike eyes, ears, arms and legs, you are only issued one brain. If it goes, so does much of your life. A high-functioning brain is more important than ever to earn income (and to stay ahead of AI). Neglect your brain at your own peril.
When it comes to brain health, diet and lifestyle choices rule the roost. What’s more, these choices are universal for all humans – one size fits all. In other words, your specific genetic inheritance does not require a vastly different approach, compared to someone who does not share those genes. Those with problem genes just have to work harder at sticking to the diet and lifestyle.
Ironically, healthy diet and lifestyle choices are usually cheap or even free. They do not come with marketing slogans attached. They rarely get the limelight.
Let’s take a closer look at what you can do to boost your brain health without opening your purse (too much).
EXERCISE
Groan. If you are like most people, the word “exercise” is TWO four-letter words. In today’s hectic life, time to do exercise is scarce. And those who do manage to get around to exercising find things go “Ouch!” in the night.
Brain-healthy exercise does not mean “long-distance running”. It does not mean special (expensive) gear. In terms of brain health, you only have to do a little bit of exercise to make a big difference.
Here are options for you:
– Walk / Stroll (don’t run) one to two kilometres every day.
– Climb four flights of stairs daily.
– Do 5-10 minutes of a light exercise routine first thing in the morning.
BREATHE
Huh? Obviously you’re already breathing, right? We’re not talking normal breathing here. Gram for gram, your brain burns more oxygen than any other organ in your body. However, the way we sit all day, hunched up in front of screens, our lungs are compressed. Translation: We do not breathe deeply enough to supply our brains with a goodly amount of oxygen. So, make sure you get up from your chair at least once an hour (preferably once every half hour) and take three to five deep breaths. Breathe in deeply and then exhale everything. It’s free medicine for your whole body, too. You’re getting rid of excess carbon dioxide and increasing much-needed oxygen. Acidity levels drop and fatigue disappears.
PLAY
Study after study shows that the sharpest elderly brains often belong to those who play lots of games. You don’t stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing.
Note: Stay away from computerised games and play real games with real people (especially children and grandchildren). That is where the secret of brain-health play lies. Your brain loves interacting with real people – the game is just a sideshow to justify this interaction. Loneliness is poison to the brain at any age.
Social interaction, especially of a fun kind, significantly reduces dementia risk. Don’t get caught up in details about which is better than the other. Barn dancing happens to be one of the best brain-boosting activities, but you can pick anything from bowls to table tennis to real tennis to card games to board games to crosswords to Sudoku to simply hanging out with young kids. If it’s social, your brain will love it.
To summarise: Be socially active (= friendly) and laugh a lot (especially at yourself).
EAT THIS
Eat real food. Any number of people will tell you to eat this or that for a great brain (fish, anyone?). Yes, fish is great for the brain, but there are other options, too. In the absence of fish, you can focus on eating food that has not been processed in a factory. The fewer machines come between you and your food, the healthier it is likely to be. Just that little change will already do your brain a huge favour. “Organic” is better, if it really is organic and not just an expensive label, but “home-grown” is even better. Meat, eggs, full-fat dairy, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds – all these are good for the brain if not full of toxins.
More and more studies confirm that saturated animal fats are very, very healthy for the brain. The high cholesterol myth is being dismantled by new science. Butter, cream, tallow, lard, schmaltz, coconut oil, and avocadoes. You get the picture? Gram for gram, fats provide twice the energy relative to carbohydrates while resulting in only half the waste. It is the waste of energy production that drives most brain diseases. Less waste = more brain health.
SPICE IT
Basically every spice in your spice cabinet has been linked to better brain health. Here are a few: Turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage. The list goes on and on. Remember to use spices as often as you make food. Also include salt in your diet. Science tells us that a teaspoon of salt per day (or one third teaspoon per meal) is good for optimal health.
FERMENTED, NOT DEMENTED
Fermented foods deliver microbes to the gut, which produce brain-healthy substances. You’re not starved for options. Sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, cheese, kombucha and kefir are some well-known options. The best thing about fermented foods is that you can make them yourself. No need to spend hard-earned bucks to buy them. Over and above these bona fide fermented foods, there are some products of fermentation that are also highly beneficial, like vinegar and apple cider vinegar. These feed your good gut microbes, helping them do their job even better.
CUT OUT SUGAR (AND SWEETENERS)
Over the past 130 years or so, the availability and use of refined sugar around the world has exploded. The same time period saw an explosion in mental and brain issues. Coincidence? Many studies link refined sugar intake to a variety of metabolic diseases, many of which have knock-on effects on mental and brain diseases. Of these, dementia (Alzheimer’s) is probably the best-studied (but don’t expect anyone to tell you this).
Just say, “No!” to sugar. You can replace sugar with raw honey (a teaspoon a day max) or xylitol (not more than two or three teaspoons a day). Most other sweeteners are dangerous to brain health. Rather get your tongue used to other tastes.
The health benefits of cutting out sugar and sweeteners cannot be over-emphasised.
CUT OUT SEED OILS
Sunflower oil, canola oil, safflower oil and many other seed oils are heat processed. This means the natural structure of the oil is damaged. These seed oils then become toxic to the body, especially the inside of blood vessels. The inflammation caused by these seed oils impairs blood flow to the brain, among other organs.
Hydrogenated fats (such as margarine and vegetable fats) are likewise dangerous to our health and must be avoided. Those delicious biscuits and pie crusts are all soaked in these ugly fats.
CUT OUT PROCESSED FOODS
We already mentioned this earlier, but here it is again. If it’s made in a factory, rather not eat it. In order to make processed foods taste better and last longer, substances are added which are bad for your brain. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a common culprit in this regard, but the list of E numbers is very long, and almost every one of them has been linked to damaged health.
CUT OUT WHEAT
The concept of “grain brain” is gaining traction among researchers. Some say gluten and other substances found in wheat damage the gut and the blood-brain barrier, allowing toxins to easily enter the brain. Others claim that the glyphosate (“RoundUp”) sprayed on wheat a week before harvesting is the reason why wheat and other grains have become toxic to our brains. Whether this is true or not still needs to be established by studies, but avoid wheat for the time being if you love your brain.
AVOID SNACKING
Whenever you eat anything (even something healthy), there will be an insulin response. Insulin is a major driver of inflammation in the body, including in the brain. By not snacking between meals, this inflammation trigger is reduced.
AVOID ALCOHOL
What? NO!! The brain turns alcohol into a toxin, which triggers the chemical chaos we call “inebriation” (or drunkenness when it is somebody else). Restoring balance requires a lot of hard work behind the scenes (what we call a hangover). The toxic waste products from burning alcohol are not easily removed from the brain, causing neurones to get inflamed and even to die. If you absolutely must have alcohol, then one glass of red wine (150 ml) will not be harmful – a maximum three glasses per week. If you cannot stop at one glass, don’t start at all.
FASTING
Fasting is even less popular than exercise. Maybe fasting is not your idea of fun, but skipping one or two meals is really not that hard. It gives your body time to clean up excess waste and toxins. This highlights the important link between a healthy liver and a healthy brain. If your liver cannot keep up with cleaning up toxins, these overflow toxins are likely to end up in the brain. Until about a century ago, very few people would eat three meals a day. The idea of three (or more) meals a day is not something even our grandparents knew when they were growing up. They did not die from eating only one or two meals a day, and neither will you.
How to do it: Pick your smallest meal of the day and eliminate it, or replace it with a small, high-protein snack (did anyone say “biltong”?). That’s all. After a few days, your body and brain will be used to the new routine. Done.
SUNLIGHT
The health benefits of sunlight cannot be overstated. We’ve been told to stay out of the sun and to rub all sorts of toxins on our skin to prevent sunburn. However, the sun’s UV rays trigger the activation of vitamin D, one of the most important brain growth hormones. Infrared rays from the sun also improve blood flow to the brain, meaning more oxygen to the brain and more waste removal from the brain.
Half an hour of sunlight is a good target to aim for. If you burn easily, wear something light that will block the worst of the UV rays while still allowing the infrared rays to improve circulation.
AVOID TOXINS
This seems a no-brainer but is technically impossible in our polluted age. Do what you can. Here are some pointers to get you started:
- Household cleaners and air fresheners
– Pesticides
– Herbicides (glyphosate in particular)
– Plastics (especially BPA, BPH and nanoplastics)
– Metals (aluminium, mercury, lead & arsenic in particular)
– Solvents (toluene in particular)
– Recreational drugs
– Prescription medication (especially benzo’s, but many others, too)
That’s just for a start. Don’t let the list overwhelm you. Identify which of these are present in your environment and minimise contact with them. There are many non-toxic, home-made and inexpensive replacements possible for household cleaners and air fresheners. Just do some online searches and you will find alternative eco-friendly and human-friendly recipes.
Well, there you have it! World Brain Day just got a lot more relevant, didn’t it? Eight things you can do and seven things you should avoid for amazingly better brain health – and it won’t ruin your budget.
To your (thoughtful) health!
The Team at Integrow Health
