Happy World Brain Day!
We at Integrow Health believe that people should be empowered to take control of their own health. For that reason, this article is dedicated to free or almost free tips you can implement at home to boost your brain health.
Brains get a World Day (but yes, All Organs Matter). The aim of today’s commemoration is to raise awareness of neurological disorders and promote brain health worldwide.
Unlike eyes, ears, arms and legs, you are only issued with 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 princes trying to send you their wealth). Nobody can look after your brain better than YOU (and your mother, of course).
When it comes to brain health, diet and lifestyle choices rule the roost. What is 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.
What is even more, those diet and lifestyle choices are usually cheap or even free.
Let’s have a closer look.
OK, hold on tight!
EXERCISE
Groan. If you are like most people, to word “exercise” is close to a swear word. In today’s hectic life, who has time to do exercise? On the other hand, there are those who spend a lot of time exercising, but constantly find all bits and pieces of their body going “Ouch!” in the night, especially as they get older.
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.
* Walk / Stroll (don’t run) one to two kilometres every day.
* Climb four flights of stairs daily.
* Do 5 minutes of a light exercise routine first thing in the morning.
BREATHE
Duh. You’re already breathing, right? Your brain needs more oxygen than any other part of our body. The way we sit all day, our lungs are compressed, meaning 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 and take three to five deep breaths. It’s free medicine for your whole body. You’re getting rid of excess carbon dioxide and increasing much-needed oxygen.
PLAY
Study after study shows that the sharpest elderly brains often belong to those who play lots of games. Stay away from computerised games and play real games with real people. That is where the secret of play lies. Your brain loves interacting with real people. Loneliness is poison to the brain.
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 so 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.
EAT
Eat real food. Any number of people will tell you to eat this or that for a great brain. It is true that eating fish probably carries more brain benefits than any other food, but who can afford it on a daily basis? And most fish are contaminated with toxins we so helpfully dump into their playground, the oceans. So, in the absence of daily fish intake, you can focus on eating food that has not been processed in a factory. Just that little change will already do 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, dairy, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, meat (again). The less processed, the better.
It turns out that saturated animal fats are very, very brain healthy. Butter, cream, tallow, lard, schmaltz, coconut oil, even avocadoes (a little). You get the picture? Gram for gram, fats provide twice the energy of carbohydrates, while resulting in 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, sage. The list goes on and on. Remember to use spices as often as you make food. Also include salt in your diet – about a teaspoon per day (or one third teaspoon per meal) for good brain health.
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 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 UV rays while still allowing the infrared rays to improve circulation.
FASTING
Hmmm, maybe not your idea of fun, but skipping one or more meals gives your body and your brain time to clean up excess waste and toxins. 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.
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.
Now for the things to avoid…
CUT OUT SUGAR (AND SWEETENERS)
Over the past 130 years or so, the availability and use of sugar around the world has exploded. This coincides with an explosion in mental and brain health issues. This is no accidental correlation. Dozens, possibly hundreds of studies have linked sugar consumption to a huge variety of psychiatric and brain diseases. Of these, dementia (Alzheimer’s) is probably the best-studied.
Just say, “No!” You can replace sugar with raw honey (a teaspoon a day max) or xylitol (Not more than two or three teaspoons a day). Avoid all other sweeteners. 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 others are heat processed. This means the natural structure of the oil is damaged and it becomes a toxin to the body.
Hydrogenated fats (margarine, vegetable fats are equally dangerous to our health and must be avoided. Those delicious pie crusts are all soaked in these ugly fats.
CUT OUT PROCESSED FOODS
If it’s made by a factory, don’t eat it. In order to make it taste better and last longer, things are added which are bad for your brain. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a common culprit, but the list of E numbers is very long and almost every single 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 sprayed on wheat a week before harvest 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, but avoid wheat for the time being.
AVOID SNACKING
Whenever you eat anything (even something keto or Banting friendly), there will be an insulin response. Insulin is a major driver of inflammation, also in the brain. By not snacking between meals, this inflammation trigger is reduced.
AVOID ALCOHOL
The brain loves glucose. Alcohol looks like glucose to neurons, so it is rapidly burnt up for fuel. That’s what gives alcohol its mental zing. However, the waste products from burning alcohol are not easily removed from the brain, causing neurons to get sick and even to die with repeated exposure. If you absolutely must have alcohol, then one glass of red wine a day (150 ml) will not be harmful. If you cannot stop at one glass, don’t start at all.
AVOID TOXINS
This seems a no-brainer, but is technically impossible in our polluted age. Do what you can. Here are some pointers:
– Household cleaners and air fresheners
– Pesticides
– Herbicides (glyphosate in particular)
– Plastics (especially BPH and nanoplastics)
– Metals (aluminium, mercury, lead & arsenic in particular)
– Solvents (toluene in particular)
– Recreational drugs
– Prescription medication (especially benzo’s)
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, air fresheners, pesticides and herbicides, for a start. Just do some online searches.
Well, there you have it! Seven things you can do and seven things you can avoid for amazingly better brain health – and it won’t rock your purse.
To your (brain) health!
The Team at Integrow Health
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